Bachelor of Arts
Interdisciplinary Studies - Religious Studies
Program of Study
Choose one of three concentration options to focus your studies. Specialize in: Religion and society, Critical issues of religion, or Religious creative expressions in art, architecture, literature and music.
The program's core curriculum ensures the depth and breadth of your studies. In addition to taking an introductory course, you'll select from classes covering world religions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism, along with concepts in African-American religion, political and social philosophy and the ethnology of religion.
Required Courses
- Introduction to the Study of Religion
- Senior Seminar in Religious Studies
Breadth Courses
See below for details.
18 credits from chosen Concentration
See below for details.
Breadth Courses
Choose 15 credits from:
- African/African-American Religion
- Anthropology and Folklore
- Myths of the Greek and Roman World in Western Art
- Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas
- Ethnology of Religion
- Early and Medieval Christianity
- Medieval and Early-Modern Jews among Muslims and Christians
- Islam in the Middle East: Religion and Culture I
- Islam in the Middle East: Religion and Culture II
- Jewish Civilization: From the Birth of the Israelites until the Present
- Judaism and its Foundational Texts
- World Religions
- History of Social and Political Philosophy
- History of Medieval Philosophy
- Philosophy of Religion
- Introduction to the Bible
- Introduction to Buddhism
- Topics in Religious Studies
- Independent Study of Religious Studies
Concentrations
Religious Creative Expressions
Choose 18 credits from:
- Survey of Art in the Western World I
- Survey of Art in the Western World II
- Myths of the Greek and Roman World in Western Art
- Introduction to Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture
- Monarchs, Monks, and Medieval Art: Europe 500-1100 C.E.
- Gothic Art and Architecture
- Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture: 1250-1450
- Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture: 1450-1600
- Roman Sculpture
- Greek Architecture
- Gothic Painting
- Art and Change in Northern Europe, 1300-1500
- Egyptian Archeology
- Greek Archaeology
- Literature of the Middle Ages
- American Literature to 1800
Religion and Society
Choose 18 credits from:
- Ethnology of Mesoamerica
- Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas
- Mesoamerican Archaeology
- Early and Medieval Christianity
- Religion in American Life and Thought
- History of the Early Middle Ages
- The High Middle Ages
- The Italian Renaissance, 1300-1530
- Renaissance and Reformation in 16th Century Europe
- History of England I
- Gold, Conquest, & Pirates: Spain and Portugal in the Americas
- History of Russia I
- History of the Middle East I
- The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Historical Perspective
- Islam in the Middle East: Religion and Culture I
- Islam in the Middle East: Religion and Culture II
- American Intellectual History Since 1860
- The Byzantine Empire, 300-1453
- Jewish Civilization: From the Birth of the Israelites until the Present
- Judaism and its Foundational Texts
- The American Jewish Experience
- Zionism, Palestine, and Israel in Historical Perspective
- Early Israel and Biblical Civilization
- Jews, Hellenism, and Early Christianity
- The Jews in the Modern World
- Introduction to Buddhism
- Buddhism in East Asia
- Zen Buddhism
Critical Issues in Religion
Choose 18 credits from:
- History of the Civil Rights Movement
- Concepts of Race and Culture in the Modern World
- Buddhism in East Asia
- Ethical Issues in East Asian Thought
- Early and Medieval Christianity
- The Holocaust in History
- Medieval Jews among Muslims and Christians
- History of the Early Middle Ages
- The High Middle Ages
- The Italian Renaissance, 1300-1530
- Renaissance and Reformation in 16th Century Europe
- History of the Middle East I
- Islam in the Middle East: Religion and Culture I
- Islam in the Middle East: Religion and Culture II
- Morals and Society
- Moral Dilemmas
- History of Social and Political Philosophy
- Introduction to Ethical Theory
- Topics in Religious Studies
- Toleration
Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Option
You can save time and money by beginning your graduate degree coursework while still enrolled as an undergraduate student. Up to 12 academic credits, billed at the undergraduate rate, will count towards both degrees – so you’ll complete your combined program in only 5 years and spend less than you would if you completed each program separately.
Combine your Religious Studies degree with the MS in Information Science program. This ALA-accredited master's program covers a broad range of interdisciplinary topics related to library science, information processing, information management and data analysis.
combined
Career Paths
With a bachelor's in Religious Studies, you're on track to pursue many different careers requiring analytical thinking and diverse perspectives.
Potential job titles include:
- Chaplain
- Public Relations and Community Liaison
- Minister
- Rabbi
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Historian
- Social Worker
- Theologian
- Paralegal
What Makes The University at Albany Great
Live and take classes with other incoming freshmen who share your personal interests, passions or intended academic major.
Become a global citizen: international experience is crucial to success in business, education, research, and public policy.
Research, scholarship, and creative activities at the University at Albany is an option for all students, across all academic disciplines. You will be able to learn more about a specific academic field or career path all while building a long-lasting mentoring relationship with a faculty member or principal investigator.
Explore Minors
Build competency in a passion or strengthen your resume.
A minor consists of 18–24 graduation credits which must include a minimum of 9 graduation credits of advanced coursework at or above the 300 level. Most undergraduate degrees require completing a minor and it has to have a different title from your major.
Full List of Minors
- Acting
- Africana Studies
- Anthropology
- Art
- Art History
- Atmospheric Science
- Bioethics
- Biology
- Broadcast Meteorology
- Business
- Chemistry
- Chinese Studies
- Cognitive Science
- Communication
- Computer Science
- Creative Writing
- Criminal Justice Studies
- Cybersecurity
- Documentary Studies
- East Asian Studies
- Economics
- Educational Studies
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Electronics
- Film Studies
- Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
- English
- Financial Market Regulation
- Forensic Science
- French
- Game Design and Development
- Geographic Information Science
- Geography
- Globalization Studies
- Hebrew
- History
- Informatics
- International Studies
- Italian
- Japanese Studies
- Journalism (Fully Online Option)
- Judaic Studies
- Korean Studies
- Latin American and Caribbean Studies
- Law and Philosophy
- Leadership
- Legal Studies
- LGBTQ Studies
- Library and Information Science
- Linguistics
- Machine Learning
- Mathematics
- Medical Anthropology
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Music
- Musical Theatre
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Portuguese
- Pre-Education
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Public Policy
- Religious Studies
- Russian
- Russian and Eastern European Studies
- Social Welfare Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Statistics
- Sustainability
- Theatre
- Theatrical Design/Technology
- Urban Studies and Planning
- U.S. Latino Studies
- Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies