2025 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor's Degree Schools

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #74 most popular doctor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 214 doctor's degrees in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized pastoral counseling & specialized ministries related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the United States

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top Schools for a Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling

1

The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, CA

18 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat The Master's University and Seminary if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. Located in the suburb of Santa Clarita, The Master's University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from The Master’s University and Seminary

2

Abilene Christian University
Abilene, TX

7 Annual Graduates

Abilene Christian University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. Abilene Christian is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Abilene.More information about a doctorate in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Abilene Christian University

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries by Region

View the Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Rankings in Majors Related to Pastoral Counseling

One of 7 majors within the Theology & Religious Vocations area of study, Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries has other similar majors worth exploring.

Pastoral Counseling Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Pastoral Studies/Counseling	132
Other Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries	57
Urban Ministry	18
Lay Ministry	7

Most Popular Majors Related to Pastoral Counseling

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies	1,936
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other)	251
Religious Education	111
Biblical Studies	83
Missionary Studies	80
Sacred Music	25

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.