Best Online Associate in Biblical Studies

Badge for BEST ONLINE ASSOCIATE'S IN BIBLICAL STUDIES

Published: Jun 21, 2021
Updated: Nov 22, 2023

Find top-ranked online associate’s in Biblical studies degree programs that will prepare students to pursue a wide variety of careers including social service positions, youth ministry, or missions-related positions.

Top 10 Online Associate in Biblical Studies Degrees

Moody Bible Institute
Liberty University
Alliance University
Cornerstone University
Dallas Baptist University
Cairn University
Johnson University
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Colorado Christian University
Northpoint Bible College

Hampton University
Liberty University
Moody Bible Institute
Dallas Baptist University
Southwestern Assemblies of God University
Belhaven University
Cornerstone University
Cairn University
Colorado Christian University
Johnson University

Heritage Christian University 100%
Alliance University 100%
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School 100%
Liberty University 99%
Moody Bible Institute 94%
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 93%
Dallas Baptist University 91%
Southwestern Assemblies of God University 86%
Cornerstone University 82%
Cairn University 81%

Liberty University 18 to 1
Dallas Baptist University 17 to 1
Southwestern Assemblies of God University 17 to 1
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 17 to 1
Moody Bible Institute 16 to 1
Colorado Christian University 16 to 1
Cornerstone University 15 to 1
Alliance University 15 to 1
Hampton University 13 to 1
Amridge University 12 to 1

Dallas Baptist University $35,310
Cairn University $31,965
Hampton University $29,162
Belhaven University $28,375
Cornerstone University $27,880
Alliance University $27,500
Liberty University $22,511
Johnson University $19,274
Southwestern Assemblies of God University $17,782
Colorado Christian University $17,476

Dallas Baptist University $21,186
Alliance University $14,400
Cornerstone University $14,160
Colorado Christian University $13,931
Hampton University $13,099
Northpoint Bible College $11,808
Amridge University $10,800
Belhaven University $10,710
Cairn University $10,278
Johnson University $9,285

Amridge University
St. Louis Christian College
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School
Trinity Baptist College
Central Christian College of the Bible
Calvary University
Hampton University
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary
Lincoln Christian University
Davis College

Shasta Bible College and Graduate School
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary
Central Christian College of the Bible
St. Louis Christian College
Lincoln Christian University
Northpoint Bible College
Heritage Christian University
Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Davis College
Calvary University

Belhaven University 43%
Trinity Baptist College 50%
Davis College 50%
Calvary University 61%
Mid-Atlantic Christian University 63%
Johnson University 63%
Hampton University 74%
Cairn University 81%
Cornerstone University 82%
Southwestern Assemblies of God University 86%

Shasta Bible College and Graduate School 3 to 1
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary 4 to 1
Lincoln Christian University 7 to 1
Heritage Christian University 8 to 1
Calvary University 8 to 1
Central Christian College of the Bible 9 to 1
Davis College 9 to 1
Belhaven University 9 to 1
Mid-Atlantic Christian University 9 to 1
Northpoint Bible College 9 to 1

College of Biblical Studies $7,200
Amridge University $9,000
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary $9,480
Central Christian College of the Bible $9,850
Heritage Christian University $11,632
Calvary University $12,500
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary $13,923
Northpoint Bible College $14,160
Trinity Baptist College $14,300
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School $14,460

Heritage Christian University $4,482
Central Christian College of the Bible $5,310
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary $6,520
Calvary University $7,598
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School $7,650
Liberty University $7,893
Southwestern Assemblies of God University $8,280
Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary $8,622
Lincoln Christian University $8,892
Moody Bible Institute $8,910

Key Takeaways

The associate degree in biblical studies is an affordable way to get started on your college education. The typical associate degree will take about two years to complete.

Many community colleges and two-year schools offer both traditional and online degree programs for students pursuing their associate degree in biblical studies.

Earning an online associate degree in biblical studies can prepare you for a variety of entry level jobs in your field. Many students also continue into a bachelor’s degree program in biblical studies or a related area.

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Biblical Studies Degrees

Earning an associate degree in biblical studies is a great way to combine your faith and your future career goals. The online associate degree in biblical studies can provide an affordable and accessible way to combine general education courses with a meaningful religious education. Students who are particularly interested in pursuing careers in the Christian faith will typically combine biblical and theological studies. Students pursuing careers in the ministry may alternatively wish to seek a theology degree.

On average, earning an associate degree in biblical studies requires the completion of 60 credits. This same credit requirement will typically apply for the associate degree in theology as well. Most students can complete the associate degree in theology or bible studies in two years. Students can earn either of these closely related degrees either on-campus or through online programs.

Students will dive into courses that discuss topics like Christian doctrine, Biblical interpretation, and spiritual leadership. You may also learn about other world religions, practical applications of Biblical literature, and critical thinking in connection with the scriptures. In fact, many students connect Biblical interpretation to specific areas of study such as community leadership, addiction counseling, and missionary work.

