Religion

Types of Degrees Religion Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many religious studies graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	5,554
Master’s Degree	1,467
Associate Degree	1,461
Graduate Certificate	479
Basic Certificate	364
Doctor’s Degree	228
Undergraduate Certificate	34

What Religion Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to religion and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Religion Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in religion should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for Religion Majors

religion majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Religion Majors

As a religion major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Religion Major?

People with a religion degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440
Philosophy and Religion Professors	12.3%	$71,890

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 6,012 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies in 2021, making it rank #71 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 73% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of religion majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	84
Black or African American	234
Hispanic or Latino	230
White	4,583
International Students	98
Other Races/Ethnicities	325

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Religion, too. About 1.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Religion

Some degrees associated with religion may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for religion careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.1%
Master’s Degree	23.8%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.7%
Doctoral Degree	66.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.5%

Online Religion Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	18	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	91	21
Bachelor’s Degree	43	18
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	198	45
Post-Master’s	14	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	65	3
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	4	2

Majors Related to Religion

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to religion.

Major	Number of Grads
Philosophy	9,331
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies	202
General Philosophy & Religious Studies	181

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Sowlos under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.