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2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate

9 Ranked Colleges
254 Degrees Awarded
$66,736 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 3,116 people earned their degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries, making the major the 171st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,592 and had an average of $26,577 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs as well as strong veteran support.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the pastoral counseling and specialized ministries program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The pastoral counseling school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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.

Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree vets studying pastoral counseling.

Top 9 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans

1
The Master's University crest
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Master’s University and Seminary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate list. The Master’s University is located in Santa Clarita, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at The Master’s University, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.According to our most recent data, The Master’s University and Seminary supports 2,449 students, and 17 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 14 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,888. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

Read More…

2
EU crest
Eastern University
Saint Davids, Pennsylvania

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern University landed the #2 spot on the list. EU is located in Saint Davids, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.

EU also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5.Among the 3,504 students enrolled at Eastern University, 59 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 22 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,592. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Eastern University]](/colleges/eastern-university/student-life/veterans/)

3
Ashland crest
Ashland University
Ashland, Ohio

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ashland University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate. Ashland is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ashland did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.Our most recent data shows that 105 of the 4,447 students enrolled at Ashland were GI Bill® students, of which 88 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,554. During this same period, 4 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Ashland offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 More…

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity International University - Illinois. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate list. Trinity International University - Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Deerfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

TIU Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.Our most recent data shows that 14 of the 1,454 students enrolled at Trinity International University - Illinois were GI Bill® students, of which 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,061. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

[Read full report on veteran student life at TIU Illinois]](/colleges/trinity-international-university-illinois/student-life/veterans/)

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate list. Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

HUC - JIR also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4.According to our most recent data, HUC - JIR supports 335 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,486. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion]](/colleges/hebrew-union-college-jewish-institute-of-religion/student-life/veterans/)

6
GFU crest
George Fox University
Newberg, Oregon

George Fox University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate ranking. GFU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Newberg, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree vets studying pastoral counseling list, GFU has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.According to our most recent data, George Fox University supports 4,106 students, and 145 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 77 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,462. In addition to receiving other benefits, 28 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at George Fox University]](/colleges/george-fox-university/student-life/veterans/)

7
Westminster Theological Seminary crest
Westminster Theological Seminary
Glenside, Pennsylvania

Westminster Theological Seminary did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.

Westminster Theological Seminary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.Among the 854 students enrolled at Westminster Theological Seminary, 26 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,026. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Westminster Theological Seminary]](/colleges/westminster-theological-seminary/student-life/veterans/)

8

With a ranking of #8, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate list. Lisle, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northern Seminary, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking.Of the 285 students enrolled at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, 5 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,647. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

9
2 GI Bill® Students**
#3 in overall quality

McCormick Theological Seminary ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly for Pastoral Counseling for a Doctorate list. McCormick Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 22 doctorate’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.

McCormick Theological Seminary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Doctor’s Degree Schools” list.Of the 221 students enrolled at McCormick Theological Seminary, 2 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full McCormick Theological Seminary Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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