by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 1,380 people earned their degree in pastoral studies/counseling, making the major the 364th most popular in the United States.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 95 pastoral studies/counseling graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,431 and $15,731 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in pastoral studies/counseling. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their pastoral studies/counseling program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree pastoral studies/counseling students.
Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Valor Christian College landed the #1 spot on the list. Valor Christian College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Canal Winchester, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Pastoral Studies/Counseling at Valor Christian College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pacific Bible College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major list. Pacific Bible College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Pastoral Studies/Counseling at Pacific Bible College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major list. Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Pastoral Studies/Counseling at Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa
Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global landed the #4 spot on the list. IWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marion, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Pastoral Studies/Counseling Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Great Lakes Christian College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major list. Located in Lansing, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified associates’s pastoral studies/counseling students in 2021-2022.
Read more about Pastoral Studies/Counseling at Great Lakes Christian College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana Wesleyan University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major list. IWU is located in Marion, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 43 associates’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major that were part of this year’s ranking, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary landed the #5 spot on the list. NOBTS is located in New Orleans, Louisiana and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 associates’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Welch College landed the #5 spot on the list. Welch is a private not-for-profit institution located in Gallatin, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Central University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major. North Central University is a small school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 11 associates’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full North Central University Pastoral Studies/Counseling Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major. CCCTS is a small school located in Charlotte, North Carolina that handed out 13 associates’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Union Bible College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major. Union Bible College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Westfield, Indiana. It awarded 1 associates’s pastoral studies/counseling degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Pastoral Studies/Counseling at Union Bible College
Read more about our data sources and methodologies