Rabbinical Studies Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Rabbinical Studies maps to BLS occupations averaging about $135,756, with roughly 24,110 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $7,172; common paths include Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary and Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.
Key Statistics
Rabbinical Studies: what the data shows
Common questions about rabbinical studies degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a rabbinical studies degree?
A Rabbinical Studies program is classified under NCES CIP 39.0605 in the Theological and Ministerial Studies field family (39.06).
A program that prepares individuals for ordination as Rabbis. Includes instruction in Talmud, Halacha, Liturgy and Rituals, Rabbinical Thought, Jewish Ethics, Jewish Education, Pastoral Counseling and Homiletics
Types of rabbinical studies degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 39.06 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Divinity/Ministry (CIP 39.0602)
- Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies (CIP 39.0604)
- Talmudic Studies (CIP 39.0606)
- Theology/Theological Studies (CIP 39.0601)
How long does it take to get a rabbinical studies degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 39.0605 in our file:
- 91 Master's (92.9% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 7 Doctorate (7.1% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a rabbinical studies degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Rabbinical Studies to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a rabbinical studies degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Theological and Ministerial Studies bachelor's program family: median debt $37,365, median earnings $44,535 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.16.
About 5.1% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $7,172 and median net price is $22,300.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Rabbinical Studies and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$7,172 Median In-State Public
$30,265 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Rabbinical Studies majors are, on average, $7,172 for in-state public colleges, and $30,265 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Rabbinical Studies programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Rabbinical Studies from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Rabbinical Studies.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 3 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 4 | Liberty University | VA | 50,012 |
| 5 | Liberty University | VA | 50,012 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Rabbinical Studies programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkeley School of Theology | CA | $2,856 |
| 2 | Berkeley School of Theology | CA | $2,856 |
| 3 | Berkeley School of Theology | CA | $2,856 |
| 4 | Grace Mission University | CA | $3,370 |
| 5 | Grace Mission University | CA | $3,370 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Rabbinical Studies programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of Biblical Studies-Houston | TX | $672 |
| 2 | San Diego Christian College | CA | $992 |
| 3 | Trinity International University-Illinois | IL | $2,835 |
| 4 | Trinity International University-Illinois | IL | $2,835 |
| 5 | Trinity International University-Illinois | IL | $2,835 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Rabbinical Studies programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Rabbinical Studies programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 39.06 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Divinity/Ministry CIP 39.0602
- Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies CIP 39.0604
- Talmudic Studies CIP 39.0606
- Theology/Theological Studies CIP 39.0601
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 39.0605 in the survey year used in our extract (98 total across levels below).
- 91 Master's (92.9% of IPEDS total)
- 7 Doctorate (7.1% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $135,756. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Rabbinical Studies graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $129,630 | 11,430 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $141,278 | 12,680 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Theological and Ministerial Studies CIP family (4 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Rabbinical Studies graduate.
- $37,365 median federal loan debt among completers
- $44,535 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.16 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.1% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$135,756 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Rabbinical Studies majors is $135,756.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Rabbinical Studies majors.
Occupations by Share
24,110 2023 Workforce
The number of Rabbinical Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Rabbinical Studies by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Rabbinical Studies in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Rabbinical Studies.
Age distribution for Rabbinical Studies degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
148 Total Degrees Awarded
97 Male (65.54%)
51 Female (34.46%)
Gender distribution of Rabbinical Studies degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
130 White (87.84%)
3 Hispanic or Latino (2.03%)
1 Black or African American (0.68%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Rabbinical Studies degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Rabbinical Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Rabbinical Studies.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Rabbinical Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Rabbinical Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Rabbinical Studies majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Rabbinical Studies majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals for ordination as Rabbis. Includes instruction in Talmud, Halacha, Liturgy and Rituals, Rabbinical Thought, Jewish Ethics, Jewish Education, Pastoral Counseling and Homiletics
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Rabbinical Studies.
CIP Code
39.0605 - Rabbinical Studies
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $37,365 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $44,535, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.16. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Rabbinical Studies graduate.
Men earned 34.5% of 148 Rabbinical Studies completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $135,756. The largest mapped role by headcount is Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (11,430 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $7,172 in-state at public colleges and $30,265 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.