University of Texas, Austin

Department Name: 
Religious Studies
Department website: 
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/rs/
Approximate Enrollment (entire institution): 
50,000
Number of Religion Majors: 
65
Number of Full-Time Departmental Faculty: 
12
Public Institution?: 
Public
Related to a religious denomination or body?: 
No
Which best describes the institution?: 
Grants bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees
Department offers undergraduate coursework in ministerial preparation (either a track, a minor, or a major)?: 
No
Department or institution offers masters programs in religious studies or theological studies?: 
Yes
Department or institution offers doctoral programs in religious studies or theological studies?: 
Yes
Description of Undergraduate Major: 

The University of Texas at Austin offers an undergraduate major in Religious Studies leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. It provides a multi-disciplinary curriculum that draws on the rich expertise of over seventy faculty from nineteen departments across the University. Religious Studies courses encompass various approaches to the study of religion: they explore ritual and textual traditions, consider the early formation of religions, and investigate the interaction of religious beliefs and practices with political, social, cultural, and economic developments.
 
A degree in Religious Studies is beneficial to students seeking careers in government, law, medicine, social services, theology, academics, or any other field which values critical thinking, an ability to communicate clearly, and a sensitive awareness to cultural variation. Since the inception of the Religious Studies major at the University in the fall of 2000, students have explored careers in public health, medicine, law, ministry, finance, the Peace Corps, and Teach for America. Others have been accepted into graduate programs, including those at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Emory, the University of Chicago, and Columbia.