2025 Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

an associate degree in pastoral studies/counseling is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #380 out of 1020 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for pastoral studies/counseling students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 38 associate degrees in pastoral studies/counseling to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on pastoral studies/counseling students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other pastoral studies/counseling students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized pastoral studies/counseling related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for pastoral studies/counseling students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Pastoral Studies/Counseling in the Great Lakes Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in pastoral studies/counseling.

Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in Pastoral Studies/Counseling

1

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global
Marion, IN

Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type

20 Annual Graduates

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in pastoral studies/counseling. Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a associate in pastoral studies/counseling from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global

2

Valor Christian College
Canal Winchester, OH

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

18 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in pastoral studies/counseling has to take a look at Valor Christian College. Valor Christian College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Canal Winchester.More information about a associate in pastoral studies/counseling from Valor Christian College

Best Pastoral Studies/Counseling Colleges by State

Explore the best pastoral studies/counseling schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	450	43
Michigan	410	0
Indiana	221	32

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Rankings in Majors Related to Pastoral Studies/Counseling

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

Most Popular Majors Related to Pastoral Studies/Counseling

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Lay Ministry	52
Other Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries	7
Youth Ministry	3

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.