Pastoral Studies & Counseling

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2019

1,514

declining 1.94%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$24,950

growing 1.84%

Average Wage

$56,058

growing 5.25%

People in Workforce

330,393

growing 3.08%

Average Employee Age

47.8

growing 0.465%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Pastoral Studies & Counseling degree recipients are Chicago, IL, Lynchburg, VA, and Cleveland, TN. The locations with a relatively high number of Pastoral Studies & Counseling degree recipients are Trujillo Alto, PR, Bannockburn, IL, and Stonecrest, GA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Pastoral Studies & Counseling is a masters degree.

Theology Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Pastoral Studies & Counseling and the types of students that study this field. Liberty University awards the most degrees in Pastoral Studies & Counseling in the US, but Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa and Family of Faith Christian University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling.

Tuition costs for Pastoral Studies & Counseling majors are, on average, $0 for in-state public colleges, and $24,950 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Pastoral Studies & Counseling programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (151 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (1,475 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (1,475 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Pastoral Studies & Counseling programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$24,950

Median Out of State Private

Liberty University has the most Pastoral Studies & Counseling degree recipients, with 106 degrees awarded in 2019.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa
71.1%
Family of Faith Christian University
62.5%
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest
56.1%

Out of all institutions that offer Pastoral Studies & Counseling programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Universidad Pentecostal Mizpa has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling, with 71.1%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Pastoral Studies & Counseling.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Theology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Theology majors is $56,058 and the most common occupations are Clergy, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Theology majors is Religious organizations, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

$56,058

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,533

5.25%

1 Year Growth

± 5.8%

The average salary for Theology majors is $56,058 and the most common occupations are Clergy, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Theology majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Theology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Theology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

The most common occupations Theology majors, by number of employees, are Clergy, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Theology majors working as Clergy, Directors, religious activities & education, and Religious workers, all other.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Theology majors are Physicians, Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, and Sales managers.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

330,393

2019 Workforce

± 14,097

3.08%

1 Year Growth

± 5.9%

The number of Theology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.08%, from 320,536 in 2018 to 330,393 in 2019.

The largest single share of Theology graduates go on to work as Clergy (29.1%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Theology by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

The most common industries that employ Theology majors, by number of employees, are Religious organizations, Elementary & secondary schools, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

The highest paying industries of Theology majors, by average wage, are Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, Nail salons & other personal care services, and Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

330,393

2019 Workforce

± 14,097

3.08%

1 Year Growth

± 5.9%

The number of Theology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.08%, from 320,536 in 2018 to 330,393 in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Theology graduates by share is Religious organizations, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Theology.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Theology majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Theology majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Theology in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Theology is 47.8.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Theology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Theology (841 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

47.8

Average Age in 2019

± 0.612 Years

0.465%

1 Year Change

± 1.81%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Theology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 60 and 58 years old, which represent 2.94% and 2.66% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Pastoral Studies & Counseling are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Theology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (56.2%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Pastoral Studies & Counseling.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
841 degrees awarded
Black or African American
214 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
173 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Pastoral Studies & Counseling for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Female
184 degrees awarded
White Male
162 degrees awarded
Black or African American Male
66 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Pastoral Studies & Counseling. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Pastoral Studies & Counseling is from the 2 Digit Course Theology.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Korea
7,242 degree recipients
Canada
2,601 degree recipients
Philippines
2,444 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Korea
7.74 times more than expected
Netherlands
7.58 times more than expected
Indonesia
7.08 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Korea that hold Theology degrees (7.74 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Korea (7,242 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Pastoral Studies & Counseling field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pastoral Studies & Counseling majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Pastoral Studies & Counseling majors need more than the average amount of Learning Strategies, Writing, and Instructing.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Pastoral Studies & Counseling majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Learning Strategies is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.