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Major · Philosophy & Religious Studies

Offered everywhere, concentrated at a single online institution

Religion/Religious Studies is unusual in its geographic-and-institutional distribution: it is offered at 544 colleges — more than almost any other major on this site — but produces just 1,602 degrees per year, and Liberty University alone accounts for 520 of them (32% of the national total). Bachelor's completers report a five-year earnings median of $45,823, and the career list shows exactly one destination: philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary at $78,050, requiring a doctoral degree. The earnings and career data reflect the major's function as preparation for seminary, graduate academic work, ministry, and adjacent professional paths rather than as a direct career track.

Schools offering
544
Annual completions
1,602
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$46k

About this major

Religion/Religious Studies is the scholarly and comparative study of religious belief, practice, and phenomena — approached through sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature, art history, mythology, scriptural and textual analysis, and religious history and politics. The CIP definition emphasizes multiple methodological approaches and the study of specific faith communities from a critical rather than devotional perspective. Coursework typically includes introductory surveys of world religions, methodological coursework in the academic study of religion, language training in religious source languages (Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Sanskrit depending on focus), and upper-division seminars in specific traditions, topics, or methods.

The program's institutional distribution is unusual. Religion/Religious Studies is offered at 544 colleges — more than almost any other major on this site — but produces only 1,602 degrees per year, meaning most programs graduate fewer than three students annually. Liberty University alone produces 520 completions, 32% of the national total, reflecting its position as a large online university with substantial religious-studies infrastructure tied to its institutional identity. The next-largest programs are American Public University System (27), Faith International University (26), Baylor University (26), University of St Thomas (22), Vanguard University of Southern California (18), UC Santa Barbara (16), Grove City College (16), Arizona State University Digital Immersion (15), and the University of Virginia (13). The geographic and institutional mix includes large online universities, Christian-affiliated private colleges, state flagship universities with secular comparative-religion programs, and small liberal-arts institutions — a distribution that matters because program approach varies enormously from devotional formation to secular comparative-analytical coursework.

The earnings and career data reflect the major's function as preparation for further study or adjacent professional paths rather than as a direct career track. Bachelor's completers report a five-year median of $45,823, with associate's completers at $49,362 — a rare inverted split reflecting the very small associate's population concentrated among working adults in ministry and religious-education roles. The career list contains exactly one destination: philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary at $78,050 with 0.7% projected growth, requiring a doctoral degree. Clergy roles and religious-education positions, which would be plausible destinations, are coded under separate SOC codes and typically require Master of Divinity degrees (3-year graduate programs) or specialized professional certifications. The realistic bachelor's-level pipeline runs through ministry and lay leadership positions, religious-education coordinator roles, nonprofit program coordination at faith-based and secular social-service organizations, religious journalism and publishing, and humanities-adjacent roles in advising, admissions, and student affairs at religious colleges. The $45,823 five-year median captures this diverse mix rather than any single primary career.

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

Students drawn to the scholarly study of religion as a human phenomenon — history, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, textual analysis — and who either plan to continue to seminary, divinity school, or a religious-studies PhD, or who want undergraduate training that feeds into ministry, religious education, nonprofit, or faith-adjacent professional work are the core audience. Comfort with textual analysis, historical methodology, and comparative thinking across traditions all indicate strong fit. Students at secular research universities (UCSB, UVA, and similar) who are interested in comparative religion for its own sake, and who plan to use the major as preparation for graduate study in religion, anthropology, sociology, or history, or for careers in law, foreign service, nonprofit leadership, or journalism, will find the training transferable. Students at faith-affiliated institutions who plan to enter ministry, religious education, or denominational work within their tradition will find the curriculum more directly vocational.

Reconsider this major if the primary goal is preparation for ordained ministry within a specific tradition, since Theology (in the separate Theology and Religious Vocations concentration) and tradition-specific programs like Christian Studies, Catholic Studies, Islamic Studies, or Jewish/Judaic Studies are more directly aligned with denominational clergy paths. Talmudic Studies (3,687 annual completions, actually larger than this major) is the dominant option for Orthodox Jewish textual study. Also reconsider the institutional choice honestly: program approach varies enormously between Liberty University's online faith-formation curriculum and UC Santa Barbara's secular comparative-religion program, and evaluating the specific program matters more than the major name. Finally, be realistic about the earnings profile. The $45,823 five-year bachelor's median is lower than most humanities majors with more direct career pipelines, and graduates typically either continue to graduate school (MDiv, PhD) or enter ministry, nonprofit, and education-support roles where mission and vocation compensate for below-median wages. If earnings are the primary consideration, a broader humanities or social-science major with targeted religious-studies electives provides better economic optionality.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Religion/Religious 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 32 488 520
American Public University System Charles Town, WV 0 27 27
Faith International University Tacoma, WA 0 26 26
Baylor University Waco, TX 0 26 26
University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN 0 22 22
Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA 0 18 18
University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 0 16 16
Grove City College Grove City, PA 0 16 16
Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ 0 15 15
University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 0 13 13
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Talmudic Studies

