2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in the Far Western US Region

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 Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Theological & Ministerial Studies is the 55th most popular major in the country with 15,051 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, theological and ministerial studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,911 and had an average of $41,597 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 1,609 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,464 and $39,132 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 129 theological and ministerial studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in theological and ministerial studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent theological and ministerial studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the theological and ministerial studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region doctor’s degree theology students.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies in the Far Western US Region

#1

Fuller Theological Seminary

Pasadena, California

#1 in overall quality

$21,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,005 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fuller Theological Seminary. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region list. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

Fuller not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Fuller Theological Seminary are $21,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Fuller Theological Seminary Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

#2

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington

#3 in overall quality

$14,040 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Seattle University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s theology degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Seattle U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Seattle University are $14,040.

Read more about Theological & Ministerial Studies at Seattle University

#3

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

#2 in overall quality

$23,507 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Clara University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region list. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 27 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

SCU also made our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Santa Clara University are $23,507, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full SCU Theological & Ministerial Studies Report

#4

Western Seminary

Portland, Oregon

#4 in overall quality

$15,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Theology Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Seminary landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s theology degrees in 2019-2020.

Western Seminary-San Jose also took the #4 spot in our “Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Seminary are $15,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Theological & Ministerial Studies at Western Seminary-San Jose

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Theological & Ministerial Studies

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Jonund.

Featured Philosophy and Religious Studies Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >