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Theology · Religious Education Rank #10 of 13

Religious Educationat Wheaton College

Graduates earn $31,892/yr in their first year — about 7.0% below the national Religious Education average. Base-case 10-year earnings $435K; scenarios range from $419K to $427K depending on AI disruption.

Wheaton, IL Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
21 AT RISK
21
Optimistic
21
Pessimistic
Earnings
$31,892
1-year post-graduation
ROI
0.8x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$435K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
55% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Wheaton College

Wheaton's Religious Education program offers a focused path into service-oriented careers, primarily within churches, parachurch organizations, and Christian schools. The specialized nature of this field, coupled with Wheaton's strong reputation within evangelical circles, means you'll tap into a specific, often national, recruiting pipeline. Many graduates become educators, youth ministers, or directors of religious programming, leveraging the program's emphasis on theological depth and practical leadership. For those aiming for postsecondary teaching, advanced degrees are typically essential. While these roles are incredibly rewarding, they often reside within the non-profit sector, which impacts compensation. Understand the salary structures common to ministry work and proactively build your network among alumni and denominational leaders to maximize your opportunities.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$419K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score21/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$435K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score21/100
Earnings Multiple2.5x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$427K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score21/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Wheaton College's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Religious Education graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary
+0.7% 10-yr growth · 2,000 openings/yr
$78,050/yr
High
2
Directors, religious activities and education
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 13,800 openings/yr
$54,840/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Religious Education

How Wheaton College stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Concordia University-Nebraska
NE · Private nonprofit
32
DW Score
$55K
1-yr earn
1.6x
ROI
Grand Canyon University
AZ · Private for-profit
28
DW Score
$37K
1-yr earn
5.0x
ROI
Franciscan University of Steubenville
OH · Private nonprofit
22
DW Score
$36K
1-yr earn
2.2x
ROI
Benedictine College
KS · Private nonprofit
25
DW Score
$35K
1-yr earn
1.5x
ROI
Grace Christian University
MI · Private nonprofit
27
DW Score
$33K
1-yr earn
4.6x
ROI
Also at Wheaton College

Other top programs at Wheaton College

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Wheaton College, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Religious Education at Wheaton College

How does Wheaton College's Religious Education program score?

This program scores 21/100 — on the lower end for Religious Education. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.

How vulnerable is Religious Education to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Religious Education careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 48% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.