Best Director programs in Indiana, ranked by enrollment
Coordinate or design programs and conduct outreach to promote the religious education or activities of a denominational group.
14 schools in Indiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 265 people a year. The job pays a median of $58,490 in Indiana across about 670 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Indiana that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
9 programs in Indiana that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Indiana (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 Indiana page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 39.0701In Indiana → | 80 | 30.2% | 6 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 2 | Bible/Biblical Studiesmain feeder CIP 39.0201In Indiana → | 72 | 27.2% | 9 | $33,182 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 39.0705In Indiana → | 41 | 15.5% | 4 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 4 | CIP 39.0702In Indiana → | 20 | 7.5% | 4 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 5 | Religious Educationmain feeder CIP 39.0401In Indiana → | 15 | 5.7% | 3 | $32,351 | $25,937 |
| 6 | CIP 39.0799In Indiana → | 15 | 5.7% | 4 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 7 | Missions/Missionary Studiesmain feeder CIP 39.0301In Indiana → | 13 | 4.9% | 5 | $28,103 | $17,318 |
| 8 | CIP 51.1506In Indiana → | 6 | 2.3% | 1 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 9 | CIP 39.0704In Indiana → | 3 | 1.1% | 1 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
Top 14 schools in Indiana
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 14 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake, IN Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 76 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 69% | $16,216 | 82% |
| 2 | Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 44 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | $19,836 | 67% | $21,351 | 89% |
| 3 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 39 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | $35,736 | 35% | $18,316 | — |
| 4 | Union Bible College Westfield, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 24 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 50% | $7,187 | 91% |
| 5 | Bethel University Mishawaka, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 20 | Lay Ministry | $31,046 | 53% | $19,676 | 98% |
| 6 | Veritas Baptist College Lawrenceburg, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 14 | Religious Education | — | 43% | $13,539 | 95% |
| 7 | Taylor University Upland, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 12 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | $37,035 | 74% | $20,836 | 74% |
| 8 | Horizon University Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Huntington University Huntington, IN Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 9 | Youth Ministry | — | 64% | $13,056 | 76% |
| 10 | Christian Theological Seminary Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Saint Meinrad School of Theology St. Meinrad, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Marian University Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 67% | $23,371 | 95% |
| 13 | Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Elkhart, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Anderson University Anderson, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Bible/Biblical Studies | — | 54% | $21,789 | 79% |
All 14 schools in Indiana
Every school in Indiana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace College and Theological Seminary | Winona Lake | Private not-for-profit | 76 | 6 |
| Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion | Marion | Private not-for-profit | 44 | 5 |
| Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global | Marion | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 3 |
| Union Bible College | Westfield | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 3 |
| Bethel University | Mishawaka | Private not-for-profit | 20 | 3 |
| Veritas Baptist College | Lawrenceburg | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 3 |
| Taylor University | Upland | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 3 |
| Horizon University | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 2 |
| Huntington University | Huntington | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 4 |
| Christian Theological Seminary | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Saint Meinrad School of Theology | St. Meinrad | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Marian University | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary | Elkhart | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Anderson University | Anderson | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
What directors, religious activities and education earn in Indiana
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $52,100. Indiana pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: Indiana employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Indiana
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 Indiana
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 Indiana.
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 Pastoral Studies/Counseling, which awarded 80 degrees in Indiana in 2024-25, 30.2% 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 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Bible/Biblical Studies, Religious Education, Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 265 people a year in Indiana.
How much do directors, religious activities and education earn in Indiana?+
The median is $58,490 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 12.3% 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 Indiana?+
14 institutions in Indiana reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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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