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Major · Theology and Religious Vocations

The undergraduate pathway to Christian ordination — clergy formation at the bachelor's level

Divinity/Ministry prepares students for ordination as ministers or priests within a Christian tradition. About 705 degrees are awarded annually across 43 colleges, with curricula centered on theology, church polity, and the practical work of pastoral ministry. Bachelor's completers report median five-year earnings near $47,414.

Schools offering
43
Annual completions
705
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$47k

About this major

Divinity/Ministry is the formal undergraduate pathway toward Christian clergy roles. The CIP definition describes it as preparation for ordination as ministers or priests, with instruction in the theology and polity of a particular church, church history, pastoral care, preaching, and liturgy. Coursework typically layers biblical languages (Greek, Hebrew), systematic and historical theology, and supervised ministry practicums on top of the denominational framework the sponsoring institution teaches inside. Practical components — preaching labs, field-education placements, internships in local congregations — are central, distinguishing the degree from more academically oriented theology programs.

About 705 degrees are awarded annually across 43 colleges, a modestly sized field relative to the broader theology and religious vocations category. Southeastern University in Florida is a clear outlier at 341 annual completions — roughly half the national total — followed by Oral Roberts University (57), Johnson University (44), Liberty University (40), and Urshan University (33). All top programs are denominationally identified Christian institutions spanning evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent traditions.

The primary occupational destination is Clergy (BLS median wage $60,820; projected growth 1.0%), though many denominations expect candidates to complete a three-year Master of Divinity at a seminary before ordination. A smaller share of graduates pursue postsecondary teaching of philosophy and religion ($78,050 median), which requires a doctoral or professional degree. Bachelor's completers in this major report median five-year earnings near $47,414 — a figure shaped by the mix of graduates who continue to seminary and those who enter ministry or other work directly.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Clergy $61k +1.0% Bachelor's degree
Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary $78k +0.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$47k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$45k

Bachelor's

$47k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you sense a vocational call to ordained ministry in a Christian tradition and want undergraduate preparation that takes that call seriously as an academic subject, you're comfortable spending four years inside a denominational framework that shapes the curriculum's theology and practice, you find preaching, pastoral care, and liturgy intellectually engaging rather than routine, you plan to continue to seminary for an M.Div. if your tradition requires it, and you accept that the direct occupational destination of Clergy pays a $60,820 median wage — a respectable but not high figure that typically arrives well after the bachelor's.

Think twice if your interest in theology is primarily academic: Theology/Theological Studies (938 annual completions) emphasizes doctrine and history more than practical ministry and is offered at 169 colleges — nearly four times the 43 that offer Divinity/Ministry. Think twice if you're uncertain about the denominational fit, since curricula here reflect specific traditions and transfer less cleanly between them than a more generic theology degree would. And think twice if earnings are the primary driver — adjacent fields like Business Administration or Non-Profit Management show materially higher bachelor's-level earnings with broader career portability.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Divinity/Ministry

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Southeastern University Lakeland, FL 81 260 341
Oral Roberts University Tulsa, OK 0 57 57
Johnson University Knoxville, TN 3 41 44
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 0 40 40
Urshan University Wentzville, MO 0 33 33
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, NC 0 32 32
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, MO 3 14 17
Manna University Fayetteville, NC 4 13 17
University of Valley Forge Phoenixville, PA 1 15 16
Nazarene Bible College Colorado Springs, CO 0 14 14
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Theology/Theological Studies

938 completions/yr

Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other

492 completions/yr

Pastoral Studies/Counseling

394 completions/yr

Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies

122 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Divinity/Ministry majors actually study?
The CIP definition frames the degree as preparation for ordination in Christian traditions, with instruction in the theology and polity of a particular church, church history, pastoral care, preaching, and liturgy. Coursework commonly includes biblical languages (Greek, Hebrew), systematic and historical theology, biblical interpretation, and supervised ministry practicums in congregational settings. The specific framework reflects the sponsoring institution's denominational identity — programs at Assemblies of God, Baptist, Pentecostal, Nazarene, and independent evangelical schools teach the field through their own doctrinal lens.
What jobs do graduates typically enter?
The primary occupational destination is Clergy (BLS median wage $60,820; projected growth 1.0%). The secondary destination is Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary ($78,050 median), but that path requires a doctoral or professional degree. In practice, many Christian traditions require an M.Div. (Master of Divinity) from a seminary before ordaining a candidate, so the bachelor's is typically a step on a longer path rather than an endpoint. Graduates who do not continue to seminary often move into non-ordained ministry roles, parachurch organizations, or religious education positions.
Is a bachelor's enough, or will I need seminary?
It depends on the denomination. Some evangelical and Pentecostal traditions ordain candidates with a bachelor's-level Divinity/Ministry degree; most mainline Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions require a full M.Div., which is typically a three-year graduate degree beyond the bachelor's. Bachelor's completers in this major report median five-year earnings of about $47,414 — that figure includes both those who continued to seminary and those who entered ministry or other fields directly.
Which schools award the most degrees in this major?
The single largest producer is Southeastern University in Florida (341 annual completions), which dominates the field by a wide margin. Other top producers are Oral Roberts University (57, OK), Johnson University (44, TN), Liberty University (40, VA), and Urshan University (33, MO). All top programs are denominationally identified Christian institutions — fit with the sponsoring tradition typically matters more here than in other majors, because the theology and polity taught are specific to that tradition.
How does this compare to Theology/Theological Studies or Pastoral Studies?
Divinity/Ministry is the most vocation-focused of the three — its CIP text explicitly describes it as preparation for ordination. Theology/Theological Studies (938 completions at 169 colleges) sits one step back: it focuses on the beliefs and doctrine of a faith, with less emphasis on preaching, polity, and practical ministry. Pastoral Studies/Counseling (394 completions) concentrates on pastoral care and counseling rather than full ordained ministry. All three share similar bachelor's-level earnings near $47,000 and a common pipeline toward seminary.