undergradly.
Major · Theology and Religious Vocations

A pastoral-care major — not a clinical-counseling license

Pastoral Studies/Counseling (CIP 39.0701) prepares students for non-clinical pastoral care inside a faith community, not licensed mental-health practice. About 394 degrees are awarded annually across 68 colleges, almost all denominationally identified. Bachelor’s completers report median five-year earnings near $43,214; the named licensed-counseling track requires a separate CACREP master’s and state licensure that 39.0701 alone will not deliver.

Schools offering
68
Annual completions
394
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$42k

About this major

Pastoral Studies/Counseling (CIP 39.0701) is a ministerial-formation major centered on the theory and practice of pastoral care, prepared inside a specific faith tradition. The CIP definition describes it as instruction in pastoral leadership, counseling psychology, crisis intervention, individual and group procedures, theological and spiritual counseling, pastoral care, and applications to specific types of ministry. In practice, that means coursework in introduction to pastoral counseling, crisis and grief care, family systems, addiction and recovery ministry, theology of suffering, biblical and theological foundations, and supervised ministry placements — all framed by the sponsoring institution’s theology and polity. About 394 degrees are awarded annually across 68 colleges, with bachelor’s outnumbering associate’s by roughly four to one.

The major rewards students who can listen carefully, hold confidences, sit with people in distress, and engage scripture and pastoral theology as the integrated subject of study. Strong readers, students comfortable with denominational identity, and those who want practical ministry experience folded into their coursework tend to do well. The line between pastoral care and clinical mental-health counseling is the single most important thing to understand before enrolling: this CIP is the pastoral-care side, and it does not lead to state licensure as a therapist on its own.

Lee University in Tennessee leads at 48 annual bachelor’s completions, followed by Moody Bible Institute (30) and Valor Christian College (29 associate’s); Liberty, Life Pacific, World Mission, Ozark Christian, The Master’s University, The King’s University, and Oral Roberts round out the top ten. The primary occupational destination is Clergy (BLS median wage $60,820), with Directors of religious activities and education ($54,840), Religious workers, all other ($45,120), and Counselors, all other ($49,830, master’s-required) covering the remaining lanes. Five-year median earnings come in at $42,156 across all completers, with the bachelor’s split at $43,214 — a figure shaped by the large share of graduates already in M.Div. programs or in part-time and bivocational ministry roles.

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
Directors, religious activities and education $55k +2.1% Bachelor's degree
Community and social service specialists, all other $55k +4.6% Bachelor's degree
Religious workers, all other $45k +0.6% Bachelor's degree
Counselors, all other $50k +12.6% Master'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

$42k

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

Associate's

$36k

Bachelor's

$43k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you sense a vocational call to pastoral ministry or chaplaincy, you’re comfortable inside a specific denominational tradition for four years and accept that the curriculum reflects that tradition’s theology and pastoral practice, you find listening, crisis care, and theology of suffering engaging as primary academic subjects, you’re prepared to continue to seminary for an M.Div. if your tradition or career path requires it (most do), and you accept that bachelor’s-only direct-entry roles in faith-based crisis work, lay counseling, and parachurch staffing typically pay $30,000–$45,000 with bivocational arrangements common.

Think twice if your real interest is licensed mental-health counseling — you need a CACREP-accredited master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, or Social Work, with state licensure, and Pastoral Studies/Counseling will not satisfy those requirements. Reconsider if your interest is academic rather than vocational: Religion (CIP 38.0201) and Theology/Theological Studies (39.0601) emphasize doctrine and history with less ministry-formation expectation. Look elsewhere if earnings are the primary driver — the $43,214 five-year bachelor’s figure is at the low end of the family, the Clergy median of $60,820 typically arrives only after an M.Div., and chaplaincy pay ($55,000–$95,000 depending on track) requires both the graduate degree and Clinical Pastoral Education on top. The honest read: this major is best understood as a pre-M.Div., pre-chaplaincy, or pre-ordination ramp inside a vocational call — not a terminal-bachelor’s career investment for clinical-counseling income.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Pastoral Studies/Counseling

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Lee University Cleveland, TN 0 48 48
Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL 0 30 30
Valor Christian College Canal Winchester, OH 29 0 29
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 0 23 23
Life Pacific University San Dimas, CA 0 23 23
World Mission University Los Angeles, CA 0 18 18
Ozark Christian College Joplin, MO 0 15 15
The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita, CA 0 14 14
The King's University Southlake, TX 0 14 14
Oral Roberts University Tulsa, OK 0 12 12
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Bible/Biblical Studies

