If you pursue a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #21 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Master's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 66 master's degrees in theological & ministerial studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to theological & ministerial studies students as compared to other majors.
Major Demand - How many other theological & ministerial studies students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
Student Debt - How much debt theological & ministerial studies students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized theological & ministerial studies related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for theological & ministerial studies students working on their master's degree.
More Ways to Rank Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools
The theology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Master's Degree Schools in Iowa.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Theological & Ministerial Studies in Iowa
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for theological & ministerial studies students seeking a a master's degree.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies has to look into Wartburg Theological Seminary. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Wartburg Seminary is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Master's recipients from the theological & ministerial studies major at Wartburg Theological Seminary get $22,926 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
It is difficult to beat University of Dubuque if you want to pursue a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies. UD is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dubuque.
Soon after graduating, theology master's recipients typically make an average of $32,049 in the first five years of their career.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).