Religion Degrees Online

The study of religion is central to the nature and mission of Luther as a college of the church. The academic study of religion includes the examination of sacred literature, rituals, symbols, traditions, beliefs, values, and theologies. At Luther, the religion curriculum gives special attention to the Christian tradition, including its scriptures, history, and contemporary expressions, while providing opportunity to study other religious traditions.

Students planning to major or minor in religion should consult with faculty in the department; preseminary students should also consult with campus pastors. Students interested in biblical Hebrew and Greek should check the biblical languages major listed under classics.

Religion graduates work in many fields, including church ministry and law, and as scholars in philosophy, theology, and religious studies.

This taught programme is provided by Theology & Religious Studies within the School of Arts & Humanities. Follow these links for information about the department and School, including facilities, funding, and a list of staff research interests.

Interdisciplinary approach to biblical interpretation, providing familiarity with a wide variety of approaches to the Bible within (primarily) the Christian tradition.
Unrivalled holdings of the Maughan Library, the Foyle special collections, and the newly acquired Sion College Library.
Regular seminars with papers given by nationally and internationally renowned speakers, give students insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the subject area.

This MA offers an interdisciplinary approach to biblical interpretation; teaching in the theory and practice of biblical hermeneutics; instruction in the methodology and content of Christian theology with particular attention to the importance of the biblical literature in the development of Christian doctrine.

You will undertake a range of individual module options and pursue in-depth study through a research dissertation to be supervised by a member of staff.

The Christianity Department curriculum is designed to achieve the following goals:

1. To develop in students a knowledge of and appreciation for the Christian tradition in particular and religion in general;

2. To expose students to the breadth and depth of theological inquiry through biblical studies, Christian history, Christian theology, and Christian ethics;

3. To sharpen students’ abilities to think logically, to read critically, to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, and to act compassionately;

4. To afford students the opportunity to study the Christian tradition within the context of a liberal arts education so as to enhance personal and professional growth;

5. To assure that students have an adequate academic experience to pursue graduate theological education and future professional studies.

Christianity Major
A major in Christianity consists of a minimum of 30 semester hours, including the following:

1. “Old Testament” and “New Testament”

2. “Theological Research and Writing,” which is recommended for the sophomore year

3. Four courses to be taken from the following:
a. one course in biblical studies
b. one course in historical studies
c. one course in theological studies
d. one course in ethical studies

4. Two colloquia:
a. CHR 385: Junior Colloquium
b. CHR 485: Senior Colloquium

5. Six additional Christianity hours

Questions of truth and destiny confront each generation and are at the root of all human enterprises, necessitating that the very nature of the educational task focus on these basic issues. With a firm commitment to the centrality of the Christian tradition for all such considerations, the Department of Religious studies offers many experiences for growth and education.

Students seeking more than one major in the department may present no more than 15 hours common to those majors. Students seeking minors as well as majors in this department must choose a different area of study for the minor and present a minimum of 12 hours not applied to the major. Many of the department’s academic and support activities are channeled through the Anderson University Center for Ministry Education (AUCME).

For Cal Lutheran students who plan religious or lay ministerial vocations, the University’s religion curriculum challenges them to engage in the academic study of religion as they explore the religious questions people have asked through the ages: the existence and nature of God, the meaning of life, how humans should live life, and what awaits us after death.

Focusing primarily on the Christian tradition, the curriculum also offers courses in the other major religions of the world, as well as in biblical languages. It provides a solid grounding in religion as it supports the University’s liberal arts emphasis, to fully prepare students for the complex religious issues they will face throughout their lives. Students may major or minor in religion, and minor emphases may include church vocations or youth ministry.

The religion curriculum also prepares students for graduate study in religion and a variety of ordained and non-ordained ministries in the various denominations of the Christian church, including Christian education, church music, counseling, and missionary service.

Religion students enjoy many opportunities for internships and independent study, enabling them to explore specific areas of career interest while completing their undergraduate degree programs. Students graduate from Cal Lutheran well prepared for seminary study, and they are eligible to enter the Associate in Ministry program for lay persons who are certified by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

For Cal Lutheran students who plan religious or lay ministerial vocations, the University’s religion curriculum challenges them to engage in the academic study of religion as they explore the religious questions people have asked through the ages: the existence and nature of God, the meaning of life, how humans should live life, and what awaits us after death.

Focusing primarily on the Christian tradition, the curriculum also offers courses in the other major religions of the world, as well as in biblical languages. It provides a solid grounding in religion as it supports the University’s liberal arts emphasis, to fully prepare students for the complex religious issues they will face throughout their lives. Students may major or minor in religion, and minor emphases may include church vocations or youth ministry.

The religion curriculum also prepares students for graduate study in religion and a variety of ordained and non-ordained ministries in the various denominations of the Christian church, including Christian education, church music, counseling, and missionary service.

