2023 Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 150 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Theological & Ministerial Studies program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the theology doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 15% Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Liberty University to be the most popular school for theological and ministerial studies students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Women make up 20% of the theology majors at the school.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Regent University is a great place for theological and ministerial studies students working on their doctor’s degree. Regent is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.
Women make up 35% of the theology majors at the school.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Louisville, SBTS is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Women make up 1% of the theology majors at the school.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. MBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Kansas City.
Women make up 3% of the theology majors at the school.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Fuller Theological Seminary is a great place for theological and ministerial studies students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Pasadena, Fuller is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 18% of the students majoring in theology at the school are women while 82% are male.
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New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for theological and ministerial studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. NOBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New Orleans.
Women make up 14% of the theology majors at the school.
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Asbury Theological Seminary landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. Located in the town of Wilmore, Asbury Seminary is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Women make up 14% of the theology majors at the school.
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Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. SEBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wake Forest.
Of the 38 students majoring in theology at SEBTS, 97% are male and 3% are female.
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New York Theological Seminary landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. Located in the city of New York, NYTS is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
About 51% of the students majoring in theology at the school are women while 49% are male.
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Gordon - Conwell Theological Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for theological and ministerial studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Gordon - Conwell Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of South Hamilton.
Of the 33 students majoring in theology at Gordon - Conwell Seminary, 82% are male and 18% are female.
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Drew University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Madison, Drew is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 32 students majoring in theology at Drew, 75% are male and 25% are female.
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Duke University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Of the 31 students majoring in theology at Duke, 65% are male and 35% are female.
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Andrews University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Andrews is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Berrien Springs.
Women make up 6% of the theology majors at the school.
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Emory University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.
Of the 30 students majoring in theology at Emory, 63% are male and 37% are female.
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Dallas Theological Seminary ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular 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.
Women make up 21% of the theology majors at the school.
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Pentecostal Theological Seminary ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Pentecostal Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland.
About 23% of the students majoring in theology at the school are women while 77% are male.
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South University’s online programs landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. Located in the city of Savannah, South University's online programs is a private for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Women make up 45% of the theology majors at the school.
Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at South University’s online programs Report
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University of Notre Dame came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
Women make up 45% of the theology majors at the school.
Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at University of Notre Dame Report
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Graduate Theological Union came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Berkeley, GTU Berkeley is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Women make up 40% of the theology majors at the school.
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Boston University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.
Of the 20 students majoring in theology at Boston U, 75% are male and 25% are female.
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Memphis Theological Seminary landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree theological and ministerial studies programs. Memphis Theological Seminary is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Memphis.
Of the 19 students majoring in theology at Memphis Theological Seminary, 58% are male and 42% are female.
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Payne Theological Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for theological and ministerial studies students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Payne Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Wilberforce.
Women make up 28% of the theology majors at the school.
Full Theological & Ministerial Studies at Payne Theological Seminary Report
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Here are some additional popular schools for Theological & Ministerial Studies students that almost earned our Most Popular Theological & Ministerial Studies Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 23 | Denver Seminary | Littleton, CO |
| 23 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 23 | Nazarene Theological Seminary | Kansas City, MO |
| 27 | Virginia Union University | Richmond, VA |
| 28 | Evangel University | Springfield, MO |
| 28 | Columbia Theological Seminary | Decatur, GA |
| 30 | Nyack College | Nyack, NY |
Theological & Ministerial Studies by Region
View the Most Popular 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 |
Majors Related to Theology
One of 7 majors within the area of study, theological and ministerial studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Theology
| 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 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jonund.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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