Liberty University Reviews of Master's in Counseling

"I am deeply troubled by the pure lack of communication that I have experienced with this entire process trying to get into my Master's program. Literally NO ONE has contacted me at all outside of an occasional email once I keep calling in repeatedly. I have been trying to get through just the admissions process alone for WEEKS. I have finally been accepted. I call in today to find out about getting my degree audit done for my transfer of credits only to find out there is yet another step that NO ONE cared to contact me about not even via email. I am 4 weeks shy of the semester beginning and I still cant even anything accomplished because theres so many steps that they dont tell you about along the way they wait for you to reach out and then say oh by the way now you have to complete this. I am an allumni of Liberty and I am completely appalled that this is the experience when chosing to return to the school. I absolutely will not be completing my program with liberty A real GODLY way of conducting business. "

"You will be expected to intigrate biblical/spiritual beliefs into every assignment regardless of your beliefs. This creates extra and uneccesary time and effort from the student on non academic work that does not pertain to subject matter of the course. Leaving after 3 courses."

"I absolutely love everything about the school and highly recommend it to anyone whether they come from a faith based background or not. In 2016 I completed my BS online there in interdisciplinary studies focusing on psychology and early childhood education and I returned last year to complete my masters in Human Services Counseling- Executive Leadership. The faculty and professors have all been extremely helpful and supportive. I’ve even spoken to a couple of professors over the phone that helped walk me through specific assignments that I was having trouble with. The classes are very much applicable to the real world and are packed into 8 weeks of intense coursework but that is to be expected for quality education. The cost is comparable to any other university and just like any other university they expect payment… I know that’s a real shocker for some. I’ve noticed multiple negative reviews from the same individuals on this site which makes me wonder what their real motive is behind the review."

"I had a great experience at Liberty. I did the masters in counseling program while I was working full-time and finished in just over two years. It was intense, but the 8 week class structure made it doable. I had some really stellar professors who went above and beyond. I also had some mediocre professors. Fortunately, my practicum and internship professors were wonderful. I learned a ton from them. You do need to know what you're signing up for with an online program. Most of your learning will be from books and from personal research, not from lectures. That will be the case with any school's online program. If you're not comfortable with that, then you need to do a residential program. For me, it was a perfect fit."

"This school seemed like a good idea because I needed to work full-time while in school. I was lead to believe that my religious views would not be an issue with the classes. Over the past three years I have had to write most of my class papers from a Christian and biblical viewpoint and the grade reflected this. Currently I'm taking a sexuality class and have to write a theology of sexuality paper and a sexual autobiography. This is over the top! The school also said they were working on CACREP accreditation which is not happening because they withdrew the application. Students will have to order "required" textbooks from MBS that you may only read one chapter of. Liberty has normal textbooks edited to reflect their viewpoint. And lastly, be careful listening to the advisors. As you near the end of a graduate degree, the advisors become more hands off. I have called and been given wrong information at least four times. This just cost me am extra year to complete my program. I should have been advised to withdraw from a class during a family crisis but i have no advisor. Teachers just give canned responses to all grading. I am out financial aid , a practicum site and a job. I will be paying out of pocket for this last class, Liberty gets to make o$6000 off of me for one class that I originally passed. I'm full of regret and wish I had a way to finish at a school that I could be proud of. The Liberty diploma will not hang on my wall."

"Not structured. No flexibility when it comes to due dates so almost like not even going to school online as far as flexibility. Teachers are not always helpful. Things are not clearly explained prior to starting. Communication is so broken and when your at a loss sometimes you by a brick wall because no one seems to know anything."

"PLEASE DISREGARD GRADUATION YEAR! UN-ENROLLED FROM PROGRAM. I previously wrote a review on Liberty University concerning the M.A. Human Services Counseling degree and gave the program/school a 5/5 stars for efficiency and financial help. However, post graduation I quickly realized that my degree would yield no salary increase and meant nothing to employers. This prompted me to re-enroll in the M.A. Professional Counseling program in the online format. I finished the Spring 2017 semester and completed the term with a passing GPA. My problem is the lack of ACCREDITATION and the run around I continue to receive when questioning the status of the online program. My overall goal is to work with state/federal governments, specifically the Military, as I am a Military spouse and therefore sensitive to the issues in military families. Liberty University is currently NOT CACREP ACCREDITED, although they are seeking accreditation. Persons without a degree from a CACREP accredited program ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BE EMPLOYED IN MANY OF THE HIGHER PAYING SALARY AREAS ESPECIALLY WITH THE MILITARY. I was instructed (LIED TO) that they would receive this information in January 2017. They did not. Then as I continued to be a pest they said they would receive the CACREP decision in July 2017. When I requested the date of the July board meeting (as the decisions would be posted on the CACREP website 45 days after the meeting) so I would know whether or not they would receive accreditation prior to the deadline for dropping classes they would not give me this information. I was P*****. I decided that I would take that semester loss and move on to an already CACREP accredited university to pursue my degree. Too much hassle and too much inconsistency and lying when it comes to the info that is important to a person's life. My first degree is worthless, I did not want to waste time, energy and money on a second degree with them. The first time was a mistake, the second time I just would have been stupid! Do your research!"

