2023 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
9
Ranked Colleges
264
Degrees Awarded
$38,472
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 812 pastoral counseling and specialized ministries graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,631 and $23,258 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s”.
Top 9 Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 38 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Loyola University Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. To help with additional expenses, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Loyola University Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana Wesleyan University landed the #2 spot on the list. IWU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Marion, Indiana. It awarded 16 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees in 2020-2021.
IWU also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6.Our most recent data shows that 3 of the 3,108 students enrolled at IWU were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,305. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 full report on veteran student life at IWU]](/colleges/indiana-wesleyan-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Grace College and Theological Seminary landed the #3 spot on the list. Grace College and Theological Seminary is located in Winona Lake, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.
Grace College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 27 of the 1,901 students enrolled at Grace College and Theological Seminary were GI Bill® students, of which 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,455. 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.
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%.
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Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #4 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.
Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #1.According to our most recent data, Olivet Nazarene University supports 3,764 students, and 57 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 35 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,334. On top of their other funding sources, 11 students qualified for 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%.
Full Olivet Nazarene Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Andrews University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s. Located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 82 diplomas to qualified masters’s pastoral counseling students in 2020-2021.
Andrews did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 3,162 students enrolled at Andrews, 40 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 24 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $16,888. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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Ashland University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s ranking. Ashland is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ashland not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, Ashland University supports 4,447 students, and 105 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 88 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,554. On top of their other funding sources, 4 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Ashland University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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 full report on veteran student life at Ashland]](/colleges/ashland-university/student-life/veterans/)
Cornerstone University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s ranking. Cornerstone University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornerstone did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Of the 1,917 students enrolled at Cornerstone University, 61 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,056. During this same period, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Cornerstone University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Trinity International University - Illinois came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s ranking. TIU Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Deerfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
TIU Illinois also took the #9 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,061. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read More…
Moody Bible Institute ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Pastoral Counseling for a Master’s list. Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s pastoral counseling degrees to qualified students.
Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School also took the #3 spot in our “Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, Moody Bible Institute supports 2,870 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $125. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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…
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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