1,765 completions/yr

Theology/Theological Studies

938 completions/yr

Divinity/Ministry

705 completions/yr

Religious Education

608 completions/yr

Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other

492 completions/yr

Missions/Missionary Studies

285 completions/yr

Youth Ministry

278 completions/yr

Lay Ministry

267 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Does this degree make me a licensed counselor?
No. Pastoral Studies/Counseling at the bachelor’s level prepares you to provide non-clinical pastoral counseling inside a faith community as part of a clergy or lay-minister role. State-licensed mental-health counseling — LPC, LMHC, LMFT, or LCSW — requires a separate CACREP-accredited master’s degree (typically CIP 51.1503 Clinical Mental Health Counseling or 51.1505 Marriage and Family Therapy), 2,000–4,000 hours of supervised clinical practice, and a state licensure exam (NCMHCE, NCE, or state equivalent). The American Association of Pastoral Counselors offers a credential, but it is not a state license. Some students pursue a dual M.A. that combines pastoral counseling with an LPC track; others choose Clinical Pastoral Counseling (CIP 51.1506) at the graduate level. If clinical-counseling income and licensure are the goal, plan for that graduate program from the start.
What jobs do graduates typically enter?
The primary occupational destination is Clergy (BLS median wage $60,820; projected growth 1.0%), which in most traditions requires an M.Div. on top of the bachelor’s. Directors of religious activities and education ($54,840 median, 2.1% growth) and Religious workers, all other ($45,120 median, 0.6% growth) are reachable at the bachelor’s level and cover ministry-staff, missions, and parachurch roles. Counselors, all other ($49,830 median, 12.6% growth) appears in the data but BLS reports it as a master’s-level occupation. Postsecondary religion teaching ($78,050) requires a doctorate. Chaplaincy — hospital, hospice, military, prison, college, VA — is the strongest career-anchor for this major but requires an M.Div. plus 1–4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education and board certification through APC, BCCI, NACC, or NAJC.
Will I need seminary, and which seminaries do graduates attend?
For most denominations and for board-certified chaplaincy, yes. The Master of Divinity is a three-year graduate degree taken at a seminary or divinity school; Mainline Protestant ordination, Catholic priesthood (with additional philosophy and major-seminary formation), Orthodox ordination, and most chaplaincy boards require it. Some evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent Christian traditions ordain at the bachelor’s level. Common destination programs include Princeton, Yale Divinity, Duke Divinity, Harvard Divinity, Vanderbilt, Emory Candler, Boston University STH, Notre Dame, Catholic University of America, Fuller, Gordon-Conwell, Trinity Evangelical, Dallas Theological, Reformed Theological, Westminster, Southern Seminary, and Southwestern Seminary. Advanced ministry credentials — Th.M., D.Min., Ph.D. in Religion — follow the M.Div. for academic or specialized roles.
How does this compare to Theology, Divinity/Ministry, or the Other catchall code?
Theology/Theological Studies (CIP 39.0601, 938 annual completions) is the largest sibling and emphasizes doctrine and history. Bible/Biblical Studies (39.0201, 1,765 completions) is the most scripture-focused. Divinity/Ministry (39.0602, 705 completions) is the most ordination-focused undergraduate route. The 39.0699 residual code (492 completions) catches programs that don’t fit any named CIP. Pastoral Studies/Counseling (39.0701, 394 completions) sits inside this family but tilts toward pastoral care and counseling skills — listening, crisis intervention, group dynamics, theology of suffering — rather than systematic theology or biblical languages alone. All siblings cluster in the low-to-mid forties for five-year bachelor’s earnings; 39.0701’s $43,214 bachelor’s figure is at the lower end and reflects a graduate-school-bound completer mix.
Which schools award the most degrees in this code?
Lee University (Cleveland, TN) leads at 48 annual bachelor’s completions, followed by Moody Bible Institute in Chicago (30) and Valor Christian College in Ohio (29 associate’s). Liberty University (23) and Life Pacific University (23) round out the top tier, with World Mission University, Ozark Christian, The Master’s University and Seminary, The King’s University, and Oral Roberts each producing 12–18 graduates. All top-ten producers are denominationally identified — Pentecostal, fundamentalist, evangelical, or independent Christian — and the theology, polity, and pastoral-care framework taught reflects each tradition. Read the school’s statement of faith and the syllabus, not the CIP code, to understand what you would actually study.
What is the chaplaincy path and is it a stronger career anchor?
Yes — chaplaincy is the most labor-market-anchored destination for this major, but it requires graduate credentials. Hospital chaplaincy through Board Certified Chaplain status (APC, BCCI, NACC, or NAJC) typically requires an M.Div., 1–4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education in an accredited residency, and denominational endorsement; pay ranges roughly $55,000–$85,000. Military chaplaincy in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Space Force adds officer-commissioning requirements and denominational endorsement, paying $65,000–$95,000 with full benefits. VA chaplains are federal employees on the GS-12 to GS-14 scale with strong pension and benefits. Hospice, prison (state DOC, federal BOP, ICE), college, and police/fire chaplaincy round out the lanes — some part-time or volunteer-based. Pastoral Studies at the bachelor’s level is a reasonable ramp toward this path, but the M.Div. plus CPE is the actual credential.