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RELIGIOUS STUDIES CAREER Outlook

The Religious Studies Program focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems and 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.

To find out more about your major including potential areas and employers, required skills, job outlook, and median pay, please access the Occupational Outlook Handbook or the O*Net website.

Career Outlook

Explore the subsections below to learn more about the potential skills a student with a religious studies major can develop as well as the potential positions, areas, and employers that hire students with this degree. Please note that these are not exhaustive lists and should be used as a starting point.

Skills

As a religious studies major, students may develop or advance skills including critical thinking, writing, reading and information literacy, presentation, cultural knowledge, ability to work well with diverse groups, listening, clarifying and questioning and presentation skills.

Positions

Graduates with a degree in religious studies can work in humanitarian services, development, disaster/disease relief, research, training and development, equity and diversity functions, communications, editing/publishing, clergy/chaplaincy, museum work and youth ministry.

Areas

Graduates with a degree in religious studies can work within the following areas: international aid and relief organizations, NGO’S, nonprofit, social service, schools/universities, seminaries, immigrant and refugee service providers.

Employers

Graduates with a degree in religious studies can work for hospitals/hospice, correctional institutions, shelters, youth organizations, churches, religious communities, retreat centers, evangelical organizations, police and fire departments.

Helpful Resources

Use the employment opportunity resources below to kickstart your preprofessional and or professional experience search. You may also identify a professional or student organization to join and network with individuals in your major and field. Please note that these are not exhaustive lists and should be used as a starting point.