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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Southwest Region

6 Ranked Colleges
27 Degrees Awarded
$35,800 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 9,470 people earned their degree in religious studies, making the major the 90th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, religious studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,289 and had an average of $24,431 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 423 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,014 and $24,037 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 27 religious studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,218 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region” ranking looked at 6 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in religious studies. That schools that top this list have a program in religious studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region doctor’s degree religion students.

Top 6 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Religious Studies in the Southwest Region

1

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Methodist University landed the #1 spot on the list. SMU is a fairly large school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 10 doctorate’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University

2
Baylor crest
Baylor University
Waco, Texas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Baylor University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Baylor Religious Studies Report

3
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s religion degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Religious Studies at Rice University

4

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Religious Studies at UT Austin

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region list. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 1 doctorate’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Religious Studies at ASU - Tempe

6
USW crest
University of the Southwest
Hobbs, New Mexico

University of the Southwest came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Religion Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This small school is located in Hobbs, New Mexico, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s religion degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Religious Studies at USW

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Notes and References

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