Religious Studies

Major Related
Resources

Department of
Religious Studies
Sycamore Hall 230

Career Related
Resources

Career Resource
Library
625 North Jordan Avenue
Phone: 855-0576
Career Development Center
Arts and Sciences
Career Services
625 North Jordan Avenue
Phone: 855-0576

IUB Libraries Career Resources
Liberal Arts Careers
10th Street & Jordan Avenue
Phone: 812-855-0100

Description of Major

The Department of Religious Studies offers students the opportunity to study the religious traditions of the world and explore the nature and function of religion in the human experience. Religion enriches the lives of people. It is a major source of people's values and ideals, and determines much of how they live their lives. Therefore understanding religion is key to understanding human existence. The discipline of religious studies examines religion from outside the framework of any particular belief system. Based on a commitment to the highest standards of intellectual freedom and integrity, religious studies is a major in which all questions are asked and none are disallowed.

Skills & Knowledge Developed in this Field of Study

In religious studies, students acquire skills in reading and analyzing a variety of texts and cultural situations. Contemporary citizens need to know how to live in the whole world, how to approach and understand cultures radically different from their own, and religious studies provides training in how to do this. Religious studies students gain knowledge of a variety of human cultures, and learn to listen and understand the differences in and between people.

Minors and Second Majors that Expand Career Options with this Major

Anthropology, biology, comparative literature, English, folklore, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, African-American Studies, gender studies, and psychology.

Career Options

Careers Specific to the Bachelor's Degree

Religious studies majors have gone into careers in a variety of fields that require critical thinking, subtle analysis, and skilled articulation. IU graduates have obtained positions in education, business, social work, journalism, the arts, politics, and administration of non-profit organizations.

Other Career Possibilities with a Bachelor's Degree

Corporate businesses in the United States, as well as international business firms, are increasingly looking for strong liberal arts majors who can think and communicate well for management and marketing positions.

Careers that Normally Require a Graduate Degree

Many students double major in religious studies in preparation for application to law school or medical school. Medical and law schools look favorably on religious studies as a second major. College and university teaching are possible with further graduate work. A career in psychology or counselilng is a common option for religious studies majors and usually requires an advanced degree.

Employment Opportunities

Job Outlook

Varies depending on the career field, but generally the job outlook is good. In many of the careers related to religious studies, employment is expected to increase faster than average for all occupations through the year 2005 according to the Department of Labor.

Salary Information

Students who graduate with a major in Religious Studies go on to a wide variety of careers, ranging from academia, medicine, law, business, nonprofit work, and work in the private sector. This broad scope of career alternatives makes our graduates competitive in the job market. Salaries will vary depending on the specific career field. Resources such as the American Almanac of Jobs and Salaries at the Career Resource Library will provide more specific information about individual career options and salaries.

Potential Career Growth

Varies throughout the possible career fields, but the potential is excellent.

Placement Statistics for IU Graduates with this Major

The department maintains a network of religious studies alumni in a variety of career fields who serve as mentors for graduating seniors on the job market. Students work closely with the academic advisor and the Career Development Center to establish their personal career objectives or advanced graduate study goals. Faculty members also play an active role in career counseling.

High School Preparation

There is no special additional high school preparation required for the major in religious studies. Students are encouraged to take courses in such areas as literature, languages, world civilizations, history, sociology, and psychology and to give special attention to the development of strong writing skills.

Special Opportunities

Ranked the number one undergraduate program in the country by the Gourman National Report, the Department of Religious Studies features a distinguished faculty. The members of the department are deeply committed to undergraduate teaching. Included on the faculty are experts in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, as well as those who focus on the diverse religious traditions of America. Still other members of the department address the areas of philosophy of religion, ethics, and social issues, as well as the study of the Bible. In addition, there is a summer program at an archaeological dig in Israel. The department has an honors program that provides special seminars for talented students and opportunities for individual research. Students also have an opportunity to serve as teaching interns, assisting a current faculty member in the classroom. We encourage student participation in service learning internships where students get out of the classroom and make a difference in the community. In addition, religious studies students with at least a 3.5 overall GPA may join the department�s chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honorary society for religious studies. Students majoring in religious studies are encouraged to participate in the Undergraduate Religious Studies Association (URSA), which sponsors field trips, movie nights, and a multitude of student driven programming. Students accepted to the Direct Admit Program in the College of Arts and Sciences are assigned personal faculty and peer mentors when they arrive on campus as well as a variety of unique programming catered specifically to freshman.

Noted Alumni

During the course of its 30 years of existence as an academic program at IU, nearly 1,200 students have completed a religious studies major; many of them have gone on to very successful careers in their chosen fields, ranging from the corporate world, politics, the not for profit sector, medicine and the arts.