Religious Education
Students study how to teach religious content and values in congregational, school, and community settings, including curriculum design, youth ministry, and faith formation methods. Graduates typically pursue careers as religious education directors, youth ministers, church program coordinators, and faith-based school teachers. This major is ideal for those who want to nurture faith development through structured educational programs.
What Religious Education graduates do
Your career in religious education will likely lead you down one of two distinct paths: guiding a faith community or shaping minds in academia. The most common path is becoming a director of religious activities, where your days are a blend of administration and ministry. You'll design curricula for all ages, train volunteer teachers, manage program budgets, and organize community events. You might begin by leading youth programs before advancing to oversee all educational activities for an entire institution.
The other, more competitive path with slower growth is becoming a college professor. This requires a graduate degree and involves preparing lectures, grading student research, and publishing your own scholarly work. For both roles, artificial intelligence is becoming a significant co-pilot. It will increasingly handle routine tasks like drafting lesson plans or summarizing research. The core jobs aren't disappearing, but your day-to-day will shift, emphasizing your uniquely human skills in mentorship, spiritual guidance, and complex critical thinking.
Students weighing Religious Education often also consider Biblical Studies, Missionary Studies, and Sacred Music — compare earnings, ROI, and AI outlook side by side.
Where Religious Education graduates work
Common career paths for Religious Education graduates, with median salaries, projected growth, and AI exposure per role. Roughly 15,800 combined openings per year across these roles.
| Role | Median Pay | Annual Openings | 10-yr Growth | AI Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary
|
$78,050
$61K–$102K
|
2,000 | +0.7% | High · 51% |
|
Directors, religious activities and education
|
$54,840
$42K–$75K
|
13,800 | +2.1% | Moderate · 44% |
Best schools for Religious Education
Schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score (earnings × AI resilience × ROI × job-market size). Top 10 of 13.
| # | School | DW Score | 1-yr Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Grace Christian University
Wyoming, MI · Private nonprofit
|
27 | $33,308 | 4.6x |
| 6 |
Benedictine College
Atchison, KS · Private nonprofit
|
25 | $35,133 | 1.5x |
| 7 |
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas, TX · Private nonprofit
|
24 | $32,426 | 2.8x |
| 8 |
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Steubenville, OH · Private nonprofit
|
22 | $35,803 | 2.2x |
| 9 |
Crown College
Saint Bonifacius, MN · Private nonprofit
|
22 | $32,276 | 1.7x |
| 10 |
Wheaton College
Wheaton, IL · Private nonprofit
|
21 | $31,892 | 0.8x |
| 11 |
Moody Bible Institute
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit
|
20 | $30,671 | 4.7x |
| 12 |
Biola University
La Mirada, CA · Private nonprofit
|
15 | $30,887 | 1.2x |
| 13 |
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA · Private nonprofit
|
14 | $28,885 | 1.6x |
Highest Earnings Top 5
| Concordia University-Nebraska
NE |
$55,023 |
| Grand Canyon University
AZ |
$37,273 |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville
OH |
$35,803 |
| Benedictine College
KS |
$35,133 |
| Grace Christian University
MI |
$33,308 |
Best ROI Top 5
| Trinity International University-Illinois
IL |
9.1x |
| Trinity International University-Florida
FL |
7.8x |
| Grand Canyon University
AZ |
5.0x |
| Moody Bible Institute
IL |
4.7x |
| Grace Christian University
MI |
4.6x |
Related majors
Similar fields of study often offered alongside Religious Education.
Frequently asked about Religious Education
What do Religious Education graduates make in their first year?
Across 13 schools, Religious Education graduates earn an average of $34,414 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $28,885 to $55,023 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Religious Education?
Our analysis classifies Religious Education as "High" for AI risk — approximately 55% of typical job tasks overlap with current AI capabilities. That puts most of the daily work in the automation-sensitive category.
Which school has the best Religious Education program?
Concordia University-Nebraska leads all 13 programs with a DegreeOutlook Score of 32/100. Graduates earn $55,023/yr — the ranking weighs earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size equally.
Is a Religious Education degree worth the investment?
On average, Religious Education graduates earn 3.4x their in-state tuition over 10 years. ROI varies significantly by school — choose carefully.