Theology

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2021

27,325

growing 2.04%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,356

growing 3.51%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$25,690

growing 2.19%

Average Wage

$59,309

growing 7.24%

People in Workforce

320,754

growing 2.09%

Average Employee Age

47.7

growing 0.156%

About

In 2021, the locations with the highest concentration of Theology degree recipients are Lynchburg, VA, Chicago, IL, and New York, NY. The most common degree awarded to students studying Theology is a masters degree.

Photo by Lloyd Morgan

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Theology and the types of students that study this field. Liberty University awards the most degrees in Theology in the US, but Latin American Bible Institute and Word of Life Bible Institute have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Theology.

Tuition costs for Theology majors are, on average, $8,356 for in-state public colleges, and $25,690 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Theology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (613 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (26,503 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Theology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Theology, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (26,503 completions in 2021).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Theology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,356

Median In-State Public

$25,690

Median Out of State Private

Liberty University has the most Theology degree recipients, with 2,235 degrees awarded in 2021.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Theology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Theology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Latin American Bible Institute has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Theology, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Theology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Theology by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Theology.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Theology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Theology majors is $59,309 and the most common occupations are Clergy, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Theology majors is Religious organizations, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Spectator sports.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$59,309

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,525

7.24%

1 Year Growth

± 5.63%

The average salary for Theology majors is $59,309 and the most common occupations are Clergy, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Theology majors.

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Theology majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Theology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The most common occupations Theology majors, by number of employees, are Clergy, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Other managers.

Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Theology majors working as Clergy, Religious workers, all other, and Directors, religious activities & education.

Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Theology majors are Cardiovascular technologists and technicians, Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

320,754

2021 Workforce

± 13,890

2.09%

1 Year Growth

± 6.03%

The number of Theology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.09%, from 314,186 in 2020 to 320,754 in 2021.

The largest single share of Theology graduates go on to work as Clergy (26.8%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Theology by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Theology majors, by number of employees, are Religious organizations, Elementary & secondary schools, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Theology majors, by average wage, are Spectator sports, Natural gas distribution, and Software publishing.

Industries by Share

320,754

2021 Workforce

± 13,890

2.09%

1 Year Growth

± 6.03%

The number of Theology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.09%, from 314,186 in 2020 to 320,754 in 2021.

The industry which employs the most Theology graduates by share is Religious organizations, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Theology.

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Theology majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Theology majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Theology in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Theology is 47.7.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Theology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Theology (16,227 students).

Workforce Age

47.7

Average Age in 2021

± 0.613 Years

0.156%

1 Year Change

± 1.84%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Theology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 58 and 40 years old, which represent 2.52% and 2.42% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Theology are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Theology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (61.3%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Theology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
16,227 degrees awarded
Black or African American
3,400 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
2,117 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Theology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Male
5,016 degrees awarded
White Female
2,783 degrees awarded
Black or African American Male
1,003 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Theology.

White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

Korea
5,061 degree recipients
Mexico
3,228 degree recipients
Philippines
2,471 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Korea
5.41 times more than expected
Uganda
4.99 times more than expected
Switzerland
4.87 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Korea that hold Theology degrees (5.41 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Korea (5,061 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Theology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Theology majors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Theology majors need more than the average amount of Coordination, Instructing, Operations Analysis, Management of Personnel Resources, Time Management, Negotiation, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Monitoring, Systems Evaluation, Learning Strategies, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion, Critical Thinking, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Analysis, Active Learning, Management of Financial Resources, Reading Comprehension, Technology Design, Programming, Management of Material Resources, Mathematics, Operation Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Equipment Selection, Science, Installation, Operation and Control, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repairing.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Theology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Coordination is very distinctive for majors, but the Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Coordination, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Time Management, Social Perceptiveness, Instructing, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, Service Orientation, Systems Evaluation, Management of Personnel Resources, Learning Strategies, Persuasion, Negotiation, Systems Analysis, Operations Analysis, Management of Financial Resources, Mathematics, Management of Material Resources, Technology Design, Operation Monitoring, Programming, Quality Control Analysis, Science, Equipment Selection, Installation, Operation and Control, Equipment Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repairing are the three most important skills for people in the field.