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Religious Studies

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 38.0201 - 38.0299.

Types of Degrees Religious Studies Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	34
Associate’s Degree	1,364
Bachelor’s Degree	5,573
Master’s Degree	2,065
Doctor’s Degree	211

What Religious Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Religious Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a 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 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Religious Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Religious Studies graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• Humanities Professor
• College Professor
• Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Professor
• Systematic Theology Professor
• Ethics Professor
• Religious Studies Teacher
• Philosophy Faculty Member
• Eastern Philosophy Professor
• Old Testament Professor
• Theology Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	69.2%
Master’s degree	19.4%
Post-doctoral training	9.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
First professional degree	0.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Religious Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 74.7% of Religious Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,337	25.3%
Men	6,911	74.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	7,578	81.9%
Asian	128	1.4%
Hispanic or Latino	348	3.8%
Black or African American	345	3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	10	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	8	0.1%
Two or More Races	144	1.6%
Race Unknown	398	4.3%
International Students	289	3.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Religious Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Religious Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Religious Studies Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for 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	16	11
Bachelor’s	34	40
Master’s	41	21
Doctoral (Research)	2	4

^{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 Religious Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Philosophy and Religious Studies	18,629
Philosophy	8,973
Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other	224
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES	184

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.