Religion is an old discipline. It’s no surprise that some of the top programs in the country are at the Ivy Leagues, most of which are, well, old. Religion can be a very interesting major for those who want to go into academia, education, law, nonprofit, or other fields. There are highly prestigious programs across the nation. Here’s our list of schools with top programs:
Harvard
Harvard Divinity School is world-renowned for its graduate-level programs in Religion and the university’s commitment to the field is as old as the university itself. (The oldest professorship at Harvard is a Religion position). Harvard does offer an undergraduate program through the Committee on the Study of Religion. There are two concentrations offered within Comparative Study of Religion.
Princeton
Princeton’s Department of Religion houses its Religion major. There is a very broad array of course offerings. Courses include Religion and Public Conversation; Great Books of the Jewish Tradition; Jewish Mysticism, Magic and Kabbalah from Antiquity to the Middle Ages; Religions of India, Religion, Ethics and Animals; Philosophical Debates between Buddhists and Jains; Who Wrote the Bible, and many, many more.
Stanford
Stanford's School of Humanities and Sciences offers a major in Religious Studies. There is also an option to combine a major with Philosophy, in addition to a minor. Courses include Religion & the Third Reich; Faith, Science, and the Classical Tradition in Renaissance Florence, A Journey to Buddhist Visual Arts of Japan; Sefarad: The Jewish Community in Spain; Religion in Anime and Manga; Gardens and Sacred Space in Japan; Exploring Islam, and many, many others.
Penn
UPenn’s Department of Religious Studies offers both a minor and a major. Courses include Gods, Ghosts, and Monsters; The Religion of Anime; Witchcraft & Possession; Meditation and Text; Virtual Religion; Religion Ancient Egypt; How To Read the Bible; Introduction To Islam; Asian Global Religions; Spirit and Law; Medieval Jewish Culture; What is Taoism? And many more
Yale
Yale offers a major in Religious Studies. It’s very research-focused and pairs the undergraduate community with leading scholars in the field. Courses include What’s the Matter (with Religion)?; The Animal and Religion; Religion and Culture in Korea; Imagining Utopia; The Bible; The Catholic Intellectual Tradition; How to Build an American Religion; The Prophetic Tradition and Democracy; The Quran; The Gita: Humanities at World’s End, and more.
Duke
Duke’s Department of Religious Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, a minor, and an interdepartmental major in Ancient Religion and Society. Courses include Buddhism; Scribes and Scriptures: The Transmission of the Bible in Antiquity; Judaism; Christianity; Islam; Comparative Religious Studies; Religions of Asia; Japanese Religions: Buddhas, Gods, and Monsters, and more.
Northwestern
Northwestern’s Department of Religious Studies offers both a general Religious Studies degree—Global Studies of Religion, in addition to three interdisciplinary concentrations. There is also a minor in Catholic Studies. Courses include Islam in Africa; Islamic Institutions; Historical Background of Jewish-Muslim Relations; Philosophy of Religion; Sociology and Ideology; Introduction to Religion, Media, and Culture, and more.
Brown
Brown’s Department of Religious Studies also offers a wide range of courses. Classes include Happiness and the Pursuit of the Good Life; Inequality in the Ancient World; Music and Meditation; Saints and Mystics of India; Spiritual but Not Religious: Making Spirituality in America; The Bible and Moral Debate; Divine Drugs: Psychedelics, Religion, and Spirituality, Sex Wars: Religion and Gender in the Public Sphere, and more.
UCLA
UCLA’s Center for the Study of Religion offers both a major and a minor. Classes include Ancient Near East; The Bible in Justice Movements; Religion, Film, and Media; Kierkegaard and Philosophy of Religion; Latinx Religion; History of Early Christians; Introduction to Islam; In Search of Meaning; From Holy Texts to Hollywood, and more.
When making a plan for college applications early in high school, it’s important to keep in mind that having a strategy is a good course of action. We advise all of our students to become an expert in a particular niche academic area and gear themselves toward applying to specific programs related to that field. If you intend to pursue Religion as a major, make sure your classes, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation align throughout high school.
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