undergradly.
Major · Philosophy & Religious Studies

Scripture, doctrine, and church history: Christian Studies

Christian Studies (CIP 38.0203) is the academic study of Christianity, its scriptures, theology, and the cultural movements that grew from them. The field is small in federal data, with 309 completions across 71 mostly faith-affiliated colleges, and most graduates either head to seminary or move into church, school, and nonprofit work.

Schools offering
71
Annual completions
309
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$46k

About this major

Christian Studies (CIP 38.0203) is the academic study of Christianity — the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, the texts and creeds that grew from them, and the cultural movements that followed. The CIP definition spans Christian sacred scripture, Christian literature and philosophy, and the major branches of the faith including Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Evangelicalism. Coursework typically combines Old and New Testament with church history, systematic and moral theology, ethics, and often Greek or Hebrew. Most programs end with a capstone in biblical interpretation or applied ministry.

The major suits students with a settled or developing Christian faith who want to study their tradition in depth, and who enjoy careful textual reading and the patience to learn an ancient language. Strong fits read primary sources closely, hold theological disagreement without flinching, and accept that the curriculum is taught from inside the tradition rather than at a comparative distance. Many students double-major with History, English, Education, or pre-counseling tracks.

The field is small in federal data: 309 completions across 71 institutions, with Liberty University reporting 81 of them through its campus and online programs. That concentration reflects administrative grouping as much as enrollment, since many universities fold these students into broader Religion, Biblical Studies, or Theology codes. The one named labor-market destination, philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary, earns a $78,050 median but requires a doctorate. Off-data destinations dominate: Christian school teaching, youth and parish ministry, missions and parachurch staff at organizations like World Vision and Cru, and Christian publishing houses such as Zondervan and Tyndale.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary $78k +0.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$46k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$49k

Bachelor's

$46k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you hold a developing or settled Christian faith and want to study scripture, theology, and church history from inside the tradition, you enjoy slow primary-source reading and the patience required to learn Greek or Hebrew well enough to use it, you’re considering a Master of Divinity at a seminary such as Fuller, Trinity, Gordon-Conwell, or Southern Baptist, or you see yourself in Christian school teaching, youth or parish ministry, missions, or faith-based nonprofit staff roles at groups like World Vision or Cru.

Think twice if your interest is primarily comparative or secular — Religion/Religious Studies (CIP 38.0201, 1,602 completions) is the better academic fit at most major universities. Reconsider if your goal is licensed counseling, which requires a separate graduate degree in counseling or social work plus state licensure, not Christian Studies alone. Earnings should also factor in: bachelor’s graduates report median five-year wages near $45,823, the named academic occupation requires a doctorate, and mainline Protestant or Catholic ordination adds three years of seminary. Anyone wary of a faith-affiliated learning environment should note that nearly every top-producing program — Liberty, Anderson, Ohio Christian, California Baptist, Wayland Baptist — is denominationally identified.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Christian Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 57 24 81
Anderson University Anderson, SC 0 36 36
Ohio Christian University Circleville, OH 11 14 25
California Baptist University Riverside, CA 0 16 16
Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TX 1 13 14
The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita, CA 0 9 9
Gordon College Wenham, MA 0 9 9
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN 0 9 9
Mississippi College Clinton, MS 0 8 8
Pacific Rim Christian University Honolulu, HI 7 0 7
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Talmudic Studies

3,687 completions/yr

Religion/Religious Studies

1,602 completions/yr

Jewish/Judaic Studies

748 completions/yr

Religion/Religious Studies, Other

31 completions/yr

Islamic Studies

3 completions/yr

Catholic Studies

2 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Christian Studies majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework spans Old and New Testament, church history from the early creeds through the Reformation and modern global Christianity, systematic and moral theology, Christian ethics, and apologetics. Many programs add Greek or Hebrew, world-missions seminars, and a capstone in either biblical interpretation or applied ministry. Students write seminar papers on primary sources, including scripture in translation and figures such as Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley.
How is this different from Theology, Pastoral Studies, or general Religious Studies?
Religion/Religious Studies (CIP 38.0201, 1,602 completions) surveys many traditions from a comparative, outside-the-faith perspective. Theology/Theological Studies (39.0601, 938 completions) is denominationally specific and feeds ordination tracks. Pastoral Studies (39.0701) is hands-on ministry preparation. Christian Studies sits between Religious Studies and Theology — it focuses on Christianity specifically, but the framing is academic rather than ordination-bound.
What jobs do Christian Studies graduates actually land?
Bachelor’s graduates commonly enter Christian school teaching (often paired with a state credential or ACSI certification), youth and parish ministry, missions and parachurch staff roles at organizations such as World Vision, Cru, Samaritan’s Purse, and IJM, Christian publishing houses including Zondervan, Tyndale, and Crossway, and denominational central-office positions. The one BLS-tracked occupation in the packet, philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary, lists a $78,050 median wage but requires a doctorate. Bachelor’s-only earnings sit near $45,823 in the five-year tracked window, reflecting the nonprofit and entry-ministry mix.
Do I need to go to seminary, or is the bachelor’s enough?
It depends on the role. Some evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent congregations hire associate or youth pastors with a bachelor’s, while mainline Protestant and Catholic ordination paths require a Master of Divinity (typically three years at a seminary such as Fuller, Trinity, Gordon-Conwell, or Southern Baptist). Christian counseling licensure requires a separate graduate degree in counseling or social work plus state licensure. Bivocational ministry — pairing a paying day job with a part-time church role — remains common in smaller congregations.
Why are almost all the top schools religiously affiliated?
Christian Studies is taught primarily inside Christian colleges because the curriculum sits within the tradition it studies. Liberty University leads at 81 completions across associate’s and bachelor’s, followed by Anderson University (36), Ohio Christian (25), California Baptist (16), and Wayland Baptist (14). Wheaton-style evangelical, Baptist, and broadly Protestant institutions dominate the list, with smaller programs at schools like Gordon College and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Self-selection by faith identity drives both the program lineup and the theology taught.
Why do national completions look so low — only 309?
The 309 figure reflects administrative grouping more than student demand. Many universities classify Christian Studies students under broader codes such as Religion/Religious Studies (38.0201), Bible/Biblical Studies, or Theology (39.0601), so the headline number understates how many students actually study this material. The 71 colleges reporting completions span associate’s and bachelor’s programs, with Liberty alone accounting for 81 of the total through its on-campus and online enrollments.