Best Religious Worker, All Other programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
All religious workers not listed.
15 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 369 people a year. The job pays a median of $47,070 in Illinois across about 600 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.
8 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 | CIP 39.0699In Illinois → | 154 | 41.7% | 5 | $32,202 | $25,375 |
| 2 | CIP 39.0701In Illinois → | 147 | 39.8% | 8 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 3 | CIP 39.0799In Illinois → | 38 | 10.3% | 6 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 4 | CIP 39.0704In Illinois → | 14 | 3.8% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 5 | CIP 39.0302In Illinois → | 6 | 1.6% | 1 | $28,103 | $17,318 |
| 6 | CIP 39.0706In Illinois → | 5 | 1.4% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 7 | CIP 39.0705In Illinois → | 4 | 1.1% | 2 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 8 | CIP 39.0703In Illinois → | 1 | 0.3% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
Top 15 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 15 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 · 4 feeder programs | 189 | Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other | $33,488 | 62% | $24,848 | 83% |
| 2 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 42 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 3 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 36 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 4 | Catholic Theological Union at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Northern Baptist Theological Seminary Lisle, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | McCormick Theological Seminary Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Trinity International University - Illinois Deerfield, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 11 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 46% | $20,539 | 100% |
| 9 | Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, Inc. Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | University of Saint Mary of the Lake Mundelein, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Judson University Elgin, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Lay Ministry | — | 60% | $25,200 | 48% |
| 13 | Concordia University - Chicago River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other | — | 36% | $17,620 | 93% |
| 14 | Meadville Theological School of Lombard College Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Lay Ministry | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | North Park University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Urban Ministry | — | 58% | $18,494 | 69% |
All 15 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 | 189 | 4 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 42 | 2 |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private not-for-profit | 36 | 4 |
| Catholic Theological Union at Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 1 |
| Northern Baptist Theological Seminary | Lisle | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Garrett - Evangelical Theological Seminary | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 2 |
| McCormick Theological Seminary | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 2 |
| Trinity International University - Illinois | Deerfield | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 2 |
| Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, Inc. | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| University of Saint Mary of the Lake | Mundelein | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Judson University | Elgin | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Concordia University - Chicago | River Forest | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
| Meadville Theological School of Lombard College | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
| North Park University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
What religious workers, all other earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $45,280. Illinois pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
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 Religious Workers, All Other page.
How to become a Religious Worker, All Other
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 13 majors mapped to Religious Workers, All Other11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 30.2502Contemplative Studies/Inquiry
- 30.5301Thanatology
- 39.0302Church Planting
- 39.0399Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Other(no graduates reported)
- 39.0599Religious Music and Worship, Other
- 39.0699Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0703Urban Ministry
- 39.0704Women's Ministry
- 39.0705Lay Ministry
- 39.0706Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies
- 39.0799Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other
- 39.0802Religious/Canon Law(no graduates reported)
Common questions
Answers for people weighing religious workers, all other programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Religious Worker, All Other?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other, which awarded 154 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 41.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Religious Worker, All Other?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Theological and Ministerial Studies, Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology. Together they graduate about 369 people a year in Illinois.
How much do religious workers, all other earn in Illinois?+
The median is $47,070 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.0% above the U.S. median of $45,280. 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 religious workers, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +0.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 11,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
15 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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