Religious Studies major
Religious Studies: courses, careers, and where to study
Religious Studies examines the world's religious traditions, texts, and practices through history, philosophy, and social science, suiting students drawn to belief, culture, and ethics.
A Religious Studies major analyzes how religious belief, sacred texts, rituals, and communities work, drawing on history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, literature, and art rather than training students for a single faith's ministry. Students read scripture and other primary sources closely, study how myths and traditions develop and spread, and compare specific faith communities, their beliefs, practices, and the political and social roles they play. Unlike theology or divinity programs, which are confessional and prepare candidates to lead within one tradition, Religious Studies takes an academic, comparative stance and treats every tradition as an object of study rather than a commitment to defend.
The credential is usually a four-year bachelor's degree, built around survey courses, a foreign or sacred language, methods coursework, and a senior thesis or capstone research project rather than clinical or laboratory training. Reading knowledge of a language such as Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, or Sanskrit is often expected for students who plan graduate work. Graduates work in nonprofit and community organizations, education, publishing, government and public affairs, and interfaith or social-service settings; roles in ministry or hospital and military chaplaincy typically require additional graduate study and ordination or board certification, and state or institutional requirements should be verified for any path involving counseling, teaching, or chaplaincy.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of clergy, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $60,820 and projects employment to grow about 1% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Religious Studies maps to CIP 38.0201, Religion/Religious Studies, within the PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES family. The official definition:
A program that focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. Includes instruction in phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion; mythology; scriptural and textual studies; religious history and politics; and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behavior.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Religious Studies is awarded as
Of the 9,025 Religious Studies credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate2%196
- Associate14%1,259
- Bachelor's61%5,508
- Graduate23%2,062
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 24 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 6 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Comparative survey of major world religious traditions
- Scriptural and textual analysis of primary sacred sources
- History of religions and religious movements
- Philosophy of religion and ethics
- Sociology, psychology, and anthropology of religious practice
- Mythology and ritual studies
- Sacred-language reading skills (Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, or Sanskrit)
- Research methods and writing in the humanities
- Senior thesis or capstone research project
Typical careers
- Clergy Member
- Chaplain
- Religious Educator
- Nonprofit Program Director
- Community Outreach Coordinator
- Religious Studies Researcher
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 clergy median $60,820).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Religious Studies, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | $78,050 | 2,000 | +0.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 1 of these 1 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Religious Studies does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
The federal crosswalk associates only one occupation with Religious Studies. That is a statement about the field, not about its graduates: a breadth degree is not tied to a particular job, so the crosswalk has little to map. Graduates of this field work across many occupations, and what follows the degree depends far more on the skills and experience built alongside it.
Before you commit to a Religious Studies major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Religious Studies program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Religious Studies department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Religious Studies program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Religious Studies credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Beth Medrash GovohaNJ · 1,600
- Liberty UniversityVA · 632
- Yeshiva UniversityNY · 537
- Uta Mesivta of Kiryas JoelNY · 476
- United Talmudical SeminaryNY · 324
- Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim LubavitzNY · 170
- Seminary Bnos ChaimNJ · 121
- Yeshivath ViznitzNY · 99
- Yeshiva of Machzikai HadasNY · 93
- Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei ZionNY · 81
- Talmudical Seminary of BobovNY · 81
- Be'er Yaakov Talmudic SeminaryNY · 80
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Religious Studies credentials were awarded
26 states have a distinct enough set of Religious Studies colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Religious Studies schools by state
- Religious Studies in California
- Religious Studies in Florida
- Religious Studies in Georgia
- Religious Studies in Illinois
- Religious Studies in Maryland
- Religious Studies in Massachusetts
- Religious Studies in New York
- Religious Studies in North Carolina
- Religious Studies in Pennsylvania
- Religious Studies in Texas
Related majors
History
History trains graduates in research, evidence, and argument, feeding into law, education, museums, government, and any field that values long-form analytical writing.
Anthropology
Anthropology studies humanity across cultures, languages, and time, suiting students drawn to fieldwork, qualitative research, and questions about how human societies live and change.
Sociology
Sociology studies social institutions, group behavior, inequality, and culture, preparing graduates for research, policy, social services, and graduate school in law or social work.
English & Literature
English develops critical reading, analytical writing, and rhetorical skill, a flexible major that feeds into law, publishing, education, marketing, and any field that values communication.
Psychology
Psychology majors study human cognition, behavior, and emotion, preparing graduates for clinical, research, business, and human-services careers (and graduate school in clinical, counseling, and I/O psych).
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Religious Studies degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Religious Studies degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Religious Studies path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.