2022 Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Lay Ministry in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to popularity, a master's degree in lay ministry sits in the middle of the road, ranking #440 out of 1095 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the most popular for lay ministry students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 31 master's degrees in lay ministry to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Lay Ministry School for Your Master's Degree

The lay ministry master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. As an aid in helping you pick the right school for you, we created our Most Popular Master's Degree Colleges for Lay Ministry in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality lay ministry program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

One Size Does Not Fit All

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. Plus, you can view our other rankings for lay ministry.

Most Popular Schools for Master’s Students to Study Lay Ministry in the Great Lakes Region

The following list ranks the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in lay ministry.

Most Well Attended Schools for Lay Ministry Students Working on Their Master's

1

United Theological Seminary
Dayton, OH

9 Annual Master's Degrees

#1 Most Popular In OH

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at United Theological Seminary if you wish to pursue a master's degree in lay ministry. United Theological Seminary is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dayton.

There were roughly 9 lay ministry students who graduated with this degree at United Theological Seminary in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in lay ministry from United Theological Seminary

2

Athenaeum of Ohio
Cincinnati, OH

6 Annual Master's Degrees

#2 Most Popular In OH

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Athenaeum of Ohio is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in lay ministry. Located in the city of Cincinnati, Mount St. Mary's Seminary is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were about 6 lay ministry students who graduated with this degree at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Athenaeum of Ohio

3

Meadville Lombard Theological School
Chicago, IL

5 Annual Master's Degrees

#1 Most Popular In IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Meadville Lombard Theological School if you wish to pursue a master's degree in lay ministry. Located in the city of Chicago, Meadville Lombard Theological School is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population. More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Meadville Lombard Theological School

3

Marian University
Indianapolis, IN

5 Annual Master's Degrees

#1 Most Popular In IN

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Marian University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in lay ministry. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Marian is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Marian University

5

Judson University
Elgin, IL

3 Annual Master's Degrees

#2 Most Popular In IL

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the medium-sized city of Elgin, Judson is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 3 lay ministry students who graduated with this degree at Judson in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Judson University

6

Ursuline College
Pepper Pike, OH

2 Annual Master's Degrees

#3 Most Popular In OH

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the suburb of Pepper Pike, Ursuline College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 2 lay ministry individuals who graduated with this degree at Ursuline College in the most recent data year.

More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Ursuline College

7

Grace College and Theological Seminary
Winona Lake, IN

1 Annual Master's Degrees

#2 Most Popular In IN

#1 Best Quality In IN

Located in the distant town of Winona Lake, Grace College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for master's degrees in lay ministry in Indiana. More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Grace College and Theological Seminary

8

Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI

#1 Most Popular In WI

Cardinal Stritch is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Milwaukee. More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Cardinal Stritch University

8

Kuyper College
Grand Rapids, MI

#1 Most Popular In MI

Located in the suburb of Grand Rapids, Kuyper is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population. More information about a master’s in lay ministry from Kuyper College

Best Lay Ministry Colleges by State

Explore the most popular lay ministry schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Illinois	530	6
Michigan	470	6
Ohio	466	17
Wisconsin	302	1

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Lay Ministry

One of 6 majors within the Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries area of study, Lay Ministry has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Lay Ministry

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Pastoral Studies/Counseling	176
Other Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries	11
Youth Ministry	4
Urban Ministry	2

Notes and References

• 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.