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2024 Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools

83 Colleges in the United States
2,356 Doctor's Degrees
$50,581 Avg Early-Career Salary
a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #12 out of 36 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 83 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for theology & religious vocations students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,356 doctor's degrees in theology & religious vocations during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Theology & Religious Vocations School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools The theology & religious vocations doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality theology & religious vocations program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for theology & religious vocations students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Theology & Religious Vocations Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Theology & Religious Vocations 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 Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Theology & Religious Vocations in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Theology & Religious Vocations

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations has to check out Fuller Theological Seminary. Fuller is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Pasadena.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Fuller Theological Seminary

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
147 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations needs to take a look at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Located in the large city of Kansas City, MBTS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

The Master's University and Seminary is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations. Located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita, The Master's University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from The Master’s University and Seminary

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Annual Graduates

Duke University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Duke University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from University of Notre Dame

6
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30 Annual Graduates

Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Emory University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
24 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Dallas, DTS Dallas is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Dallas Theological Seminary

8
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Biola is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of La Mirada.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Biola University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Annual Graduates

GFU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the fringe town of Newberg.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from George Fox University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from University of Chicago

11
Drew crest
Drew University
Madison, NJ
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Madison, Drew is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Drew University

12
Concordia Seminary crest
Concordia Seminary
Saint Louis, MO
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, Concordia Seminary is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Concordia Seminary

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
13 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
14 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
15 Gordon - Conwell Theological Seminary South Hamilton, MA
16 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
17 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
18 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
19 Columbia International University Columbia, SC
20 Southeastern University Lakeland, FL

Theology & Religious Vocations by Region

View the Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor'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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Theology & Religious Vocations Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies 1,586
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 254
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 230
Missionary Studies 104
Religious Education 81
Biblical Studies 73
Sacred Music 28

Majors Similar to Theology & Religious Vocations

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 3,487
English Language & Literature 1,092
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 1,000
History 721
Philosophy & Religious Studies 629
Communication & Journalism 533
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 342
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 233
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 90

Notes and References

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