2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the Middle Atlantic Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 3,028 people earned their degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries, making the major the 168th most popular in the United States. 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.

Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 247 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,900 and $40,968 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 19 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,944 and $116,843 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs, but they also cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region doctor’s degree pastoral counseling students.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the Middle Atlantic Region

#1

Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion

New York, New York

#1 in overall quality

$26,535 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s pastoral counseling students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region doctor’s degree pastoral counseling students list, HUC - JIR has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion are $26,535, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full HUC - JIR Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#2

Eastern University

Saint Davids, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$13,610 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

EU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at EU are $13,610, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at EU

#2

Westminster Theological Seminary

Glenside, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$17,770 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Doctorate in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Westminster Theological Seminary landed the #2 spot on the list. Glenside, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our middle atlantic region doctor’s degree pastoral counseling students list, Westminster Theological Seminary has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Westminster Theological Seminary are $17,770, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Westminster Theological Seminary

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries

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.

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