Theology and Religious Studies

Theology and Religious Studies

Get ready to be engaged in questions of meaning, faith, justice, power, community, authority, values, spirituality and difference through a global lens.

About Our Program

Unlike most universities, our program combines two distinctive approaches to the academic study of religion: theology and religious studies. In other words, our curriculum offers you the best of both worlds.

Why Choose RU?

As a theology and religious studies student, you’ll:

  • Engage the ideas and practices of diverse religious traditions, including Christianity, and become deeply familiar with their social and historical contexts
  • Explore and critically evaluate a range of expressions of faith
  • Learn to apply methods of multiple human sciences to make sense of the thought and behavior associated with a diverse range of religious traditions

Our Faculty

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies faculty includes both theologians and religious studies scholars. Professors are committed to offering you an entryway to cultivating your own religious views. They also provide opportunities for you to gain proficiency in analyzing religious institutions, texts, and structures of authority from a variety of theoretical approaches.

Degree Program Options

The Major
The Bachelor of Arts in theology and religious studies consists of a minimum of 27 credit hours in the department and one year of a foreign language, including:

  • One level I course (TH 1000/1050, TH 1020 or TH 2000)
  • Eight level II courses (one of which must be TH 3000, Christianity II: Development)
  • One year of a foreign language

The Minor
To minor in theology and religious studies, you need to complete the following 15 credit hours:

  • One level I course (TH 1000/1050, TH 1020 or TH 2000)
  • Four level II courses (including one course in Christianity)

By completing a major or minor in theology and religious studies, you also fulfill requirements of Rockhurst’s core curriculum.

Theology and Religious Studies
Theology and Religious Studies

Outcomes

With this degree, students gain the vital skills of a liberal arts education including reflection, research, creativity, public speaking and beyond. In addition to graduate school, many students have gone on to work in a variety of professions, such as:

  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Attorneys
  • High school teachers
  • Fundraising directors
  • Physical therapists
  • Priests
  • College professors and more