Pastoral Studies/Counseling

Types of Degrees Pastoral Studies/Counseling Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	688
Bachelor’s Degree	378
Doctor’s Degree	161
Graduate Certificate	81
Associate Degree	42
Undergraduate Certificate	29
Basic Certificate	6

What Pastoral Studies/Counseling Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, pastoral studies/counseling majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Pastoral Studies/Counseling Majors

Pastoral Studies/Counseling majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for Pastoral Studies/Counseling Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to pastoral studies/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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Pastoral Studies/Counseling Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a pastoral studies/counseling student include the following:

• 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.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Pastoral Studies/Counseling Major?

People with a pastoral studies/counseling degree often go into the following careers:

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

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

This major tends to be male dominated. About 57% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	21
Black or African American	26
Hispanic or Latino	54
White	233
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	41

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Pastoral Studies/Counseling. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Pastoral Studies/Counseling

Some careers associated with pastoral studies/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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for pastoral studies/counseling careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	12.0%
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.	4.0%
Master’s Degree	40.5%
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.	0.4%
Doctoral Degree	36.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	6.2%

Online Pastoral Studies/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)	4	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	1
Associate’s Degree	13	5
Bachelor’s Degree	22	7
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	87	30
Post-Master’s	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	13	4
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	6	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	6	2

Majors Related to Pastoral Studies/Counseling

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

Major	Number of Grads
Other Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries	908
Lay Ministry	681
Youth Ministry	306
Women’s Ministry	66
Urban Ministry	58
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies	29

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.