2025 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Theological & Ministerial Studies is of the hottest doctor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #18 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 156 doctor's degrees in theological & ministerial studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

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 doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to theological & ministerial studies students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of theological & ministerial studies students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for theological & ministerial studies 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 theological & ministerial studies related body.

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

More Ways to Rank Theological & Ministerial Studies Schools

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 Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Theological & Ministerial Studies in the Great Lakes Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in theological & ministerial studies.

Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Doctorate in Theology

1

University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN

17 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in theological & ministerial studies has to look into University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a doctorate in theological & ministerial studies from University of Notre Dame

2

Trinity International University - Illinois
Deerfield, IL

10 Annual Graduates

Trinity International University - Illinois is a good choice for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in theological & ministerial studies. TIU Illinois is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Deerfield.More information about a doctorate in theological & ministerial studies from Trinity International University - Illinois

Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best theological & ministerial studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Illinois	153	42
Michigan	149	47
Ohio	144	28
Indiana	132	24
Wisconsin	108	4

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Rankings in Majors Related to Theology

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
Theology	74
Divinity/Ministry	74
Other Theological & Ministerial Studies	8

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries	74
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other)	74
Missionary Studies	12
Religious Education	5
Sacred Music	3

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 Jonund. More about our data sources and methodologies.