2022 Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 3,028 people earned their degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries, making the major the 168th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,316 and had an average of $31,905 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 213 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,600 and $35,103 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 129 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the pastoral counseling and specialized ministries program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.

Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Vanguard University of Southern California

Costa Mesa, California

#2 in overall quality

$16,180 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,005 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. Vanguard is a small school located in Costa Mesa, California that handed out 17 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanguard also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanguard University of Southern California are $16,180, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Vanguard

#2

The Master's University and Seminary

Santa Clarita, California

#1 in overall quality

$10,590 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The Master’s University and Seminary. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. The Master’s University is a small school located in Santa Clarita, California that handed out 22 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

The Master’s University also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at The Master’s University and Seminary are $10,590, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full The Master’s University and Seminary Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

#3

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

$14,140 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Baptist University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California Baptist University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 7 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree pastoral counseling students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Baptist has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Baptist University are $14,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Cal Baptist

#4

Biola University

La Mirada, California

#3 in overall quality

$11,772 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Pastoral Counseling Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Biola University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in La Mirada, California, and it awarded 14 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree pastoral counseling students whose families make $0-$30k list, Biola has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Biola University are $11,772.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Biola University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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