2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Master’s in California” 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.

Across California, there were 213 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,600 and $35,103 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 129 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Master’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree pastoral counseling students.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in California

#1

The Master's University and Seminary

Santa Clarita, California

#1 in overall quality

$10,590 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Master’s University and Seminary. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California. The Master’s University is located in Santa Clarita, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.

The Master’s University also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at The Master’s University and Seminary are $10,590, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full The Master’s University Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#2

Vanguard University of Southern California

Costa Mesa, California

#2 in overall quality

$16,180 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,005 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Vanguard University of Southern California. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California. Vanguard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanguard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanguard University of Southern California are $16,180, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Vanguard

#3

Biola University

La Mirada, California

#3 in overall quality

$11,772 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Biola University landed the #3 spot on the list. La Mirada, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Biola, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Biola are $11,772.

Full Biola University Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#4

Bethel Seminary - San Diego

San Diego, California

#4 in overall quality

$8,520 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$44,077 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bethel Seminary - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California list. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Bethel Seminary - San Diego also took the #4 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Bethel Seminary - San Diego are $8,520, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Bethel Seminary - San Diego

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’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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