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2024 Best Religious Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region

11 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
292 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
$26,278 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, religious education sits in the middle of the road, ranking #216 out of 395 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual looked at 11 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Religious Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 292 degrees in religious education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Religious Education School

Best Religious Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region The religious ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Religious Education rankings. For our Best Overall Religious Education School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Religious Education Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Religious Ed
Master's Degrees in Religious Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Religious Ed

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Religious Education Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Religious Education in the Great Lakes Region

The schools below may not offer all types of religious ed degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Religious Ed

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
17.5% Growth in Graduates

Franciscan University of Steubenville is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in religious education. Located in the small city of Steubenville, Franciscan U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 29th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 63 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Franciscan U in the most recent year we have data available. Religious Education degree recipients from Franciscan University of Steubenville get an earnings boost of approximately $4,672 over the typical income of religious education majors.

More information about a degree in religious education from Franciscan University of Steubenville

2
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL

Loyola University Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in religious education. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in religious education from Loyola University Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
23.1% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Trinity International University - Illinois if you want to pursue a degree in religious education. Located in the large suburb of Deerfield, TIU Illinois is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 49th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 39 religious education students who graduated with this degree at TIU Illinois in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the religious education degree program at Trinity International University - Illinois earn $5,316 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in religious education from Trinity International University - Illinois

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$26,972 Median Starting Salary
$9,177 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in religious education needs to check out Moody Bible Institute. Located in the city of Chicago, Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 29 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the religious ed program state that they receive average early career earnings of $26,972.

More information about a degree in religious education from Moody Bible Institute

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
$30,063 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #257 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were about 35 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year we have data available. Those religious education students who get their degree from Wheaton College Illinois receive $3,785 more than the average religious ed grad.

More information about a degree in religious education from Wheaton College Illinois

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
44.4% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 9 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Olivet Nazarene in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in religious education from Olivet Nazarene University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
34 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded

IWU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Marion. A Best Colleges rank of #291 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.

There were about 34 religious education students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in religious education from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IN

IWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Marion. A Best Colleges rank of #504 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 religious education students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in religious education from Indiana Wesleyan University

8
Ashland crest
Ashland University
Ashland, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In OH

Located in the fringe town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 20th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 4 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Ashland in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in religious education from Ashland University

9
Cornerstone crest
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI

Located in the medium-sized city of Grand Rapids, Cornerstone is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 41st out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 5 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Cornerstone in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in religious education from Cornerstone University

Best Religious Education Colleges by State

Explore the best religious education schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 14
Ohio 314 86
Illinois 304 146
Indiana 294 42
Wisconsin 273 0

View All Rankings >

One of 7 majors within the Theology & Religious Vocations area of study, Religious Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Religious Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Religious Education 292

View All Religious Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies 2,366
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 812
Biblical Studies 480
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 435
Missionary Studies 155
Sacred Music 87
Religious Institution Administration and Law 9

View All Religious Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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