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2025 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools

54 Colleges in the United States
15,527 Theology Degrees Awarded
$49,215 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in theological & ministerial studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #63 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 54 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 15,527 degrees in theological & ministerial studies to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Theological & Ministerial Studies School

Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools The theology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Theological & Ministerial Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall Theological & Ministerial Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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.

Theological & Ministerial Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Theology
Bachelor's Degrees in Theology
Master's Degrees in Theology
Doctor's Degrees in Theology

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Theological & Ministerial Studies in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of theology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Schools in Theology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
394 Theology Degrees Awarded
$55,312 Median Starting Salary

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in theological & ministerial studies. Located in the city of Kansas City, MBTS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 394 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at MBTS in the most recent data year. Those theological & ministerial studies students who get their degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary earn $6,097 more than the typical theology grad.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

2
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,777 Theology Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

Liberty University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in theological & ministerial studies. 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 1777 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, theology degree recipients generally earn about $50,742 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Liberty University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Theology Degrees Awarded
$44,214 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in theological & ministerial studies has to take a look at University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were roughly 130 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theology program report average early career earnings of $44,214.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from University of Notre Dame

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Theology Degrees Awarded
$46,813 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in theological & ministerial studies needs to check out Bethel University Minnesota. Bethel University Minnesota is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #476 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bethel University Minnesota is a great university overall.

There were approximately 57 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at Bethel University Minnesota in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theology program report average early career income of $46,813.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Bethel University Minnesota

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Theology Degrees Awarded
$54,596 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita, The Master's University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #383 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means The Master's University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 101 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at The Master's University in the most recent data year. Theological & Ministerial Studies degree recipients from The Master's University and Seminary get an earnings boost of about $5,380 over the average earnings of theological & ministerial studies majors.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from The Master’s University and Seminary

6
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Theology Degrees Awarded
5.1% Growth in Graduates

Biola is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of La Mirada. This university ranks 86th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 98 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at Biola in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theology program state that they receive average early career wages of $42,625.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Biola University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In SC
62 Theology Degrees Awarded

CIU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #329 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CIU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 62 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at CIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Columbia International University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
196 Theology Degrees Awarded
$41,640 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were approximately 196 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theology program make around $41,640 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Moody Bible Institute

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
449 Theology Degrees Awarded
$32,605 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Lakeland, SEU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 70 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were roughly 449 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at SEU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theology program make around $32,605 for their early career.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Southeastern University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$57,119 Median Starting Salary

IWU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Marion. A Best Colleges rank of #555 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 6 theological & ministerial studies students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent data year. Those theological & ministerial studies students who get their degree from Indiana Wesleyan University receive $7,904 more than the typical theology grad.

More information about a degree in theological & ministerial studies from Indiana Wesleyan University

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Theological & Ministerial Studies students that almost earned our Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN
12 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
13 University of Northwestern - St Paul Saint Paul, MN
14 Oral Roberts University Tulsa, OK
15 Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, OH
16 Johnson University Knoxville, TN
17 Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake, IN
18 University of Valley Forge Phoenixville, PA

Theological & Ministerial Studies by Region

View the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies 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, Theological & Ministerial Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Theology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Divinity/Ministry 6,777
Theology 6,583
Other Theological & Ministerial Studies 1,797
Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies 215
Rabbinical Studies 155

View All Theology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biblical Studies 4,021
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 3,465
Religious Education 1,292
Missionary Studies 1,282
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 1,192
Sacred Music 487
Religious Institution Administration and Law 45

View All Theology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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