Is a Theological and Ministerial Studies degree worth it?
Across 24 schools, graduates of Theological and Ministerial Studies earn a median $49,242 five years out on $25,000 of debt. Graduates most commonly work as Clergy (modeled from the federal CIP-to-SOC crosswalk). These earnings and debt figures come from the U.S. Dept. of Education.
Median 5-yr pay
$49,242
Median debt
$25,000
Years to pay off
4.4
at 10% of pay
AI task exposure
33%
GPT-4-era overlap
10-yr job growth
+1%
BLS 2024–2034
Gender pay gap
8.9%
$51,536 vs $46,951
Net price
$22,079/yr
Debt-test failures
15.8%
of programs
'Real' premium
−$7,594
vs avg, adjusted
See where this degree leads, who's hiring, and whether the pay covers the rent.
Explore Theological and Ministerial Studies in full →Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, O*NET, AI-exposure measures (Eloundou/AIOE), Zillow. Earnings reflect federally-aided graduates; see the full story for methodology and limitations.