Ohio’s religious composition largely aligns with national norms. Its percentages of evangelical Protestants and Historically Black Protestants, 26% and 7%, respectively, are identical to those of the country as a whole; and its percentages of mainline Protestants and Catholics, 22% and 21%, respectively, are only slightly different from national norms of 18% and 24%. A slightly greater percentage of Ohioans, 72%, is certain in their belief in God than the national average of 71%; and 55% consider religion “very important” in their lives, compared to 56% nationwide.

Education in Ohio

As the state’s religious makeup may suggest, there are a variety of Christian colleges in Ohio. The state’s Christian colleges reflect its religious diversity by representing nearly every Christian religion, from University of Dayton, a large Catholic university, to Bluffton University, a small Mennonite university. Ohio Christian colleges are also Baptist, Methodist, and Lutheran. The state’s Christian colleges not only offer degrees in major fields such as engineering, education, and business, but also offer degrees in fields public colleges can’t, such as ministry, theology, and religion.

Ohio saw a college enrollment increase of 20.9% from 2005 to 2010, which put it slightly above the national average of 20.2%. Statewide, Ohio is struggling to gain better-than-average rates elsewhere. Its six-year college graduation rate of 52.9% is lower than the national average of 56%. The percentage of Ohio’s population with a bachelor’s degree or higher is 24.1%, lower than the national average of 28%.

Still, there’s good news for the state’s future college students: Ohio’s high school seniors average a 21.8 on the ACT, compared to 21.1 nationwide, and the state’s colleges put about 4% more of their funds on average toward engineering and life sciences than national averages.

Working in Ohio

As the state regains jobs post-recession, it expects to see a 9.3% growth in employment statewide by 2020, with many jobs seeing growth well above average. Among the state’s hottest jobs are software developers for systems software, with 28.82% growth and software developers for applications at 24.59%. Market research analysts and marketing specialists can expect the most growth, at 34.72%; mental health counselors can expect growth of 28.72%; health care social workers can expect growth of 28.18%; and physical therapists can expect growth of 25.74% growth.

Colleges in Ohio will be at the forefront of training the state’s future workforce. To set themselves up for success, students may want to pursue degrees in marketing, computer science, psychology, social work, public health, or biology. While many colleges offer degrees in these fields, Christian colleges offer additional advantages of a Christian environment, education through a Christian worldview, and opportunities to develop Christian leadership skills. To find the Christian college in Ohio that’s right for you, explore our list of colleges below.