Undergraduate
Bachelor's Degree Programs
Religious Studies
Major in Religious Studies
Religious Studies offers students opportunities to explore the patterns and dimensions of the many different religious traditions of the world from the perspectives of the academic study of religion. The courses are designed to help students develop basic understandings of the many ways in which religions shape personal views of the world, create and sustain the communities in which we live, and interact with politics, economics, literature and the arts, and other structures of society. Through this curriculum, students are provided the skills that will allow them to understand religions as a part of the study of human history and traditional and nontraditional values. The department offers both a major and a minor, allowing students to investigate religious phenomena in depth and encouraging connections with other areas of the humanities and social sciences.
Religious studies majors have gone into careers in a variety of fields that require critical thinking, subtle analysis, and skilled articulation. Some graduates have obtained positions in education, business, medicine, social work, journalism, the arts, politics, and the administration of nonprofit organizations. Others find employment in a variety of areas, including religious ministries, social service organizations, health and welfare agencies, and not for- profit communities. Many students continue their education in graduate or professional school.
The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Religious Studies (REL) requires satisfactory completion of the following:
- completion of general education and distribution requirements as indicated in the School of Liberal Arts section of the IUPUI bulletin that was current when the student declared a major in Religious Studies,
- completion of a total of 30 credit hours of Religious Studies courses, with a minimum grade of C in each course,
- completion of a minimum of 15 credit hours in the Religious Studies major at IUPUI (effective Fall 2015).
Major Requirements:
At least 9 credit hours at the 100-200 level, including one of the following:
- REL-R 101 Religion and Culture
- REL-R 133 Introduction to Religion
- REL-R 212 Comparative Religions.
At least 18 credit hours at the 300-400 level, including the 3-credit senior capstone.
3 credit hours in the departmental Senior Capstone:
- REL-R 433: Theories of Religion (only offered fall semesters)
