2023 Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2021-2022, 3,465 people earned their degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries, making the major the 171st most popular in the United States. In , pastoral counseling & specialized ministries graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $31,317 and had an average of $29,032 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 334 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,290 and $29,177 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 30 pastoral counseling & specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,161 and $15,228 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 5 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their pastoral counseling & specialized ministries program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Schools

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 Counseling Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region”.

Top 5 Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the Plains States Region

1

Ozark Christian College
Joplin, Missouri

Out of the 5 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ozark Christian College landed the #1 spot on the list. Ozark Christian College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joplin, Missouri. It awarded 23 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.

Read full report on Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Ozark Christian College

2

Kansas Christian College
Overland Park, Kansas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kansas Christian College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region. Overland Park, Kansas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s pastoral counseling degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Kansas Christian College

3

North Central University
Minneapolis, Minnesota

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Central University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 5 associates’s pastoral 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 Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

4

Emmaus Bible College
Dubuque, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emmaus Bible College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 6 associates’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Emmaus Bible College Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Report

5

Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota

Out of the 5 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Pastoral Counseling Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Crown College landed the #5 spot on the list. Crown College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries at Crown

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

• *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.