M.A. in Human Services
Pursue Your Passion Through Regent’s Human Services Degree
You’re wired to do good and to bring out the good in and for others. To move forward with confidence in your calling, pursue Regent’s SACSCOC-accredited online Master of Arts in Human Services. This non-licensure degree equips you with practical helping skills in Christian counseling, addictions counseling, and other specialized areas such as biblical counseling, student affairs, mediation, criminal justice, and more. Courses are taught with a combination of real-time interaction with professors, small-group projects, podcast lectures, and asynchronous chat room discussions.
Grow in Christian Counseling & Coaching
Explore the mind-body-spirit connection and practice individual and group work.
Empower Your Career Through a Human Services Degree
Gain foundational skills in behavioral sciences while specializing in a concentrated area.
Gain Foundational Helping Skills
Learn to identify and assist individuals struggling with common life-adjustment issues or seeking personal development.
Align Yourself with Excellence
Experience Regent. Ranked among top national universities by U.S. News & World Report, 2022, Regent combines both excellence and integrity.
Courses are taught from a Christian perspective by faculty members in Virginia Beach and beyond.
Please complete the Request Information form on this page to learn more about this program.
On completing the M.A. in Human Services degree, you can:
- Acquire knowledge in human growth and development, group work, research, and professional ethics.
- Address legal, ethical, and liability issues while discussing specific treatment issues.
- Develop practice and evaluation skills and techniques.
Career Opportunities
- Human/Social Services Professional
- Foster/Elder Care Coordinator
- Medical/Health Services Manager
- Nonprofit Administrator
- Pastoral Counselor
- Life Coach
The M.A. in Human Services – Addictions Counseling degree program will train you to apply faith-based interventions in ministry or professional recovery contexts to food, drug, sexual, and other addictions.
Learn MoreThe M.A. in Human Services – Biblical Counseling will prepare you for work in the church, community, mission, biblical counseling center, and beyond. Gain foundational skills in behavioral sciences with an emphasis on biblical application.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Christian Counseling degree program will give you counseling strategies and techniques from a Christian perspective. Gain solutions-focused people skills to address specific, real-world problems in your profession.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Conflict & Mediation Ministry is offered in partnership with Regent School of Law. This conflict resolution degree will equip you to bring people together using mediation skills in nonprofessional ministry contexts.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Criminal Justice & Ministry, offered in partnership with Regent School of Law, will prepare you to bring lasting rehabilitation to the incarcerated and others within the legal system. The program focuses on juvenile and criminal law, international trafficking, and immigration rules and procedures.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Human Services Counseling prepares you to effectively serve your community. You'll develop skills for better care of others and for career growth through this human services degree program.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Human Services for Student Affairs will prepare you to help students thrive in their academic and personal development, whether you prefer administration or hands-on assistance roles.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Life Coaching will prepare you to work with others in personal and motivational contexts. This program focuses on Christian coaching with supervised field experience including an advanced coaching practicum.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Marriage & Family Ministry will prepare you to address the needs of couples (married and unmarried) in a ministry context, as well as traditional and nontraditional families. Be equipped to reinvigorate marriages and families.
Learn MoreThe Master of Arts (M.A.) in Human Services – Trauma & Crisis Counseling will prepare you to respond to natural and human disasters, as well as personal trauma. Learn to support first responders and to counsel others to freedom.
Learn More| HSC 500 | Foundations of Human Services | 3 | A review of human services fields and career identities. The impact of worldviews on the relationship between human service workers and those they serve is examined. Attention is given to ethical, spiritual, and other considerations for those seeking to be effective change agents for the good of others. |
| HSC 501 | Behavioral Science Foundations | 3 | Consists of carefully selected topics/findings drawn from the behavioral sciences that can provide a valuable knowledge base for those working in the human services fields. It will draw from the psychological research on the biological, cognitive, social, and emotional bases of behavior, theories of counseling, motivation research, and other behavioral science fields. |
| HSC 505 | Professional Ethics in the Human Service Fields | 3 | Provides an overview of professional ethics for human services fields. A brief survey of the professional codes in the mental health fields and other relevant guidance in applied ethics pertinent to human services work and roles. Cross-listed with PAC 505. |
| HSC 524 | Helping Skills & Techniques | 3 | A survey and experiential application of interviewing, reflective listening and helping skills. Techniques and practices derived from professional counseling and other human service fields will be covered with an emphasis on demonstrations, modeling, practice and evaluation. Cross-listed with PAC 524. |
| HSC 570 | Multicultural Awareness & Individual Diversity | 3 | Provides an introduction to the importance of cultural awareness and the presence/influence of cultural and individual diversity. Also, students gain an overview of social theories and social justice. Attention is given to support the development of multicultural skills with a broad range of focus and application across varied settings. Cross-listed with PAC 570. |
| HSC 596 | Field Experience | 3 | Combines applied experience with the integration of Christianity in human service work. Students must obtain experience in line with counseling ministries and the Field Experience Guidelines. This course extends over the full semester to ensure adequate time for students to gain training and experience. Cross-listed with PAC 596 and MHPS 696. Pass/No Pass. |
2024-25 Semester Check-In Deadlines
All students are expected to check-in for the semester two weeks before the session start date. Students should apply, be accepted, enroll in their first courses, and confirm a plan to pay for their courses prior to this date.
