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General Religious Studies

Types of Degrees General Religious Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Religious Studies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	20
Associate’s Degree	51
Bachelor’s Degree	2,027
Master’s Degree	399
Doctor’s Degree	177

What General Religious Studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Religious Studies build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Religious Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Religious Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a General Religious Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Religious Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Religious Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.8 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Religious Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Gateway to Logic	Analytical or scientific software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Religious Studies graduates include:

• Educator
• Adjunct Philosophy Professor
• Jewish Educator
• Theology Professor
• Religion Professor
• Divinity Teacher
• Philosophy Adjunct Instructor
• Eastern Philosophy Professor
• Divinity Professor
• College Professor
• Philosophy Specialist
• Philosophy Assistant Professor
• Pastoral Ministries Professor
• Biblical Studies Professor
• Religious Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Religious Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	73.8%
Master’s degree	13.1%
Post-doctoral training	12.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Religious Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.6% women and 49.4% men among General Religious Studies graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,354	50.6%
Men	1,321	49.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Religious Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,620	60.6%
Asian	96	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	263	9.8%
Black or African American	252	9.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	110	4.1%
Race Unknown	219	8.2%
International Students	103	3.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Religious Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Religious Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,787
4 years	$35,631
5 years	$41,557

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $41,557 — roughly 44% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Religious Studies Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for General Religious Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	5
Bachelor’s	19	25
Master’s	19	11

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Religious Studies Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, General Religious Studies graduates earn a median of $35,631 four years after completion — about 6% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Religion/Religious Studies	38.02
Buddhist Studies	38.0202
Catholic Studies	38.0208
Christian Studies	38.0203
Hindu Studies	38.0204
Islamic Studies	38.0205
Jewish/Judaic Studies	38.0206
Mormon Studies	38.0209
Religion/Religious Studies, Other	38.0299
Talmudic Studies	38.0207
Applied and Professional Ethics	38.0104
Ethics	38.0103

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.