In the News
“If I went back to college today, I think I would probably major in comparative religion, because that’s how integrated it is in everything that we are working on and deciding and thinking about in life today.” John Kerry
Resources
The following websites provide a variety of interesting information about the value of an undergraduate degree in religion:
American Academy of Religion, Why Study Religion?
This website proposes responses to common misconceptions about the study of religion, motivations for majoring in religious studies, and resources for students interested in applying their religious studies education to a wide range of careers and graduate school opportunities.
From their website: To sample the wide array of possibilities open to religion majors a bit further, go to the following websites, which list the jobs landed by past religion majors:
Harvard Divinity School: Why Study Religion in the 21st Century?
William A. Graham presents an argument that “greater religious literacy leads to more work for the common good.”
Princeton Review’s Guide to Majors:
“Some people mistakenly think the only reason you’d want to major in Religious Studies (or just Religion, as it’s called at some schools) is to have a career as a priest, minister, or rabbi. We hope you aren’t one of those people. It’s true that Religious Studies is a very good major for students who want to go on to seminaries for further training as religious professionals. Religious Studies is also, however, an excellent way to prepare for other professions, not least because most departments offer a low student-faculty ratio and a breadth of curriculum that few majors can equal.
Religion is central to all aspects of human life and it profoundly shapes the thought and values of its adherents. If you major in Religious Studies, you’ll study the diverse myths, rituals, original texts, and moral systems of the world’s many different religious traditions. Religious Studies, like other liberal arts majors, provides an extraordinary opportunity to think about the core beliefs of civilizations past and present.
Regarding the more practical problem of finding work after college, a Religious Studies major will significantly improve your critical thinking and writing skills. And it makes for an interesting topic during job interviews. Trust us on this one. Employers will invariably find the major fascinating when they see it on your resume, and they’ll ask about it, and you’ll get to impress them with your knowledge and insight about the world.”
Wake Forest University’s Department of Religion Website
Interesting Facts About Majoring in the Humanities
- Humanities majors were among the highest scoring cohort taking the MCAT, scoring well above the biological sciences, behavioral and social sciences, and specialized health sciences. Their scores were comparable to those achieved by students in the physical sciences.
- Medical research has increasingly focused on the connections between religion and health, forecasting a promising new area of investigation.
- Humanities majors taking the GMAT did better, on average, than business majors, and performed on the same level as social science and natural science majors.
- Humanities majors out performed social science, and performed on level with engineering, math, and natural science majors on the LSAT
- Humanities majors ten years after graduation represent the most varied group when compared to social sciences, bio/phy sciences, and math/computer sciences. Keep your options open.
- Humanities majors outperformed all other fields in the analytic writing category. They also attained the highest GRE verbal scores, compared to four other academic fields, and exhibited the most balanced verbal-quantitative scores.
- Humanities graduates enter jobs in a wide variety of fields, ranging from health occupations to sales to business and management. See the occupations reported by a cohort of 2008 graduates or collected from a 10 year longitudinal study of 1993 graduates.