2025 Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 292 doctor's degrees in theology & religious vocations during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

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

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

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on theology & religious vocations students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of theology & religious vocations students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for theology & religious vocations to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized theology & religious vocations related body.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Theology & Religious Vocations Doctor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations.

Top Plains States Region Schools for a Doctorate in Theology & Religious Vocations

1

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Kansas City, MO

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

179 Annual Graduates

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a good decision for students pursuing a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations. MBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Kansas City.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

2

Bethel University Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

13 Annual Graduates

Bethel University Minnesota is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in theology & religious vocations. Located in the large suburb of Saint Paul, Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a doctorate in theology & religious vocations from Bethel University Minnesota

Best Theology & Religious Vocations Colleges by State

Explore the best theology & religious vocations colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Minnesota	27	22
Missouri	27	215
Kansas	26	1
Iowa	26	11
North Dakota	21	0
South Dakota	15	2

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Theology & Religious Vocations Majors to Study

Major	Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies	228
Biblical Studies	44
Religious Education	13
Missionary Studies	4
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other)	3

Majors Similar to Theology & Religious Vocations

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Social Sciences	222
English Language & Literature	71
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	58
Communication & Journalism	52
Foreign Languages & Linguistics	37
History	32
Philosophy & Religious Studies	22
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	20

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Daderot. More about our data sources and methodologies.