| Session | Semester Check-In | Session Start Date |
|---|---|---|
| Session A | Friday, August 9 | Monday, August 19 |
| Session B | Friday, October 11 | Monday, October 21 |
| Session C | Wednesday, January 8 | Monday, January 13 |
| Session D | Friday, March 7 | Monday, March 17 |
| Session E | Friday, May 2 | Monday, May 12 |
| Session F | Friday, June 13 | Monday, June 23 |
Admissions Requirements
Step 1: Apply to Regent University
Submit your application using the Regent University Online Application.
Note: If you are unable to complete our application due to a disability, please contact our Admissions Office at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu and an admissions representative will provide reasonable accommodations to assist you in completing the application.
Step 2: Submit Your Unofficial Transcripts
Submit your unofficial transcripts to regent.edu/items.
Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email requesting authorization for Regent University to obtain your official transcripts from your U.S. degree-granting institution. International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES, AACRAO or NAFSA approved agency.
Step 3: Submit Your Government-Issued ID
To ensure academic integrity, Regent University requires a copy of a government-issued ID. Please submit a scanned copy or photograph of it to regent.edu/items.
Please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu should you have any further questions about the application process.
Note: All items submitted as part of the application process become the property of Regent University and cannot be returned.
PART-TIME STUDENTS
| Degree | Tuition Cost Per Credit Hour | Average Credit Hours Per Semester | Average Tuition Per Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Arts in Human Services (MA) | $615 | 6 | $3,690 |
| Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MA) | $615 | 6 | $3,690 |
| Master of Science in Psychology (MS) | $695 | 6 | $4,170 |
| Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA) | $730 | 6 | $4,380 |
| Master of Arts in School Counseling (MA) | $730 | 6 | $4,380 |
| Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling (MA) | $730 | 6 | $4,380 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling & Psychological Studies (PhD) | $695 | 3 | $2,085 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education & Supervision (PhD) | Full time enrollment is required. | ||
| Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) | Full time enrollment is required. | ||
Full-Time Students
| Degree | Tuition Cost Per Credit Hour | Average Credit Hours Per Semester | Average Tuition Per Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Arts in Human Services (MA) | $615 | 9 | $5,535 |
| Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MA) | $615 | 9 | $5,535 |
| Master of Science in Psychology (MS) | $695 | 9 | $6,255 |
| Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA) | $730 | 9 | $6,570 |
| Master of Arts in School Counseling (MA) | $730 | 9 | $6,570 |
| Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling (MA) | $730 | 9 | $6,570 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling & Psychological Studies (PhD) | $695 | 6 | $4,170 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education & Supervision (PhD) | $945 | 6 | $5,670 |
| Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) | $945 | 12 | $11,340 |
Student Fees Per Semester
| University Services Fee (On-Campus Students) | $850 (Fall & Spring) $700 (Summer) |
|---|---|
| University Services Fee (Online Students) | $700 |
Part-Time Students
| Degree | Tuition Cost Per Credit Hour | Average Credit Hours Per Semester | Average Tuition Per Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Arts in Human Services (MA) | $615 | 6 | $3,690 |
| Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MA) | $615 | 6 | $3,690 |
| Master of Science in Psychology (MS) | $695 | 6 | $4,170 |
| Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA) | $730 | 6 | $4,380 |
| Master of Arts in School Counseling (MA) | $730 | 6 | $4,380 |
| Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling (MA) | $730 | 6 | $4,380 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling & Psychological Studies (PhD) | $695 | 3 | $2,085 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education & Supervision (PhD) | Full time enrollment is required. | ||
| Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) | Full time enrollment is required. | ||
Full-Time Students
| Degree | Tuition Cost Per Credit Hour | Average Credit Hours Per Semester | Average Tuition Per Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master of Arts in Human Services (MA) | $615 | 9 | $5,535 |
| Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MA) | $615 | 9 | $5,535 |
| Master of Science in Psychology (MS) | $695 | 9 | $6,255 |
| Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA) | $730 | 9 | $6,570 |
| Master of Arts in School Counseling (MA) | $730 | 9 | $6,570 |
| Master of Arts in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling (MA) | $730 | 9 | $6,570 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling & Psychological Studies (PhD) | $695 | 6 | $4,170 |
| Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education & Supervision (PhD) | $900 | 6 | $5,400 |
| Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) | $900 | 12 | $10,800 |
Student Fees Per Semester
| University Services Fee (On-Campus Students) | $850 (Fall & Spring) $700 (Summer) |
|---|---|
| University Services Fee (Online Students) | $700 |
*Rates are subject to change at any time.