Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools

173 Colleges
$46,774 Avg Salary

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.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for religion majors pursuing a master's degree.

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.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

The in-demand master’s degree programs at Piedmont International University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular religious studies schools in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Piedmont International University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 10% of the religion majors at the school.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Piedmont International University

#3

Yale University

New Haven, CT

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Yale University is a great place for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. 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.

Read More…

#3

Crown College

Saint Bonifacius, MN

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Crown College is a great place for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. 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.

Read More…

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 large suburb of Lisle, Northern Seminary is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 26 students majoring in religion at Northern Seminary, 50% are male and 50% are female.

Read More…

#6

Spertus College

Chicago, IL

Spertus College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

About 52% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 48% are male.

Read More…

#7

Friends University

Wichita, KS

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.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Friends University

University of Virginia - Main Campus 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 #8 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a very large student population.

Women make up 55% of the religion majors at the school.

Read More…

#9

Hartford Seminary

Hartford, CT

Hartford Seminary came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Hartford Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Hartford.

Women make up 52% of the religion majors at the school.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Hartford Seminary

#10

Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX

Wayland Baptist University 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 #10 on the list. 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.

Full Religious Studies at Wayland Baptist University Report

Jewish Theological Seminary of America ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

About 68% of the students majoring in religion at the school are women while 32% are male.

Read More…

#12

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

Santa Clara University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 65% of the religion majors at the school.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Santa Clara University

Claremont School of Theology ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Claremont School of Theology is a fairly 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.

Full Religious Studies at Claremont School of Theology Report

#14

Denver Seminary

Littleton, CO

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 large suburb of Littleton, Denver Seminary is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 16 students majoring in religion at Denver Seminary, 56% are male and 44% are female.

Read More…

Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Of the 15 students majoring in religion at Columbia, 73% are male and 27% are female.

Read More…

#16

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

With a ranking of #16, Harvard University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cambridge.

Women make up 57% of the religion majors at the school.

Full Religious Studies at Harvard University Report

#17

Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Mount Vernon, OH

Mount Vernon Nazarene University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Mount Vernon, MVNU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 12 students majoring in religion at MVNU, 83% are male and 17% are female.

Full Religious Studies at Mount Vernon Nazarene University Report

Oklahoma Baptist University 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 #17 on the list. 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.

Read More…

#17

George Washington University

Washington, DC

George Washington University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Women make up 67% of the religion majors at the school.

Read More…

#17

Duke University

Durham, NC

Duke University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large 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

Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Religious Studies Master’s Degree Schools ranking. 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.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry

With a ranking of #22, East Texas Baptist University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Marshall, East Texas Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 50% of the religion majors at the school.

Read full report on Religious Studies at East Texas Baptist University

With a ranking of #23, Memphis Theological Seminary did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for religious studies students working on their master’s degree. Memphis Theological Seminary is a fairly 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.

Read full report on Religious Studies at Memphis Theological Seminary

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree religious studies programs. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote area of Lamoni.

Women make up 56% of the religion majors at the school.

Read More…

#23

Amridge University

Montgomery, AL

Amridge University 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 #23 on the list. Amridge is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Montgomery.

Full Religious Studies at Amridge University Report

Honorable Mentions

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 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.