Earned Doctorates
Doctor of Pastoral Counseling
Advanced study for ministers whose primary calling is soul care, focused on the pastoral office as a counseling context, with supervised practice and dissertation research.
- Tuition
- $5,000full program
- Credit Hours
- 48
- Duration
- 36–60 mo
- Format
- 100% Online
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Practice pastoral counseling at advanced competency
- Develop a mature theology of suffering and healing
- Supervise pastoral care teams
- Build congregational care systems that scale
- Contribute original research to pastoral care practice
Core Coursework
- 01Advanced Pastoral Care
- 02Theology of Suffering and Healing
- 03Congregational Care Systems
- 04Supervision of Care Teams
- 05Research Design
- 06Dissertation Seminar I & II
- 07Dissertation
Course sequence and titles are subject to catalog revision. See the state course catalogs for the governing version.
Who This Program Is For
Senior pastors and care ministry directors with a master's degree.
Prerequisite: Completed master's degree in a related field
What This Credential Does and Doesn't Do
CRITICAL: Pastoral, not clinical. Does not lead to state licensure or independent psychotherapy practice.
FMI holds degree-granting authority in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, and is not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA. Read our full accreditation statement.
Ready to begin?
Enrollment is open year-round. Application and registration is a one-time $150, and payment plans are available on all tuition.
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