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Divinity/Ministry

Types of Degrees Divinity/Ministry Majors Are Earning

Those studying Divinity/Ministry may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	7
Associate’s Degree	117
Bachelor’s Degree	604
Master’s Degree	5,299
Doctor’s Degree	697

What Divinity/Ministry Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Divinity/Ministry program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Divinity/Ministry careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Divinity/Ministry graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Divinity/Ministry professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
University of California Thesaurus Linguae Graecae TLG	Dictionary software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Divinity/Ministry graduates include:

• Professor
• Philosophy Adjunct Professor
• Divinity Teacher
• Philosophy Specialist
• Online Philosophy Instructor
• Church History Teacher
• Western Philosophy Professor
• Philosophy Lecturer
• Humanities Professor
• Educator
• Religious Educator
• Eastern Philosophy Professor
• Divinity Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	71.5%
Master’s degree	14.2%
Post-doctoral training	12.1%
Bachelor’s degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
Some college courses	0.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Divinity/Ministry?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 67.7% of Divinity/Ministry degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,169	32.3%
Men	4,555	67.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,846	57.2%
Asian	337	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	476	7.1%
Black or African American	960	14.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	27	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	19	0.3%
Two or More Races	147	2.2%
Race Unknown	416	6.2%
International Students	496	7.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Divinity/Ministry Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Divinity/Ministry graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$48,647
4 years	$53,283
5 years	$59,877

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,877 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Divinity/Ministry Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Divinity/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	8	3
Bachelor’s	9	8
Master’s	82	38
Doctoral (Research)	7	6

^{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 Divinity/Ministry Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Divinity/Ministry graduates earn a median of $53,283 four years after completion — roughly 40% 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
Theological and Ministerial Studies	39.06
Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies	39.0604
Rabbinical Studies	39.0605
Talmudic Studies	39.0606
Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other	39.0699
Theology/Theological Studies	39.0601
Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies	39.0706
Pastoral Studies/Counseling	39.0701
Bible/Biblical Studies	39.0201

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.