Best Director programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Coordinate or design programs and conduct outreach to promote the religious education or activities of a denominational group.
18 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 663 people a year. The job pays a median of $53,600 in Illinois across about — jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
13 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bible/Biblical Studiesmain feeder CIP 39.0201In Illinois → | 153 | 23.1% | 6 | $33,182 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 39.0701In Illinois → | 147 | 22.2% | 8 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 3 | Missions/Missionary Studiesmain feeder CIP 39.0301In Illinois → | 93 | 14.0% | 5 | $28,103 | $17,318 |
| 4 | Religious Educationmain feeder CIP 39.0401In Illinois → | 90 | 13.6% | 6 | $32,351 | $25,937 |
| 5 | CIP 51.3201In Illinois → | 55 | 8.3% | 4 | $99,851 | $21,475 |
| 6 | CIP 51.1506In Illinois → | 41 | 6.2% | 2 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 7 | CIP 39.0799In Illinois → | 38 | 5.7% | 6 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 8 | CIP 39.0702In Illinois → | 14 | 2.1% | 3 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 9 | CIP 39.0704In Illinois → | 14 | 2.1% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 10 | CIP 39.0502In Illinois → | 8 | 1.2% | 1 | $30,092 | $27,000 |
| 11 | CIP 39.0706In Illinois → | 5 | 0.8% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 12 | CIP 39.0705In Illinois → | 4 | 0.6% | 2 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 13 | CIP 39.0703In Illinois → | 1 | 0.2% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
Top 18 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 18 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 260 | Bible/Biblical Studies | $35,114 | 62% | $24,848 | 83% |
| 2 | Trinity International University - Illinois Deerfield, IL Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 90 | Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling | — | 46% | $20,539 | 100% |
| 3 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 80 | Bioethics/Medical Ethics | — | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 4 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 78 | Religious Education | $31,892 | 85% | $23,461 | 87% |
| 5 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 29 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 6 | Catholic Theological Union at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 28 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 24 | Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 20 | Religious Education | — | 58% | $18,494 | 69% |
| 9 | Northern Baptist Theological Seminary Lisle, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | McCormick Theological Seminary Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake Mundelein, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Bioethics/Medical Ethics | — | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 14 | Judson University Elgin, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Lay Ministry | — | 60% | $25,200 | 48% |
| 15 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Bioethics/Medical Ethics | — | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 16 | Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 58% | $15,126 | 85% |
| 17 | Concordia University - Chicago River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Religious Education | — | 36% | $17,620 | 93% |
| 18 | Meadville Theological School of Lombard College Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Lay Ministry | — | — | — | — |
All 18 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moody Bible Institute | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 260 | 8 |
| Trinity International University - Illinois | Deerfield | Private not-for-profit | 90 | 7 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 80 | 3 |
| Wheaton College | Wheaton | Private not-for-profit | 78 | 3 |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private not-for-profit | 29 | 4 |
| Catholic Theological Union at Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 3 |
| Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 4 |
| North Park University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 4 |
| Northern Baptist Theological Seminary | Lisle | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| McCormick Theological Seminary | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| University of Saint Mary of the Lake | Mundelein | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Judson University | Elgin | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
What directors, religious activities and education earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $52,100. Illinois pays above the national figure.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Directors, Religious Activities and Education page.
How to become a Director
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 16 majors mapped to Directors, Religious Activities and Education16 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.2502Contemplative Studies/Inquiry
- 30.5301Thanatology
- 39.0201Bible/Biblical Studies
- 39.0301Missions/Missionary Studies
- 39.0401Religious Education
- 39.0502Worship Ministry
- 39.0599Religious Music and Worship, Other
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0702Youth Ministry
- 39.0703Urban Ministry
- 39.0704Women's Ministry
- 39.0705Lay Ministry
- 39.0706Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies
- 39.0799Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other
- 51.1506Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling
- 51.3201Bioethics/Medical Ethics
Common questions
Answers for people weighing directors, religious activities and education programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Director?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Bible/Biblical Studies, which awarded 153 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 23.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Director?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Bible/Biblical Studies, Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Religious Education, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 663 people a year in Illinois.
How much do directors, religious activities and education earn in Illinois?+
The median is $53,600 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.9% above the U.S. median of $52,100. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for directors, religious activities and education growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 13,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
18 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 13 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do directors, religious activities and education work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Youth Pastor, Christian Education Director, Religious Education Director, Children's Ministries Director among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-2021.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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