"Singed up for online program. Very disappointed. I received very little help from online instructors. I found myself to be on my own with response from instructors slow and ineffective. I withdrew and got stuck for the tuition. Prior to enrolling I was being contacted by sales people from the school all the time. Once I signed up I couldn't get a response from anyone. You read the material, take a quiz, write a paper and have students comment on your work. wow."

"Run away from this so called Christian school. This university wants your money. I requested a specific professor and was put into the class. The next day Liberty kept calling my telephone saying that I needed to complete the course requirement checklist. Therefore, I logged in and completed it. Then, I noticed another professor name on my assignments. I called the school and the advisors said that there is nothing that they can do for me because I have already completed the checklist. Liberty's mission statement is "Training Champions for Christ", How can you do that when you are deceiving your students?"

"Liberty University introduces a professional graduate degree program that requires you to work diligently, interact with other students and your professors in this online format. Where else could you earn a professional degree online for this price and get a PhD's who offer insight and encouragement? I looked at Wake Forest and their online program was $75,000! Sure you may have a professor who is balancing their private practice and is teaching 4 courses but as a graduate student you are expected to immerse yourself in higher education! So, suck it up and quit complaining! Do you wish to advance your knowledge base with the same texts used at Harvard and Penn? I think so...but you are paying 1/4 of the cost so there are some trade offs. Liberty University has high standards....I graduated with distinction (3.9 GPA) and that's a high bar for any University. I had my papers professionally bound resulting in three volumes (650 pages) of which I am very proud. This program stretched me to high levels of performance which increased my capacity to augment the lives of others."

"Had a major medical issue, asked for time to pay my bill back. Next thing I know, I'm turned over to a collection agency. VERY Christian of them! There is absolutely no help if needed, financial aid is a joke. Take my advice and go to a real university, brick and mortar and get a real degree."

"I took classes for the universities, Human Services Counseling program in substance abuse. I liked my fellow students, but the school had some issues. First, my classes were online and only reading and writing, with minimal video. I had some issues with my classes: first and worst, they made us do bulletin board posts and use those as discussion (done in APA style writing) and these had to be done on Wed at 11:59 p.m. for that weeks reading. This meant, I had to read all the material for the week on Monday and Tuesday. I could not do that! Sometimes it was 70 pages of textbook reading, and to read at a graduate level you have to be able to really know your text, which means making notes, re-reading, and learning professional vocabulary and values. I could not do that in two days! If you can, LIberty Online might be for you, but if not, you're likely better off elsewhere."

"I love Liberty and actually found it more rigorous than University of Texas at Austin. The only thing that concerned me was my degree was not CACREP accredited. Other programs at Liberty are though. This pushed my NCE credentials a little post graduation. I would push that your degree get CACREP if applicable. It's not a deal breaker but it's better to be CACREP."

"As an agnostic at an evangelical Christian university, I initially thought I would never be able to complete my degree. That said, I am very upfront about my secular views, and have received nothing but support in response to my transparency. The professors are amazing!! I've completed 7 classes so far, and all of the professors have been very responsive, warm, supportive, helpful, and understanding, especially when I was struggling with work / school balance. I attended an on campus counseling intensive and met some amazing people, who were very welcoming and supportive. No proselytizing like I expected. What I learned about myself was that I was turned off by organized religion and the hypocrisy I've seen in the past. At Liberty, I witnessed believers who lived their lives as true Christians, not people who ran to religion to save themselves from hell. In the United States, a majority of the people I will be counseling do hold a Christian worldview, so it is helpful to know what that means. I can still be a secular counselor, but will have more tools to treat people holistically. I very highly recommend LU. It's been an amazing journey."

"Tell us about your college experience.I have read previous reviews about how the school has gotten too big, which it has grown a lot. one thing that I can say about Liberty is that they listen to there students complaints and work hard to solve the problem. An example are the intensive classes during the summer. I complained once that all the classes filled up too quickly and by the next summer they had more then enough spaces. I feel that Liberty gave me the opportunity of stay at home with my children and at the same time I earned a Masters degree. During my practicum and internship I was able to find a job in a private practice working with children. My supervisor hired me during my practicum and I worked full time as a counselor until we moved. Now I am working in a private Christian school as their guidance counselor and college counselor.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?I am looking into their education specialist degree because I enjoy working in the schools and the hours that working in education would provide. I also have heard wonderful things about the education department!What advice can you offer other students?I think one of the reasons that some have stated bad comments is because online learning/distance learning is not for everyone. In order for Liberty University to have their accreditations for licensure they have to follow strict guidelines which means it is not an EASY school and requires discipline to do the work. The faculty and courses that I have taken have been great! Every once and a while you may get a professor that doesn't click with your style, but that only happened once during my degree and in the end it worked out! Go for it!!!"

"As is true with all institutions of higher learning, Liberty University is first and foremost a business. The school is looking to make money. This being said, be prepared for the onslaught of financial aid emails and phone calls that will be sent your way. The school rushes you toward payment, without explaining charges or fees that are involved. If you need to switch classes or drop a class, the financial aid and registrar's office will be sweet as pie helping you. However, when you end up with an enormous bill because of those changes, the school will deny responsibility for outlining those potential charges. Another issue is that the professors are hit and miss. I have had wonderful, responsive professors and I have also had professors that rarely, if ever, respond to my emails or phone calls. I completely regret attending this "school". Do yourself a favor: save your time and money and attend a real school with a real professor. For the (lack of) quality of instruction, this school is overpriced."