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Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools

2023 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools

68 Colleges
$48,450 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 15,832 people earned a degree or certificate in theological and ministerial studies, making the major the #62 most popular in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 68 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for theology majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Top 10 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

Concordia Seminary

Saint Louis, MO

Our analysis found Concordia Seminary to be the best school for theological and ministerial studies students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Concordia Seminary is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

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#2

Luther Seminary

Saint Paul, MN

Out of the 68 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Luther Seminary landed the # 2 spot on the list. Luther Seminary is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Saint Paul.

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#3

Duke University

Durham, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

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#4

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

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#5

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southeastern University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. SEU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lakeland.

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#6

Brite Divinity School

Fort Worth, TX

Brite Divinity School came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Fort Worth, Brite Divinity is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Fuller Theological Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for theological and ministerial studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Pasadena, Fuller is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Saint Paul School of Theology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for theological and ministerial studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Saint Paul School of Theology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Leawood.

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#9

Drew University

Madison, NJ

Drew University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Madison, Drew is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Dallas Theological Seminary ranked #10 on this year’s Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Dallas, DTS Dallas is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Theological & Ministerial Studies students that almost earned our Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 Sewanee - The University of the South Sewanee, TN
12 Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, MO
13 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL

Theological & Ministerial Studies by Region

View the Best Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor'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, theological and ministerial studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biblical Studies 4,119
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries 3,116
Religious Education 1,417
Missionary Studies 1,220
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other) 1,166

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jonund.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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