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2025 Best Religious Education Schools

14 Colleges in the United States
1,292 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
$36,869 Avg Early-Career Salary
Religious Education isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #216 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

College Factual reviewed 14 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of religious education. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,292 degrees in religious education annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Religious Education School

Best Religious Education Schools The religious ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Religious Education rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for religious education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Religious Education Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Religious Ed
Bachelor's Degrees in Religious Ed
Master's Degrees in Religious Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Religious Ed

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Religious Education Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Religious Education in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the religious ed degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Religious Ed

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MO
38 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary if you wish to pursue a degree in religious education. Located in the city of Kansas City, MBTS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 38 religious education students who graduated with this degree at MBTS in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in religious education from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,867 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Wheaton College Illinois if you wish to pursue a degree in religious education. Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #407 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were roughly 26 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year. Religious Education degree recipients from Wheaton College Illinois receive an earnings boost of around $6,998 above the typical earnings of religious education graduates.

More information about a degree in religious education from Wheaton College Illinois

3
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
28.1% Growth in Graduates

Biola University is a good option for students interested in a degree in religious education. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of La Mirada. This university ranks 86th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 32 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Biola in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the religious ed program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,887.

More information about a degree in religious education from Biola University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
$35,803 Median Starting Salary

Franciscan University of Steubenville is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in religious education. Located in the city of Steubenville, Franciscan U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 26th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 58 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Franciscan U in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the religious ed program make around $35,803 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in religious education from Franciscan University of Steubenville

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX

Located in the large city of Dallas, DBU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 45th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 19 religious education students who graduated with this degree at DBU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in religious education from Dallas Baptist University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
404 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of Phoenix. A Best Colleges rank of #144 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 404 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the religious education degree program at Grand Canyon University earn $2,928 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in religious education from Grand Canyon University

7
Crown crest
Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, MN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$34,022 Median Starting Salary

Located in the rural area of Saint Bonifacius, Crown is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 50th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 29 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Crown in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the religious ed program make an average of $34,022 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in religious education from Crown College

8
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA

Located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #679 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Messiah is a great university overall.

There were approximately 6 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Messiah in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in religious education from Messiah University

9
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
52 Religious Ed Degrees Awarded

Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg. A Best Colleges rank of #265 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Liberty University is a great university overall.

There were about 52 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in religious education from Liberty University

10
Lee University crest
Lee University
Cleveland, TN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TN
15.4% Growth in Graduates

Lee University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Cleveland. This university ranks 17th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were roughly 13 religious education students who graduated with this degree at Lee University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in religious education from Lee University

Religious Education by Region

View the Best Religious Education 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

View All Rankings >

One of 7 majors within the Theology & Religious Vocations area of study, Religious Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Religious Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Religious Education 1,292

View All Religious Ed Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies 15,527
Biblical Studies 4,021
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 3,465
Missionary Studies 1,282
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 1,192
Sacred Music 487
Religious Institution Administration and Law 45

View All Religious Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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