If you pursue a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #21 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 4 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 563 master's degrees in theological & ministerial studies to qualified students.
Choosing a Great Theological & Ministerial Studies School for Your Master's Degree
Your choice of theological & ministerial studies for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality theology 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 make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master'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
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Major Focus - How much a school focuses on theological & ministerial studies students vs. other majors.
Major Demand - The number of theological & ministerial studies students who choose to seek a master'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 theological & ministerial studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their master'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 master's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Theological & Ministerial Studies in Illinois
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for theological & ministerial studies students seeking a a master's degree.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies has to check out Moody Bible Institute. Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Master's recipients from the theological & ministerial studies major at Moody Bible Institute make $13,437 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
It is hard to beat Trinity International University - Illinois if you want to pursue a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies. Located in the large suburb of Deerfield, TIU Illinois is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly small student population.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the theology program make an average of $50,178 in their early career salary.
Lincoln Christian University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies. Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lincoln.
Soon after graduating, theology master's recipients usually make an average of $48,118 in the first five years of their career.
It's difficult to beat Wheaton College Illinois if you wish to pursue a master's degree in theological & ministerial studies. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wheaton.
Theological & Ministerial Studies master's degree recipients from Wheaton College Illinois get an earnings boost of about $7,616 over the average earnings of theological & ministerial studies graduates.
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).
Your choice of theological & ministerial studies for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality theology program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
