Pastoral Counseling

Types of Degrees Pastoral Counseling Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many pastoral counseling & specialized ministries graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,227
Bachelor’s Degree	1,097
Basic Certificate	425
Doctor’s Degree	245
Graduate Certificate	216
Associate Degree	143
Undergraduate Certificate	80

What Pastoral Counseling Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to pastoral counseling were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Pastoral Counseling Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Pastoral Counseling Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to pastoral counseling:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Pastoral Counseling Majors

A major in pastoral counseling will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Pastoral Counseling Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with pastoral counseling:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Clergy	8.2%	$48,990
Directors, Religious Activities and Education	7.1%	$40,810
Philosophy and Religion Professors	12.3%	$71,890
Religious Workers	7.7%	$29,820

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Pastoral Counseling?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,115 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pastoral counseling & specialized ministries in 2021, making it rank #161 in popularity. Roughly 45% of the graduates are women, and 55% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of pastoral counseling majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	45
Black or African American	85
Hispanic or Latino	118
White	743
International Students	14
Other Races/Ethnicities	92

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Pastoral Counseling, too. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Pastoral Counseling

Some careers associated with pastoral counseling require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to pastoral counseling have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	36.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.8%
Master’s Degree	30.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	24.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.0%

Online Pastoral Counseling Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	16	3
Certificate (2-4 Years)	9	3
Associate’s Degree	48	19
Bachelor’s Degree	55	19
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	190	64
Post-Master’s	13	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	23	6
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	9	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	13	3

Majors Related to Pastoral Counseling

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to pastoral counseling.

Major	Number of Grads
Theological & Ministerial Studies	14,928
Biblical Studies	3,832
Missionary Studies	1,490
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other)	1,237
Religious Education	1,185
Sacred Music	511
Religious Institution Administration and Law	56

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.