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Youth Ministry

Types of Degrees Youth Ministry Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	6
Bachelor’s Degree	285
Master’s Degree	36

What Youth Ministry Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Youth Ministry emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Youth Ministry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Youth Ministry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Event scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Twitter	Instant messaging software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Google Workspace software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Youth Ministry graduates include:

• Rector
• Youth Pastor
• Religious Activities Director
• Leadership Director
• Youth and Family Director
• Youth Program Coordinator
• Children and Youth Ministries Director
• Children’s Director
• Youth Director
• Youth Ministries Coordinator
• Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director
• Youth Ministries Director
• Children’s Ministry Director
• Religious Education Coordinator
• Program Director

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	49.3%
Postsecondary certificate	18.5%
Master’s degree	13.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.3%
Some college courses	2.1%
Doctoral degree	0.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.5%
First professional degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Youth Ministry?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 46.8% women and 53.2% men among Youth Ministry graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	153	46.8%
Men	174	53.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	273	83.5%
Asian	5	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	18	5.5%
Black or African American	8	2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.6%
Two or More Races	7	2.1%
Race Unknown	11	3.4%
International Students	3	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Youth Ministry Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Youth Ministry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Youth Ministry Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Youth 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	3	1
Bachelor’s	8	5
Master’s	4	2

^{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 Youth Ministry Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Youth 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
Urban Ministry	39.0703
Women’s Ministry	39.0704
Bible/Biblical Studies	39.0201
Divinity/Ministry	39.0602
Missions/Missionary Studies	39.0301
Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies	39.0604
Rabbinical Studies	39.0605

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.