2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Religious Studies is the 115th most popular major in the country with 9,704 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,163 and had an average of $28,712 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 545 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,033 and $27,538 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 116 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent religious studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the religious studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree religion students.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Mount Vernon, Ohio

#3 in overall quality

$8,964 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Mount Vernon Nazarene University landed the #1 spot on the list. MVNU is a small school located in Mount Vernon, Ohio that handed out 17 masters’s religion degrees in 2019-2020.

MVNU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at MVNU are $8,964.

Full MVNU Religious Studies Report

#2

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

#2 in overall quality

$33,338 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #2 spot on the list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s religion degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

#3

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s religion degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Religious Studies at UIUC

#4

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

#5 in overall quality

$31,355 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Michigan University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s religion students in 2019-2020.

WMU also took the #5 spot in our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WMU are $31,355.

Read full report on Religious Studies at WMU

#5

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

#1 in overall quality

$57,522 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Religion Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame also made our “Best Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Notre Dame are $57,522, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Religious Studies at Notre Dame

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.

Featured Philosophy and Religious Studies Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >