What Can You Do With a Religious Studies Degree?

A religious studies degree trains students in different religious traditions. History, cultural influences, and spiritual beliefs are explored through research and scholarship. A religious studies degree will prepare students with a wide range of traditional liberal arts skills applicable to fields ranging from education to business on top of a focus in world religions applicable to career paths ranging from professorships to vocational ministry.

Religious studies degrees are planted firmly in the liberal arts tradition of education. In fact, you could say they are the oldest kind of liberal arts degree—the modern university system as we know it was originally created specifically to train pastors and theologians. The original courses of study at universities like Harvard and Yale would have covered the same kinds of subjects as religious studies today.

But religious studies has become a more academic, more systematic field since then.

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What You Can Do With a Religious Studies Education Depends on the Degree Level

The exact career path you will be able to pursue with a religious studies degree depends a lot on what level of degree you earn. With academic options ranging from a two-year associate degree in religious studies all the way up to PhDs in the field that can take a decade or more to earn, the range of qualifications is vast.

What Can You Do With an Associate Degree in Religious Studies?

The biggest thing that most people do with an associate degree in religious studies is to pursue further religious studies. These two-year programs prepare graduates for further college work by laying a foundation of knowledge and essential study skills. They can be applied toward the first two years of a bachelor’s program if used between schools that have a transfer agreement.

But the basic level of training can also serve as a qualification for some very entry-level work in social services, church ministries, or various faith-based non-profits.

What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies?

A full four-year bachelor’s program in religious studies offers many more opportunities for professional positions. These are full-fledged liberal arts degrees that include not just essential knowledge of comparative religions, historical influences, and Scripture, but also key job skills like:

Those are all the basics that most employers look for in entry-level employees. So, a bachelor’s degree in religious studies unlocks all kinds of positions, including in:

A bachelor’s is also considered essential preparation if you choose to take the next step in religious studies, at the master’s level. Or you can take that training and apply it to a more specific or specialized area of ministry, pursuing a Master of Divinity or a pastoral studies master’s degree.

What Can You Do With a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies?

Graduate level studies open the door to academic and professional positions. Professors are expected to hold a master’s degree at a minimum. It’s also the level of education expected of ordained pastors, although some denominations may require additional coursework on top of religious studies itself.

The level of expertise offered at the master’s level will give you the knowledge and skills to enter leadership roles in a wide range of industries, not just religion.

Master’s program graduates have keen research, analysis and communications skills. And in religious studies, they will have gained a lot of insights into human nature and motivations.

That all adds up to someone who will do well in management jobs in a wide range of industries. Many religious studies master’s graduates go on to lead Christian aid organizations or other non-profits. They can work successfully in everything from international development programs to community-based social justice organizations.

What Can You Do With a Doctoral Degree in Religious Studies?

At the doctoral level, almost all religious studies degrees are designed to boost your expertise and academic skills at an advanced level in a current career. It’s typically teachers or professors who are looking to advance to a higher level of teaching in universities that choose to pursue PhDs. Active pastors, deacons, or other church leaders and theologians may also earn doctoral degrees to build their knowledge and understanding of faith and spirituality.

Doctoral graduates have an open field in front of them to write and publish works on culture and religion, becoming authors and speakers. Or they can apply their training to more hands-on fields, taking leadership roles in Christian organizations or even in government.

What Are the Most Common Fields for Graduates With a Religious Studies Degree?

You can find graduates with religious studies degrees scattered in all kinds of unlikely fields. The basic critical thinking skills and insights into culture and humanity can be valuable in everything from marketing to government. But most religious studies graduates end up in one of these areas of work:

Academics - Many religious studies graduates go on to become religious studies researchers or religious studies professors. It’s a scholarly field that is in great demand in Christian colleges and degree programs across the country. High-level theologians also come well-prepared for their philosophical work with a religious studies degree background.

Advocacy and Social Justice - Both secular and faith-based organizations can use religious studies graduates at every level. Their understanding of human nature and culture makes them strong advocates for meaningful change. It also allows them to relate to and work with a wide range of people in every facet of modern society.

Social Services - That ability to work well with others also makes social services jobs a big landing spot for religious studies graduates. The compassion and empathy you build in religious studies for a wide variety of beliefs, and the extensive practice in analysis and problem-solving all come together to make graduates excellent choices in hands-on social work occupations.

Ministry - Ministry, of course, is one of the clearest paths for religious studies graduates. With a broader perspective than many students in other Christian degree fields, they have a leg up in evangelical, counseling, and apologetics among other ministry fields. Many pastors and other Christian leaders pursue religious studies degrees as additional education on top of the MDiv or other programs they had to take for their ordination qualifications, or to lay the groundwork for those studies.

Unlike other, more specialized, Christian degrees, religious studies programs offer general qualifications for the same kinds of positions that any humanities or social science graduate might pursue. That can include:

Religious studies also has plenty of personal benefits. As a wellspring of new ideas and philosophies around faith and belief, these degrees spark inner contemplation as well as professional preparation. With coursework ranging from philosophy to history, religious studies degrees offer insights into personal needs and drives as well as big-picture cultural and societal movements.