Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

The Religious Studies department has grown substantially to become one of the most diverse programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Religious Studies students take classes from multiple disciplines that given them an in-depth overview of global religious traditions. In addition to full-time RELS faculty members, OU faculty from many departments (e.g., African and African-American Studies, Anthropology, Classics, English, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, etc.) offer courses each year that count for the RELS major or minor. This multi-disciplinary approach reflects accurately the contemporary study of religion and human religious life. Many students choose to double major or pursue a dual degree program since Religious Studies complements numerous academic disciplines.

By examining human activity through religion, both in the present and the past, faculty in the Religious Studies Department enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the ways that human beings make sense of the world in both intellectual and bodily form, particularly as they work through ideas about value, meaning, transcendence, power, and collective forms. The academic study of religion provides students with a strong foundation in deeply culturally-grounded critical thinking, an ability to interrogate and critique forms of power, and a nuanced understanding of the human condition. Students emerge from our major and minor programs prepared engage the diversity and complexity of our global environment in meaningful ways, and equipped with essential skills in analytical writing, active listening, cross cultural communication, critical empathy, public speaking, and scholarly research.

Our majors have gone on to pursue careers in a wide variety of fields and professions. And our minors have found their studies contribute to their professional goals and graduate school options. Religious Studies students are well suited to work in environments of diverse worldviews and backgrounds.

grades (marks), \u201cclass\u201d or \u201cdivision\u201d obtained should be equivalent to a \u201cB\u201d average or a 3.0 grade point average on the U.S. unweighted 4.0 scale. Applicants must be 17 years of age prior to the first day of classes. The applicant\u2019s high school class of his or her peers must have graduated as well. Applicants must submit official transcripts from each institution attended. All applicants for whom English is a second language must present evidence of English language proficiency. All international applicants must demonstrate adequate financial resources. Have graduated from secondary school and never attended a post-secondary institution Minimum 3.0 GPA IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL 79 Optional- SAT/ACT 100 on the Duolingo English Test (DET). 53 on Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic).