Theology

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

31,451

declining 2.27%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,878

growing 3.6%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$22,250

growing 1.14%

Average Wage

$53,264

growing 2.95%

People in Workforce

320,536

growing 6.03%

Average Employee Age

47.6

growing 0.768%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Theology degree recipients are Lynchburg, VA, New York, NY, and Chicago, IL. The locations with a relatively high number of Theology degree recipients are Trujillo Alto, PR, Monsey, NY, and Long Beach, NY. The most common degree awarded to students studying Theology is a masters degree.

Photo by Lloyd Morgan

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Theology and the types of students that study this field. Liberty University awards the most degrees in Theology in the US, but Yeshiva Ohr Naftoli and Methodist Theological School in Ohio have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Theology.

Tuition costs for Theology majors are, on average, $6,878 for in-state public colleges, and $22,250 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Theology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (687 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (30,210 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Theology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Theology, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (30,210 completions).

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

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,878

Median In-State Public

$22,250

Median Out of State Private

Liberty University has the most Theology degree recipients, with 2,066 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Theology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Yeshiva Ohr Naftoli
100%
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
100%
Allegheny Wesleyan College
100%

Out of all institutions that offer Theology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Yeshiva Ohr Naftoli and Methodist Theological School in Ohio have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Theology, with 100% and 100%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Theology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Theology 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 Theology.

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 $53,264 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 Periodical, book, & directory publishers.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$53,264

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,189

2.95%

1 Year Growth

± 5.84%

The average salary for Theology majors is $53,264 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

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

Most Specialized

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

Highest Paid

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

Occupations by Share

320,536

2018 Workforce

± 13,885

6.03%

1 Year Growth

± 5.86%

The number of Theology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 6.03%, from 302,296 in 2017 to 320,536 in 2018.

The largest single share of Theology graduates go on to work as Clergy (26.5%). 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 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 highest paying industries of Theology majors, by average wage, are Periodical, book, & directory publishers, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Industries by Share

320,536

2018 Workforce

± 13,885

6.03%

1 Year Growth

± 5.86%

The number of Theology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 6.03%, from 302,296 in 2017 to 320,536 in 2018.

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

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 on those who earn a degree in Theology in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Theology is 47.6, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Theology degrees, and White students earn the majority (20,605) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

47.6

Average Age in 2018

± 0.614 Years

0.768%

1 Year Change

± 1.85%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Theology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 39 and 59 years old, which represent 3.08% and 2.8% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Theology are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

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 (65.3%)

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 Theology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
20,605 degrees awarded
Black or African American
3,747 degrees awarded
Unknown
1,920 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Theology 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 Male
5,844 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
White Female
2,626 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
Black or African American Male
435 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Theology. White Male students, who earn most of the degree-grads_ethnicity_genders in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

Korea
4,948 degree recipients
Mexico
3,843 degree recipients
Philippines
3,034 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Myanmar
6.52 times more than expected
Romania
5.75 times more than expected
Korea
5.01 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Myanmar that hold Theology degrees (6.52 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 (4,948 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Theology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Theology majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Theology 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 Theology 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.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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