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Theology

Types of Degrees Theology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Theology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	56
Associate’s Degree	51
Bachelor’s Degree	1,069
Master’s Degree	4,231
Doctor’s Degree	902

What Theology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Theology 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

Skills developed in a Theology 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Theology 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.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Theology 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 Theology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
InteLext Past Masters	Data base user interface and query 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 Theology graduates include:

• Philosophy Adjunct Professor
• Religious Educator
• Adjunct Philosophy Professor
• Eastern Philosophy Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Religious Studies Teacher
• Western Philosophy Professor
• Philosophy Specialist
• Philosophy Instructor
• Instructor
• Theology Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Systematic Theology Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Theology 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 Theology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 62.5% of Theology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,377	37.5%
Men	3,968	62.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,503	55.2%
Asian	279	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	537	8.5%
Black or African American	736	11.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	18	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	11	0.2%
Two or More Races	129	2.0%
Race Unknown	553	8.7%
International Students	579	9.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Theology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Theology 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	$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 Theology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Theology. 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	10	2
Bachelor’s	26	17
Master’s	72	54
Doctoral (Research)	8	8

^{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 Theology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Theology 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
Divinity/Ministry	39.0602
Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies	39.0604
Rabbinical Studies	39.0605
Talmudic Studies	39.0606
Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other	39.0699
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.