To receive the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, all students are required to successfully complete 10 Religious Studies courses. The requirements for new students have been updated for students who matriculated in the Fall 2024 semester or later. Please see the full requirements below for current and incoming students below.
Major Requirements: 10 Courses
To receive the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, you are required to successfully complete 10 Religious Studies courses:
- Required Core Courses:
- REL 101—Introduction to Religious Studies
- REL 102—Religion, Race, Gender, and Power
- Eight Elective Courses chosen with approval from your Religious Studies Advisor:
- Must include at least six RELIGION (REL) courses
- REL 493 and 494 qualify towards the elective requirement.
- Additionally, these eight electives must together meet the following criteria and must be approved by your Religious Studies advisor:
- address more than one religious tradition
- explore the global and historical diversity of religions, and
- reflect more than one approach to the study of religion (historical, anthropological, philosophical, sociological etc.).
Study Abroad Courses
No more than two approved Study Abroad courses can count toward the Religious Studies Major.
Major Requirements: 10 Courses
To receive the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, you are required to successfully complete 10 Religious Studies courses, with at least 6 of these numbered 200 or above. Other course requirements are:
- Introductory course
- All majors must enroll in REL 101—Introduction to Religious Studies
- 1 course must be either:
- a Religious Studies independent study taken in your junior or senior year,
- A small group learning experience/seminar taken in your junior or senior year, or
- A Religious Studies honors project
- At least 3 courses within "Three Religious Traditions"
- All students must take at least 1 course from each of 3 different religious traditions
- 4 course set with a thematic or methodological focus
- In consultation with your advisor and with the advisor's approval, you must choose a set of 4 courses that constitute a focus on a particular aspect of religion.
For students participating in a Study Abroad program, please note that only 2 approved Study Abroad courses can count toward your major.
Also, only 1 Divinity School course can count toward the major, and that course cannot be equivalent to a course offered by the Department of Religious Studies. Students interested in taking Divinity School courses should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies about which ones may count toward the Religious Studies major.