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Pastoral counselor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a pastoral counselor. Pastoral counselors usually study theology, psychology, or pastoral counseling and specialized ministries. 45% of pastoral counselors hold a bachelor's degree, and 37% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 495 real pastoral counselor resumes to see exactly what pastoral counselor education sections show.
The most common colleges for pastoral counselors are the Liberty University and the Liberty University.
There are also many online pastoral counselor courses to help get the education required to be a pastoral counselor.
There are certain pastoral counselor certifications that you should consider. These pastoral counselor certifications include Pastoral Counseling Certification and Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).
What education do you need to become a pastoral counselor?
What degree do you need to be a pastoral counselor?
- Bachelor's, 45%
- Master's, 37%
- Doctorate, 8%
- Associate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a pastoral counselor?
- Theology, 23%
- Psychology, 11%
- School Counseling, 10%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for pastoral counselors
| Pastoral counselor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Liberty University | 20.27% |
| Cornerstone University | 9.46% |
| Princeton Theological Seminary | 9.46% |
| Lincoln Christian University | 5.41% |
| Central State University | 4.05% |
Best majors for pastoral counselors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theology | 22.6% |
| 2 | Psychology | 11.5% |
| 3 | Pastoral Counseling And Specialized Ministries | 11.5% |
| 4 | School Counseling | 10.0% |
| 5 | Education | 4.6% |
Best colleges for pastoral counselors
The best colleges for pastoral counselors are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
A pastoral counselor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for pastoral counselors. 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 pastoral counselors.
1. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
7. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$52,687
Enrollment
9,392
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
20 best online courses for pastoral counselors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for pastoral counselors
The most affordable schools for pastoral counselors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for pastoral counselors 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 pastoral counselors.
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. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
5. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. University of Houston - Victoria
Victoria, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$6,491
Cost of attendance
19,075
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for pastoral counselors
The hardest universities for pastoral counselors to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for pastoral counselors 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 pastoral counselors 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for pastoral counselors
The easiest schools for pastoral counselors to get into are Barry University, nyack college, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a pastoral counselor 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 pastoral counselors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
3. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
Average pastoral counselor salary by education level
| Pastoral counselor education level | Pastoral counselor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $48,015 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $42,347 |
| Doctorate Degree | $48,765 |
Pastoral counselor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025