Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries

10 Ranked Colleges
192 Degrees Awarded
$20,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries is the 168th most popular major in the country with 3,028 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,316 and had an average of $31,905 in loans still to pay off.

At the associate degree level specifically, there were 192 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,082 and $17,678 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the pastoral counseling and specialized ministries program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate.

Top 10 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate list. This fairly large school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 17 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

IWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is $22,207 for associate degree pastoral counseling students.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

#2

Ozark Christian College

Joplin, Missouri
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ozark Christian College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate list. This small school is located in Joplin, Missouri, and it awarded 24 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

Ozark Christian College also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Ozark Christian College is $15,138 for associate degree pastoral counseling students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ozark Christian College Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#3

Grace Christian University

Wyoming, Michigan

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Grace Christian University landed the #3 spot on the list. Grace is a small school located in Wyoming, Michigan that handed out 54 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

Grace not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grace Christian University is $12,679 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students.

Full Grace Christian University Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#4

Valor Christian College

Canal Winchester, Ohio

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valor Christian College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate list. Valor Christian College is a small school located in Canal Winchester, Ohio that handed out 50 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Valor Christian College, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Valor Christian College is $16,245 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students.

Full Valor Christian College Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern Assemblies of God University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Waxahachie, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified associates’s pastoral counseling students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our associate degree pastoral counseling students list, Southwestern Assemblies of God University has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southwestern Assemblies of God University is $24,982 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students.

Full Southwestern Assemblies of God University Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#6

Maranatha Baptist University

Watertown, Wisconsin
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Maranatha Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate list. Maranatha Baptist University is located in Watertown, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MBU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,736 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students per year to attend MBU.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at MBU

#7

Union University

Jackson, Tennessee
#6 in overall quality

Union University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate ranking. Union University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jackson, Tennessee. It awarded 1 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Union, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $28,249 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students per year to attend Union.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Union Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

Indiana Wesleyan University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate ranking. Indiana Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Marion, Indiana. It awarded 1 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

IWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $20,946 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students per year to attend IWU.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at IWU

#9

Andrews University

Berrien Springs, Michigan
#4 in overall quality

Andrews University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate ranking. Andrews is a small school located in Berrien Springs, Michigan that handed out 1 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

Andrews did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” list. It costs about $21,934 for associate degree pastoral counseling students per year to attend Andrews.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Andrews University

#10

Geneva College

Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

Geneva College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for an Associate ranking. Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s pastoral counseling degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Geneva also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Associate Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Geneva is $19,778 for Associate Degree Pastoral Counseling students.

Full Geneva Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Philosophy and Religious Studies Schools

Find Schools Near You