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

11 Colleges in the United States
1,227 Master's Degrees
$45,790 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your master's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #100 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 11 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for pastoral counseling & specialized ministries students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,227 master's degrees in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries to qualified students.

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Choosing a Great Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries School for Your Master's Degree

Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools Your choice of pastoral counseling & specialized ministries for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality pastoral counseling program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Pastoral Counseling Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries.

10 Top Schools for a Master's in Pastoral Counseling

1

The Master's University and Seminary is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. The Master's University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Santa Clarita.

Students who graduate with their master's from the pastoral counseling program report average early career wages of $46,541.

More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from The Master’s University and Seminary

2
21 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary if you wish to pursue a master's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. MBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Kansas City.More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

3
10 Annual Graduates

University of Northwestern - St Paul is a good option for individuals interested in a master's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. Northwestern is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Paul.More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from University of Northwestern - St Paul

4

Grace College and Theological Seminary is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries. Grace College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Winona Lake.

Students who graduate with their master's from the pastoral counseling program state that they receive average early career earnings of $43,966.

More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Grace College and Theological Seminary

5
22 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Lancaster, Lancaster Bible College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Lancaster Bible College

6

Located in the suburb of Saint Paul, Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

After graduating, pastoral counseling master's recipients typically earn about $45,641 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Bethel University Minnesota

7

DBU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Dallas.

Students who graduate with their master's from the pastoral counseling program report average early career wages of $40,502.

More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Dallas Baptist University

8
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, CA
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Biola University

9
27 Annual Graduates

SEU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lakeland.More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Southeastern University

10
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Abilene, Abilene Christian is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries from Abilene Christian University

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries by Region

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

Pastoral Counseling Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Pastoral Studies/Counseling 688
Lay Ministry 260
Other Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 206
Youth Ministry 29
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies 24
Urban Ministry 13
Women’s Ministry 7

Majors Similar to Pastoral Counseling

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies 9,872
Biblical Studies 781
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 518
Religious Education 425
Missionary Studies 312
Sacred Music 134
Religious Institution Administration and Law 41

Notes and References

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