Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

Our students become well-rounded citizens who wrestle with big questions about the meaning of life, the workings of politics and the interplay between the two, and they enjoy rewarding careers in religious institutions, international service and aid organizations, nonprofits and NGOs, social services and academia.

Religious studies students get to wrestle with big questions about the meaning of life, the power of politics and the media to shape our understanding, and the way societies and individuals invoke higher powers to explain the unexplainable. Our students learn about a variety of religious beliefs in the context of gender and sexuality; interreligious interaction; law and politics; and religion and violence.

  • Explore the interrelation of religion and other human experiences
  • Engage in questions of value and meaning
  • Gain an interdisciplinary education with the humanities, arts and social sciences

Learn about topics like the Bible, the role of gender in religion, and relationships between different religions from interdisciplinary, award-winning faculty

Learn in the only religious studies BA program in Colorado

Explore media and religious studies at our Center for Media, Religion and Culture

Be successful.

Be prepared to meet the needs of our 21st-century society by applying your knowledge of religious diversity and perspective to a variety of careers.

 
$54,000

Median salary of CU Boulder religious studies students 6–10 years after graduation

 

Outreach worker, church administrator, writer, K–12 educator, service manager and military chaplain are common job opportunities for graduates

 

Work for religious institutions, international service and aid organizations, nonprofits and NGOs, social services, or in academia

Academic Plan & Requirements

In addition to fulfilling the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, students must complete at least 36 credit hours of religious studies coursework.

At least 27 credit hours must be taken in the Department of Religious Studies, including:

  • Two required classes (6 credit hours) in the academic study of religion 
    • Religious Dimensions of Human Experience 
    • Senior Seminar in the Study of Religion
  • Three courses (9 credit hours) in either a single religious tradition or a particular theme

And an additional degree option for religious studies students: 

  • Bachelor’s-accelerated master’s: A combined bachelor's (BA) and master's (MA) degree is offered for highly motivated undergraduate students. The BA/MA program allows students to take advanced courses at an accelerated pace, engage in an independent research project and obtain both degrees in five years.

Community & Involvement

We offer students opportunities to network with peers and faculty, further their studies, and get the most out of their undergraduate experience.

Be inspired.

Religious studies majors end up in a vast array of jobs and fields.

Some alumni of the program include:

Lloyd Thrall

('07)
The director of the Rocky Mountain region of the National Security Innovation Network. He is a U.S. Army veteran and former counterterrorism analyst who has worked for RAND Corp. and the U.S. Department of Defense, among many other organizations.

John Lauer

('08)
Deputy district attorney with Colorado’s 20th Judicial District (Boulder County). He also has worked in disaster response for Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel and as a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service’s Tatanka Hotshot Crew. He partnered with Change.org to successfully advocate for health insurance for seasonal federal firefighters during the Obama administration and founded Groundswell, a clean-energy nonprofit in Washington, D.C.

Sarah Ballard

('14)
The clinical research coordinator at the University of Colorado Cancer Clinical Trials Office, Anschutz Medical Campus. She earned a master’s degree in public health from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2017.

Anna Ptasznik

('15)
A spatial analyst for Microsoft. Her past work includes internships with NPR, the Nature Conservancy and Community Food Share. She was a double honors major in religious studies, and ecology and environmental biology.

Samuel Davies

('15)
A cinematographer and producer for Intelligent Solutions Inc. in Denver.

Christopher Javornik

('08)
An ecologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. In 2008 he was named Distinguished Graduate for Arts and Sciences.

Alison Mason

('11)
A monitoring and evaluation coordinator for the Institute of International Education, New York. Previously, she served as a community development extension volunteer with the Peace Corps in Namibia.

News & Stories

College of Arts & Sciences magazine cover