Additionally, some students may choose to pair this degree with another area of study, such as social work, family counseling, or nonprofit management. This can be a great way to apply your religious education and Biblical knowledge in secular working contexts.

Upon graduation, students will be prepared for several Christian ministry, mission, and social services positions, including youth ministers and program supervisors.

Learn more about how to major in religious studies.

How do we determine the best online biblical studies associate degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

An associate degree is a great way for many to start their educational journey, but you may want to also consider an online bachelor’s in biblical studies.

25 Best Online Associate in Biblical Studies Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Biblical Studies Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Theology/Theological Studies

Degree Level: Associate's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Job Growth: 0.78%
Number of Jobs: 295,800

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary	2.75%	$76,104
Clergy	0.56%	$52,663

Average Career Salaries

Bottom 10%	Median	Top 10%
$40,605	$63,748	$100,982

Promising Job Markets

State	Cost of Living	Avg. Salary
#2 Utah	4% higher than average	$84,750
#3 Georgia	13% higher than average	$68,025
#4 Missouri	16% higher than average	$64,765
#5 Ohio	14% higher than average	$65,185
#6 New Mexico	7% higher than average	$68,215
#7 Texas	10% higher than average	$65,635
#8 New York	5% higher than average	$75,740
#9 Kentucky	14% higher than average	$61,640
#10 Indiana	11% higher than average	$63,240
#11 Vermont	13% higher than average	$80,110
#12 Arizona	5% higher than average	$67,365
#13 Illinois	7% higher than average	$65,785
#14 Virginia	5% higher than average	$67,265
#15 Michigan	15% higher than average	$59,490
#16 Minnesota	4% higher than average	$65,225
#17 Pennsylvania	5% higher than average	$64,240
#18 North Carolina	11% higher than average	$59,740
#19 Massachusetts	24% higher than average	$82,745
#20 Mississippi	18% higher than average	$55,005
#21 Maryland	18% higher than average	$78,785
#22 Nebraska	6% higher than average	$62,375
#23 Arkansas	16% higher than average	$55,740
#24 Wisconsin	7% higher than average	$61,305
#25 West Virginia	11% higher than average	$57,885
#26 Alabama	13% higher than average	$56,230
#27 Tennessee	14% higher than average	$55,745
#28 Iowa	9% higher than average	$58,870
#29 New Jersey	13% higher than average	$72,095
#30 Louisiana	9% higher than average	$57,540
#31 Oklahoma	13% higher than average	$55,040
#32 Maine	9% higher than average	$68,865
#33 Rhode Island	20% higher than average	$75,620
#34 California	26% higher than average	$79,370
#35 Colorado	3% higher than average	$64,935
#36 New Hampshire	13% higher than average	$70,050
#37 Washington	7% higher than average	$66,205
#38 South Carolina	8% higher than average	$56,045
#39 Montana	3% higher than average	$58,570
#40 Florida	6% higher than average	$56,390
#41 Oregon	11% higher than average	$64,635
#42 Nevada	5% higher than average	$60,840
#43 Connecticut	18% higher than average	$68,560
#44 Kansas	9% higher than average	$52,895
#45 Idaho	7% higher than average	$50,795
#46 Delaware	2% higher than average	$54,210
#47 South Dakota	7% higher than average	$47,370
#48 Wyoming	2% higher than average	$49,410
#49 North Dakota	average	$48,570
#50 District of Columbia	49% higher than average	$71,515
#51 Alaska	23% higher than average	$53,740
#52 Hawaii	40% higher than average	$55,540

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary	$76,104
Clergy	$52,663

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Online Associate in Biblical Studies

Top 10 Online Associate in Biblical Studies Degrees

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Biblical Studies Degrees

Why get an associate in biblical studies?

How long does it take to get an associate in biblical studies?

What will I be learning while getting an associate in biblical studies?

What can I do with an associate in biblical studies?

25 Best Online Associate in Biblical Studies Degree Programs

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Liberty University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Alliance University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Cornerstone University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Dallas Baptist University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Cairn University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Johnson University

Online Degrees

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Colorado Christian University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Northpoint Bible College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at College of Biblical Studies

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Southwestern Assemblies of God University

Online Degrees

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Belhaven University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Davis College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Lincoln Christian University

Online Degrees

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Hampton University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Calvary University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Central Christian College of the Bible

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Trinity Baptist College

Online Degrees

Online Degrees

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Biblical Studies degree at Amridge University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Biblical Studies Degree

Theology/Theological Studies

Degree Level: Associate's

Career Salaries

Average Career Salaries

Promising Job Markets

Top Industries

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+

Will employers respect my online degree?+

What are the disadvantages of online classes?+

What are the advantages of online classes?+

Resources for Online College-Bound Students