3,687 completions/yr

Jewish/Judaic Studies

748 completions/yr

Christian Studies

309 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

Why is this major offered at so many more colleges than most others?
Religion/Religious Studies appears at 544 colleges — far more than most majors — because religiously affiliated higher-education institutions routinely offer it as part of their institutional mission, even when annual completions at any given school are very low. The data shows the consequence: 544 programs producing only 1,602 total completions means most of those programs graduate fewer than three students per year. Liberty University's 520 completions alone represent 32% of the national total, and the next-largest programs are American Public University System (27), Faith International University (26), and Baylor University (26). The footprint reflects institutional identity and general-education traditions at church-affiliated schools more than it reflects active demand from students seeking this specific major. For prospective students, the practical signal is that program size, faculty breadth, and placement outcomes vary enormously across the 544 available programs.
What can a bachelor's graduate in Religious Studies actually do without a graduate degree?
The career list shows only one destination (philosophy and religion postsecondary teaching, requiring a doctorate), so the realistic bachelor's-level pipeline runs outside the data packet. Common first-destination roles include: entry-level ministry and lay leadership positions at churches and religious organizations ($30K–$50K, often with housing or benefits compensating for wages), religious education coordinator at schools and congregations ($35K–$50K), nonprofit program coordinator at faith-based and secular social-service organizations ($35K–$55K), chaplaincy assistantship (typically requiring additional master's-level divinity training for full chaplain roles), religious journalism and publishing ($40K–$60K), and general humanities-adjacent work in advising, admissions, and student affairs at religious colleges ($40K–$55K). The $45,823 five-year median reflects this mix. Students interested in licensed clergy roles typically continue to a Master of Divinity (3-year graduate program), and students interested in academic religious studies typically continue to a PhD (5–7 years).
How does Religion/Religious Studies differ from Theology or Talmudic Studies?
They occupy overlapping but distinct positions. Religion/Religious Studies approaches religion from a scholarly and comparative perspective — sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and history of religion, with instruction in multiple traditions and critical analysis of religious phenomena. Theology (housed in the separate Theology and Religious Vocations concentration) approaches religion from inside a specific faith tradition and typically prepares students for clergy, ministry, or denominational work within that tradition. The related-majors data shows Talmudic Studies as a sibling program with 3,687 annual completions — actually larger than Religion/Religious Studies itself — which reflects yeshiva and Orthodox Jewish higher-education institutions reporting a significant student base. Jewish/Judaic Studies (748), Christian Studies (309), Islamic Studies (3), and Catholic Studies (2) represent tradition-specific alternatives. For prospective students, the practical choice is between scholarly comparative religious studies (this major) and tradition-specific theological or textual training (the siblings).
Why does this major have only one career listed in the data packet?
Because Religion/Religious Studies does not map cleanly to any bachelor's-entry occupational code in the US labor-market classification system. The single listed career — philosophy and religion teachers, postsecondary at $78,050 with 0.7% projected growth — requires a doctoral degree and represents the academic path rather than a bachelor's destination. Clergy roles (which would be a plausible career destination for this major) are coded under separate SOC codes and typically require graduate-level divinity training, so they do not appear in bachelor's-entry career lists. The pattern is consistent with how humanities majors without direct vocational pipelines get represented in occupational data: the major shows up at low-frequency in many occupations rather than concentrating in any one. The practical reading is that the $45,823 five-year median captures what graduates actually earn across a diverse mix of ministry, nonprofit, education-support, and graduate-school-bound first destinations rather than any single career.
Is this a viable major for students who are not religious themselves?
Yes, and Religious Studies programs at secular research universities (University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Virginia, and similar) are specifically designed around comparative, historical, and analytical study of religion rather than faith formation. The practical outcomes for secular students typically include graduate study in religious studies, anthropology, sociology, or history; law-school preparation; nonprofit and foreign-service careers where religious literacy matters; and journalism or editorial roles covering religion. Secular students should evaluate program emphasis carefully — a degree from UC Santa Barbara or UVA signals very different academic content than the same-sounding degree from Liberty University or Faith International University. The subject matter (world religions, comparative theology, secular anthropology of religion, philosophy of religion) is valuable in fields that require cultural literacy across religious traditions, but program choice matters more than the major name suggests.