Religious Studies

Degree Options: Major
Locations: Lincoln Center, Rose Hill
Visit the Religious Studies Department

We focus the lens of religion on ourselves, our neighbors, and our world.

Stained glass window - LGWhy do Jews, Christians, and Muslims all lay claim to Jerusalem as a spiritual home? What separates moksha from nirvana? Why do Turkish dervishes whirl, some monks rock and some pentecostal Christians roll, and many Baptists don't dance at all? If you’ve ever considered questions like these, the religious studies major at Fordham might be the perfect program for you.

Our program aims to create an empathetic and informed understanding of human belief and its influence on politics, culture, art, literature, and society. In this individualized, interdisciplinary, and demanding program, you’ll survey the varieties of religious experience and expressions.

You’ll take classes in a broad array of disciplines, including theology, English, anthropology, classics, philosophy, and history.

A religious studies degree from Fordham will prepare you well to meet the challenges posed by the current and future complexities of our world where religion often takes center stage.

You’ll learn more than religious studies here. You’ll also study philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, languages, sciences, and the performing arts through Fordham’s common core curriculum, the centerpiece of our liberal arts education.

We want you to excel in your field—and as a human being.

  • As a religious studies major, you take 10 classes covering a range of eras, regions, traditions, and topics.

    Because our program is highly interdisciplinary and individualized, you can tailor your course of study to fit your interests. Many students double major in religious studies and another field, including dance, theater, classics, philosophy, English, modern languages, history, and anthropology.

    Fordham’s Career Services offers CareerLink, database of thousands of job and internship opportunities exclusively for Fordham students.

    Facilities

    The Fordham Center on Religion & Culture sponsors a range of public events at our Lincoln Center campus where scholars explore the complex relationship between religious faith and contemporary culture.

    The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies hosts national conferences, public lectures, fora and readings, academic seminars and conversations, and publishes both scholarly and imaginative works.

    We host a chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honor society in theology and religious studies.

    Study Abroad

    Study abroad enriches you academically, culturally, and personally. There is a globe of possibilities available through Fordham’s International and Study Abroad Program.

    Service Learning

    Many religious studies students explore the core Jesuit concept of homines pro aliis—“men and women for others”—through service learning opportunities at the Center for Community Engaged Learning. Here you’ll connect service, justice, community, and spirituality.

  • Magic, Science, and Religion
    Faith and Rationality
    Hindu Literature and Ethics
    The Black Church in America
    Sacred Texts of the Middle East
    Art and Christian Values
    Classic Buddhist Texts
    Theology of Liberation
    Feminist Theology
    Values and Sexuality
    Death as a Moral Question
    Religion and the American Self

  • Our graduates have gone on to have careers in numerous exciting fields.

    Get a job, right? Yes, but you want more: a career. Our career services tap Fordham’s ties with more than 3,500 companies. We offer:

    • Post-graduation career search
    • Resume development, Interviewing practice
    • Networking skill development
    • Hands-on case-study sessions with industry executives
    • Field-specific advising/coaching

    You also get access to our powerful (and Fordham-loyal) alumni network, who want to see you succeed as they have.

Learn More About the Religious Studies Degree

Visit the Religious Studies Department