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Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools

2023 Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools

143 Colleges
$38,497 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries Master's Degree School for You

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries is the #168 most popular major in the country with 3,116 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 143 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for pastoral counseling majors pursuing a master's degree.

#1

Andrews University

Berrien Springs, MI

Our 2023 rankings named Andrews University the most popular school in the United States for pastoral counseling and specialized ministries students working on their master’s degree. Andrews is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Berrien Springs.

Of the 82 students majoring in pastoral counseling at Andrews, 82% are male and 18% are female.

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The in-demand master’s degree programs at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular pastoral counseling and specialized ministries schools in the United States. NOBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New Orleans.

Women make up 37% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Dallas, DTS Dallas is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 77% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Westminster Theological Seminary is a great place for pastoral counseling and specialized ministries students working on their master’s degree. Westminster Theological Seminary is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Glenside.

Women make up 66% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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The in-demand master’s degree programs at Gordon - Conwell Theological Seminary helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular pastoral counseling and specialized ministries schools in the United States. Gordon - Conwell Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of South Hamilton.

Of the 44 students majoring in pastoral counseling at Gordon - Conwell Seminary, 52% are male and 48% are female.

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The Master’s University and Seminary came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools ranking. The Master's University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Santa Clarita.

About 67% of the students majoring in pastoral counseling at the school are women while 33% are male.

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Dallas Baptist University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools ranking. DBU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Dallas.

Women make up 73% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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Loyola University Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Women make up 68% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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University of St. Thomas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UST is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

Of the 38 students majoring in pastoral counseling at UST, 53% are male and 47% are female.

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#10

Lancaster Bible College

Lancaster, PA

Lancaster Bible College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools list. Lancaster Bible College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lancaster.

Women make up 25% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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#11

Bethel University Minnesota

Saint Paul, MN

Bethel University Minnesota landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs. Located in the large suburb of Saint Paul, Bethel University Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 78% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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#12

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for pastoral counseling and specialized ministries students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.

About 41% of the students majoring in pastoral counseling at the school are women while 59% are male.

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Luther Rice College & Seminary ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Lithonia, Luther Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 28 students majoring in pastoral counseling at Luther Rice, 39% are male and 61% are female.

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The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Louisville, SBTS is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 73% of the students majoring in pastoral counseling at the school are women while 27% are male.

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#15

Fordham University

Bronx, NY

Fordham University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools list. Fordham U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bronx.

About 46% of the students majoring in pastoral counseling at the school are women while 54% are male.

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#16

World Mission University

Los Angeles, CA

World Mission University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, World Mission University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Of the 22 students majoring in pastoral counseling at World Mission University, 9% are male and 91% are female.

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Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Austin, Seminary of the Southwest is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 76% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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#18

Seattle University

Seattle, WA

With a ranking of #18, Seattle University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for pastoral counseling and specialized ministries students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 84% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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Grace College and Theological Seminary landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs. Located in the town of Winona Lake, Grace College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 32% of the pastoral counseling majors at the school.

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#20

Bethel Seminary - San Diego

San Diego, CA

Bethel Seminary - San Diego landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree pastoral counseling and specialized ministries programs. Bethel Seminary - San Diego is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

About 78% of the students majoring in pastoral counseling at the school are women while 22% are male.

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With a ranking of #21, Indiana Wesleyan University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for pastoral counseling and specialized ministries students working on their master’s degree. IWU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Marion.

Of the 16 students majoring in pastoral counseling at IWU, 63% are male and 38% are female.

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
22 Southeastern University Lakeland, FL
23 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
23 Northwest Nazarene University Nampa, ID
23 Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, MI
23 Holy Apostles College and Seminary Cromwell, CT
27 Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN
27 University of the West Rosemead, CA
27 Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX
27 Amridge University Montgomery, AL
27 Gardner - Webb University Boiling Springs, NC

Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries by Region

View the Most Popular Pastoral Specialized Ministries Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 7 majors within the area of study, pastoral counseling and specialized ministries has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theological & Ministerial Studies 15,832
Biblical Studies 4,119
Religious Education 1,417
Missionary Studies 1,220
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 1,166

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.

  • 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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