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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 31 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$275,449 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−101%Estimated return after 10 years
$44,603Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$44,603 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$44,603Typical earnings four years after completion
$40,035Average earnings five years after completion
$26,750Typical federal student debt
9thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
100Degrees awarded in 2024–25
29College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 6 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries

How much do Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $44,603 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $26,750. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $38,298 to $46,933 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$40,520
Federal debt
$24,060
Programs in the comparison
5
5 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$44,603
Federal debt
$26,750
Programs in the comparison
31
29 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$53,123
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
11
11 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$84,791
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$38,298National median$44,60375th percentile$46,933
29 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$46,93375th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$26,750Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Boise Bible College

$55,360 four years after completionBoise, ID · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Moody Bible Institute

$12,000 among completer borrowersChicago, IL · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Liberty University

67 reported awards in 2024–25Lynchburg, VA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$52,173Observed year-4 earnings$32,718
$14,356Annual college-wide average net price$31,679
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Boise Bible College$55,3602Life Pacific University$52,4773Gordon College$52,1734Nazarene Bible College$49,8995Regent University$49,7996Dallas Baptist University$49,4087Cairn University-Langhorne$47,8058Trinity College of Jacksonville$46,9339Liberty University$46,53110Lee University$45,844

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Directors, Religious Activities and Education$52,100 median wage22,160 jobs nationwide+3.3% projected growth through 2035 · 13,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$34,670–$98,310 typical wage rangeReligious Workers, All Other$45,280 median wage15,760 jobs nationwide+1.5% projected growth through 2035 · 12,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$31,200–$93,900 typical wage rangePhilosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$80,260 median wage20,460 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,140–$139,580 typical wage rangeClergy$60,810 median wage57,200 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 19,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,860–$98,890 typical wage rangeCommunity and Social Service Specialists, All Other$56,730 median wage107,730 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 11,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,310–$84,210 typical wage rangeCounselors, All Other$50,860 median wage28,580 jobs nationwide+5.9% projected growth through 2035 · 4,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$36,240–$91,940 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Bible/Biblical Studies

Year-4 earnings
$45,100
Federal debt
$25,000
48 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Theological and Ministerial Studies

Year-4 earnings
$47,518
Federal debt
$25,838
38 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Religious Education

Year-4 earnings
$45,165
Federal debt
$25,937
16 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology

Year-4 earnings
$40,561
Federal debt
$23,209
9 reporting programs →

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.