Doctoral · Durham, North Carolina

Is Theological and Ministerial Studies at Duke University worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 2.9 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $78,846; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $104,772; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $42,252; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $45k (likely $45k – $45k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $44k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in NC; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 2.9 years (likely 2.1–4.1); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $23k (likely −$142k – $184k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $578k (likely $222k – $928k); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.