# Directors, Religious Activities and Education

> Coordinate or design programs and conduct outreach to promote the religious education or activities of a denominational group. May provide counseling, guidance, and leadership relative to marital, health, financial, and religious problems.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/directors-religious-activities-and-education
- SOC code: 21-2021.00
- Career family: Community and social service
- Median annual pay: $52,100 (10th percentile $34,670, 90th percentile $98,310)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.3%
- Openings a year: 13,000
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SEA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 0 |
| Investigative (I) | 28 |
| Artistic (A) | 40 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 86 |
| Conventional (C) | 36 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 94/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 90/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 86/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 84/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 83/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 81/100)
- Getting Information (importance 81/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 81/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 80/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 79/100)

## Skills

Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Coordination, Learning Strategies

## Knowledge

Philosophy and Theology, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Personnel and Human Resources, Communications and Media

## Also called

Adult Ministries Director, Campus Ministries Director, Campus Ministry Director, Children and Family Ministries Director, Children and Youth Ministries Director, Children's Director, Children's Ministries Coordinator, Children's Ministries Director, Children's Ministry Director, Christian Education Director

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5115) (CIP 5115, 969 colleges)
- [Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5132) (CIP 5132, 352 colleges)
- [Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3907) (CIP 3907, 235 colleges)
- [Bible/Biblical Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3902) (CIP 3902, 217 colleges)
- [Religious Music and Worship](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3905) (CIP 3905, 161 colleges)
- [Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3903) (CIP 3903, 121 colleges)
- [Religious Education](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3904) (CIP 3904, 121 colleges)
- [Cognitive Science](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3025) (CIP 3025, 84 colleges)
- Thanatology (CIP 3053, 5 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Cognitive Science | not reported | $162,106 | not reported |
| [Stanford University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/stanford-university-2589) | Cognitive Science | $105,925 | $131,650 | $8,420 |
| [Tufts University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/tufts-university-2826) | Cognitive Science | $92,588 | $130,801 | $18,250 |
| [University of California-Berkeley CAL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Cognitive Science | $62,757 | $120,193 | $13,000 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Cognitive Science | $100,507 | $109,784 | $15,480 |
| [University of California-Los Angeles UCLA](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-los-angeles-ucla-2884) | Cognitive Science | $54,235 | $102,066 | $12,896 |
| [University of Southern California USC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-southern-california-usc-3050) | Cognitive Science | $67,607 | $93,440 | $13,000 |
| [University of California-San Diego UCSD](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-san-diego-ucsd-2887) | Cognitive Science | $46,650 | $81,160 | $13,799 |

## Related careers

- [Clergy](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/clergy): $60,810 median pay
- [Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/educational-guidance-and-career-counselors-and-advisors): $64,330 median pay
- [Social and Community Service Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-and-community-service-managers): $80,390 median pay
- [Community Health Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/community-health-workers): $51,850 median pay
- [Child, Family, and School Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/child-family-and-school-social-workers): $59,550 median pay
- [Education Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/education-teachers-postsecondary): $75,350 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.