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

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 144 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,887 and $46,998 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the pastoral counseling and specialized ministries program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 Master’s 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. 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 a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the Middle Atlantic Region

#1

Lancaster Bible College

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

#1 in overall quality

$11,460 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lancaster Bible College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region. Lancaster Bible College is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.

Lancaster Bible College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Lancaster Bible College are $11,460, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Lancaster Bible College

#2

Westminster Theological Seminary

Glenside, Pennsylvania

#3 in overall quality

$17,770 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$30,771 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Westminster Theological Seminary landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 54 diplomas to qualified masters’s pastoral counseling students in 2019-2020.

Westminster Theological Seminary also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Westminster Theological Seminary are $17,770, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#3

Nyack College

Nyack, New York

#4 in overall quality

$13,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Nyack College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Nyack, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s pastoral counseling students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Nyack, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Nyack College are $13,800, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Nyack College

#4

Seton Hall University

South Orange, New Jersey

#2 in overall quality

$25,172 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Seton Hall University landed the #4 spot on the list. Seton Hall is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in South Orange, New Jersey. It awarded 5 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Seton Hall, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Seton Hall University are $25,172.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Seton Hall

• 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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