2023 Most Popular Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Religious Studies Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 9,470 people earned a degree or certificate in religious studies, making the major the #86 most popular in the United States.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 173 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Religious Studies program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for religion majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for a Master's in Religious Studies
Our analysis found Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to be the most popular school for religious studies students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. SEBTS is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wake Forest.
Of the 91 students majoring in religion at SEBTS, 74% are male and 26% are female.
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Out of the 173 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Piedmont International University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Piedmont International University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
Women make up 10% of the religion majors at the school.
Full Religious Studies at Piedmont International University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.
Women make up 30% of the religion majors at the school.
Full Religious Studies at Yale University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Crown College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Crown is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Saint Bonifacius.
Women make up 26% of the religion majors at the school.
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The in-demand master’s degree programs at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular religious studies schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Lisle, Northern Seminary is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 26 students majoring in religion at Northern Seminary, 50% are male and 50% are female.
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With a ranking of #6, Spertus College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
About 52% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 48% are male.
Full Religious Studies at Spertus College Report
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Friends University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Wichita, Friends University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
About 63% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 38% are male.
Full Religious Studies at Friends University Report
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University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 55% of the religion majors at the school.
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Hartford Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for religious studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Hartford Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Hartford.
Women make up 52% of the religion majors at the school.
Full Religious Studies at Hartford Seminary Report
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Wayland Baptist University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Wayland Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Plainview.
Of the 19 students majoring in religion at Wayland Baptist University, 63% are male and 37% are female.
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With a ranking of #10, Jewish Theological Seminary of America did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
About 68% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 32% are male.
Full Religious Studies at Jewish Theological Seminary of America Report
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Santa Clara University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Women make up 65% of the religion majors at the school.
Full Religious Studies at Santa Clara University Report
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Claremont School of Theology landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Claremont School of Theology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Claremont.
About 41% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 59% are male.
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Denver Seminary did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for religious studies students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the suburb of Littleton, Denver Seminary is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Of the 16 students majoring in religion at Denver Seminary, 56% are male and 44% are female.
Full Religious Studies at Denver Seminary Report
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Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Of the 15 students majoring in religion at Columbia, 73% are male and 27% are female.
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Harvard University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Harvard is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.
Women make up 57% of the religion majors at the school.
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Mount Vernon Nazarene University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Located in the distant town of Mount Vernon, MVNU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 12 students majoring in religion at MVNU, 83% are male and 17% are female.
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Oklahoma Baptist University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Shawnee, OBU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
About 42% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 58% are male.
Full Religious Studies at Oklahoma Baptist University Report
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George Washington University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 67% of the religion majors at the school.
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Duke University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Of the 12 students majoring in religion at Duke, 50% are male and 50% are female.
Full Religious Studies at Duke University Report
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Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Trinity School for Ministry is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Ambridge.
Women make up 45% of the religion majors at the school.
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East Texas Baptist University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Marshall, East Texas Baptist University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Women make up 50% of the religion majors at the school.
Full Religious Studies at East Texas Baptist University Report
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Memphis Theological Seminary landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Memphis Theological Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Memphis.
About 44% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 56% are male.
Full Religious Studies at Memphis Theological Seminary Report
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Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #23 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Lamoni.
Women make up 56% of the religion majors at the school.
Full Religious Studies at Graceland University - Lamoni Report
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With a ranking of #23, Amridge University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. Amridge is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Montgomery.
Full Religious Studies at Amridge University Report
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Here are some additional popular schools for Religious Studies students that almost earned our Most Popular Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Bethel University Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 30 | Beulah Heights University | Atlanta, GA |
| 30 | Touro College | New York, NY |
| 30 | Chicago Theological Seminary | Chicago, IL |
| 34 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 34 | John Carroll University | University Heights, OH |
| 34 | Princeton University | Princeton, NJ |
| 34 | Bethune - Cookman University | Daytona Beach, FL |
| 34 | University of Mobile | Mobile, AL |
| 34 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
Religious Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Religious Studies Related Majors
Religious Studies is one of 3 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Religion
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | 10,054 |
| Other Philosophy & Religious Studies | 285 |
| General Philosophy & Religious Studies | 184 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 29 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Sowlos.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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