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Urban Ministry

Types of Degrees Urban Ministry Majors Are Earning

Those studying Urban Ministry can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	8
Associate’s Degree	11
Bachelor’s Degree	18
Master’s Degree	10
Doctor’s Degree	18

What Urban Ministry Majors Need to Know

Studies in Urban Ministry build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Urban Ministry graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Urban Ministry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Urban Ministry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Urban Ministry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Urban Ministry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Urban Ministry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Urban Ministry graduates include:

• Religious Educator
• Philosophy Assistant Professor
• Old Testament Professor
• Philosophy Professor
• Philosophy Lecturer
• Religious Studies Teacher
• Adjunct Philosophy Professor
• Church Music Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Metaphysics Teacher
• Educator
• Systematic Theology Professor
• Adjunct Faculty Member
• Divinity Professor
• Ethics Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Urban Ministry graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	59.3%
Master’s degree	12.3%
Bachelor’s degree	10.6%
Post-doctoral training	10.0%
Postsecondary certificate	4.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%
Some college courses	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Urban Ministry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.7% women and 52.3% men among Urban Ministry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	31	47.7%
Men	34	52.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Urban Ministry graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	16	24.6%
Asian	3	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino	4	6.2%
Black or African American	37	56.9%
Race Unknown	1	1.5%
International Students	4	6.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Urban Ministry Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Urban Ministry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,962
4 years	$41,537
5 years	$44,763

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,763 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Urban Ministry Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Urban Ministry. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	5	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Urban Ministry Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Urban Ministry graduates earn a median of $41,537 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries	39.07
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies	39.0706
Lay Ministry	39.0705
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other	39.0799
Pastoral Studies/Counseling	39.0701
Women’s Ministry	39.0704
Youth Ministry	39.0702
Bible/Biblical Studies	39.0201
Missions/Missionary Studies	39.0301
Religious Education	39.0401
Religious Music and Worship, Other	39.0599
Religious/Canon Law	39.0802

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.