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2024 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools

72 Colleges in the United States
3,116 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
$31,592 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, pastoral counseling & specialized ministries sits in the middle of the road, ranking #171 out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 72 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,116 degrees in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries School

Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools The pastoral counseling program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries rankings. For our Best Overall Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Pastoral Counseling
Bachelor's Degrees in Pastoral Counseling
Master's Degrees in Pastoral Counseling
Doctor's Degrees in Pastoral Counseling

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the pastoral counseling degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Schools in Pastoral Counseling

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
27.0% Growth in Graduates

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #291 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 37 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the pastoral counseling program make around $31,348 for their early career.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
29.7% Growth in Graduates

The Master's University and Seminary is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. The Master's University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Santa Clarita. A Best Colleges rank of #258 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means The Master's University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 74 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at The Master's University in the most recent data year. Those pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who get their degree from The Master's University and Seminary earn $15,093 more than the typical pastoral counseling graduate.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from The Master’s University and Seminary

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
$39,927 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries needs to look into Loyola University Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were about 45 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries degree recipients from Loyola University Chicago get an earnings boost of around $8,335 over the typical income of pastoral counseling & specialized ministries graduates.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Loyola University Chicago

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

Moody Bible Institute is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

There were approximately 94 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, pastoral counseling degree recipients usually earn about $29,204 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Moody Bible Institute

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
44.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 33rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 38 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at Olivet Nazarene in the most recent data year. Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries degree recipients from Olivet Nazarene University receive an earnings boost of approximately $15,708 over the average income of pastoral counseling & specialized ministries majors.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Olivet Nazarene University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
85 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of South Hamilton, Gordon - Conwell Seminary is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 85 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at Gordon - Conwell Seminary in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Gordon - Conwell Theological Seminary

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Newberg, GFU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 30 schools for overall quality in the state of Oregon.

There were about 54 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at GFU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the pastoral counseling & specialized ministries degree program at George Fox University get $12,722 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from George Fox University

8
North Central University crest
North Central University
Minneapolis, MN

Located in the city of Minneapolis, North Central University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #349 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means North Central University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 25 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at North Central University in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, pastoral counseling degree recipients generally earn around $27,543 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from North Central University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MO
90 Pastoral Counseling Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Joplin, Ozark Christian College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were approximately 90 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at Ozark Christian College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Ozark Christian College

10
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In GA
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.

There were approximately 3 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Emory University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 Lee University Cleveland, TN
12 Lancaster Bible College Lancaster, PA
13 Southeastern University Lakeland, FL
14 Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, IN
15 Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake, IN
16 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
17 Westminster Theological Seminary Glenside, PA
18 Crown College Saint Bonifacius, MN

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries by Region

View the Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 7 majors within the Theology & Religious Vocations area of study, Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries has other similar majors worth exploring.

Pastoral Counseling Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Pastoral Studies/Counseling 1,430
Other Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 607
Lay Ministry 504
Youth Ministry 434
Urban Ministry 65
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies 18

View All Pastoral Counseling Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies 15,832
Biblical Studies 4,119
Religious Education 1,417
Missionary Studies 1,220
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 1,166
Sacred Music 554
Religious Institution Administration and Law 35

View All Pastoral Counseling Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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