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Children's ministries director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a children's ministries director. Children's ministries directors usually study elementary education, education, or business. 65% of children's ministries directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,194 real children's ministries director resumes to see exactly what children's ministries director education sections show.

The most common colleges for children's ministries directors are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.

There are also many online children's ministries director courses to help get the education required to be a children's ministries director.

There are certain children's ministries director certifications that you should consider. These children's ministries director certifications include Advanced Children Ministry Certification and Child Development Associate (CDA).

What education do you need to become a children's ministries director?

What degree do you need to be a children's ministries director?

The most common degree for children's ministries directors is bachelor's degree, with 65% of children's ministries directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a children's ministries director?

You should major in elementary education to become a children's ministries director. 11% of children's ministries directors major in elementary education. Other common majors for a children's ministries director include education and business.

Most common colleges for children's ministries directors

Children's ministries directors often get their degrees at Liberty University, University of Phoenix, and Indiana Wesleyan University. Here are the most common colleges for children's ministries directors in the US based on their resumes.
Children's ministries director common collegePercentages
Liberty University20.47%
University of Phoenix7.60%
Indiana Wesleyan University7.02%
University of Central Florida5.26%
Texas Tech University4.68%

Best majors for children's ministries directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Elementary Education11.5%
2Education11.4%
3Business11.1%
4Theology11.1%
5Psychology8.7%

Best colleges for children's ministries directors

The best colleges for children's ministries directors are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Duke University.

A children's ministries director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for children's ministries directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become children's ministries directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$38,178

Enrollment

6,008

10. Oklahoma Baptist University

Shawnee, OK • Private

In-state tuition

$28,258

Enrollment

1,808

20 best online courses for children's ministries directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for children's ministries directors

The most affordable schools for children's ministries directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, luther rice college and seminary, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for children's ministries directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for children's ministries directors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Luther Rice College and Seminary

Lithonia, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,616

Cost of attendance

8,720

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

10. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for children's ministries directors

The hardest universities for children's ministries directors to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for children's ministries directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for children's ministries directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

6. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for children's ministries directors

The easiest schools for children's ministries directors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, nyack college, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a children's ministries director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for children's ministries directors.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average children's ministries director salary by education level

According to our data, children's ministries directors with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $52,959 annually. Children's ministries directors with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $44,400.
Children's ministries director education levelChildren's ministries director salary
Master's Degree$52,959
Bachelor's Degree$44,253
Some College/ Associate Degree$44,400

Children's ministries director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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