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Theological & Ministerial Studies

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 39.0601 - 39.0699.

Types of Degrees Theological & Ministerial Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Theological & Ministerial Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	114
Associate’s Degree	246
Bachelor’s Degree	2,219
Master’s Degree	10,701
Doctor’s Degree	1,795

What Theological & Ministerial Studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Theological & Ministerial Studies build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Theological & Ministerial Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Theological & Ministerial Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Theological & Ministerial Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Theological & Ministerial Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
University of California Thesaurus Linguae Graecae TLG	Dictionary software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates include:

• Religious Educator
• Eastern Philosophy Professor
• Professor
• Church History Teacher
• Church Music Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Philosophy Lecturer
• Jewish Educator
• Adjunct Faculty Member
• Religion Instructor
• Philosophy Adjunct Professor
• Metaphysics Teacher
• Pastoral Ministries Professor
• Theology Professor
• Biblical Studies Professor

What Can You Do With a Theological & Ministerial Studies Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Theological & Ministerial Studies commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Religious Workers, All Other	-1.4%	$58,956	$47,118–$70,794
Clergy	-3.3%	$49,854	$39,497–$60,211

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	71.5%
Master’s degree	14.2%
Post-doctoral training	12.1%
Bachelor’s degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
Some college courses	0.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Theological & Ministerial Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 64.6% of Theological & Ministerial Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5,362	35.4%
Men	9,773	64.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8,479	56.0%
Asian	710	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,195	7.9%
Black or African American	1,920	12.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	52	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	32	0.2%
Two or More Races	335	2.2%
Race Unknown	1,170	7.7%
International Students	1,242	8.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Theological & Ministerial Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$48,647
4 years	$53,283
5 years	$59,877

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,877 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Theological & Ministerial Studies Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Theological & Ministerial Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	29	9
Bachelor’s	49	36
Master’s	182	111
Doctoral (Research)	22	16

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Theological & Ministerial Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Theological & Ministerial Studies graduates earn a median of $53,283 four years after completion — roughly 40% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Theology and Religious Vocations	26,216
Bible/Biblical Studies	3,603
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries	3,230
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology	1,249
Theology and Religious Vocations, Other	1,235
Religious Education	1,230
Religious Music and Worship	477
Religious Institution Administration and Law	57
THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.