Religion students enjoy many opportunities for internships and independent study, enabling them to explore specific areas of career interest while completing their undergraduate degree programs. Students graduate from Cal Lutheran well prepared for seminary study, and they are eligible to enter the Associate in Ministry program for lay persons who are certified by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Cours / Courses
SRS5100 SPECIAL QUESTIONS IN THE HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS (3cr.)
SRS5101 JUDAISM IN THE PERIOD OF THE SECOND TEMPLE (3cr.)
SRS5102 PSYCHOANALYSIS AND RELIGION (3cr.)
SRS5103 FREUD AND CHRISTIANITY (3cr.)
SRS5104 JUNG AND CHRISTIANITY (3cr.)
SRS5105 THE SELF IN PSYCHOLOGY AND THEOLOGY (3cr.)
SRS5106 GODDESSES AND WOMEN IN MYTH AND SYMBOL (3cr.)
SRS5107 STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS5115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
SRS5305 RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS (3cr.)
SRS5320 RELIGION AND ANTHROPOLOGY – SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS5502 LES RELIGIONS AFRICAINES: CHANGEMENTS SOCIO-CULTURELS ET RELIGIEUX (3cr.)
SRS5503 LES CLASSIQUES EN SOCIOLOGIE DE LA RELIGION (3cr.)
SRS5520 RELIGION ET ANTHROPOLOGIE – THÈMES CHOISIS (3cr.)
SRS5901 HISTOIRE DES SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / HISTORY OF THE SCIENCES OF RELIGIONS (3cr.)
SRS5902 ÉCRITURES SACRÉES / SACRED SCRIPTURES (3cr.)
SRS5903 MYTHE, TRADITION ET SAVOIR / MYTH, TRADITION AND KNOWLEDGE (3cr.)
SRS5904 THÉORIES SUR LES RÉCITS ET RITES SACRÉS / THEORIES OF SACRED NARRATIVES AND RITUALS (3cr.)
SRS5908 HISTOIRE DU CHRISTIANISME DES PREMIERS SIÈCLES / HISTORY OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY (3cr.)
SRS5909 LITTÉRATURE CHRÉTIENNE DES PREMIERS SIÈCLES / EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATURE (3cr.)
SRS5910 PENSÉE CHRÉTIENNE (XVIE-XXE SIÈCLE): QUESTIONS SPÉCIALES / CHRISTIAN THOUGHT (XVITH-XXTH CENTURY): SPECIAL ISSUES (3cr.)
SRS5911 OECUMÉNISME CONTEMPORAIN / CONTEMPORARY ECUMENISM (3cr.)
SRS5912 LA FEMME ET LA TRADITION CHRÉTIENNE / WOMEN AND THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION (3cr.)
SRS5915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
SRS5918 ART, ICONOGRAPHIE ET RELIGION / ART, ICONOGRAPHY AND RELIGION (3cr.)
SRS5919 FORMES ET FONCTIONS EN ARCHITECTURE RELIGIEUSE / FORMS AND FUNCTIONS IN RELIGIONS ARCHITECTURE (3cr.)
SRS5999 TRAVAIL DE RECHERCHE – M.A. SANS THÈSE / RESEARCH PAPER – MA WITHOUT THESIS (6cr.)
SRS6900 RELIGIONS DU MONDE I – THÈMES CHOISIS / RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD I – SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS6905 RELIGION ET SOCIÉTÉ I – THÈMES CHOISIS/ RELIGION AND SOCIETY I- SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS6906 RELIGION ET PSYCHOLOGIE I- THÈMES CHOISIS / RELIGION AND PSYCHOLOGY I- SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS6907 CHRISTIANISME I- THÈMES CHOISIS / CHRISTIANITY I- SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS6913 HISTOIRE RELIGIEUSE CANADIENNE I / CANADIAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY I (3cr.)
SRS6915 RELIGIONS DES AMÉRINDIENS ET DES INUIT I- THÈMES CHOISIS / AMERINDIAN AND INUIT RELIGIONS I- SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS6980 ÉTUDES DIRIGÉES I / DIRECTED READINGS I (3cr.)
SRS6981 ÉTUDES DIRIGÉES III / DIRECTED STUDIES III (3cr.)
SRS7000 RELIGIONS DU MONDE II- THÈMES CHOISIS / RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD II-SELECTED TOPICS (6cr.)
SRS7001 LA RELIGION DANS LA PENSÉE FÉMINISTE CONTEMPORAINE / RELIGION AND CONTEMPORARY FEMINIST THOUGHT (6cr.)
SRS7005 RELIGION ET SOCIÉTÉ II: THÈMES CHOISIS / RELIGION AND SOCIETY II: SELECTED TOPICS (6cr.)
SRS7006 RELIGION ET PSYCHOLOGIE II: THÈMES CHOISIS / RELIGION AND PSYCHOLOGIE II: SELECTED TOPICS (6cr.)
SRS7007 CHRISTIANISME II- THÈMES CHOISIS/ CHRISTIANITY II – SELECTED TOPICS (6cr.)
SRS7080 ÉTUDES DIRIGÉES II / DIRECTED READINGS II (6cr.)
SRS7081 ÉTUDES DIRIGÉES IV / DIRECTED STUDIES IV (6cr.)
SRS7316 SHAMANIC TRADITIONS (3cr.)
SRS7516 TRADITIONS CHAMANIQUES (3cr.)
SRS7913 HISTOIRE RELIGIEUSE CANADIENNE II / CANADIAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY II (3cr.)
SRS7915 RELIGIONS DES AMERINDIENS ET DES INUIT II: THÈMES CHOISIS / AMERINDIAN AND INUIT RELIGIONS II: SELECTED TOPICS (3cr.)
SRS7998 EXAMEN DE SYNTHÈSE DE MAÎTRISE / MA COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
SRS7999 RECHERCHE DE THÈSE DE MAÎTRISE / MA THESIS RESEARCH (15cr.)
SRS8016 TRAVAUX DIRIGÉS II / SUPERVISED RESEARCH II (6cr.)
SRS8017 TRAVAUX DIRIGÉS III / SUPERVISED RESEARCH III (6cr.)
SRS8115 SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
SRS8915 SÉMINAIRE EN SCIENCES DES RELIGIONS / SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3cr.)
SRS8916 TRAVAUX DIRIGÉS I / SUPERVISED RESEARCH I (3cr.)
SRS9998 EXAMENT DE SYNTHÈSE (Ph.D.) / COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION (PhD)
SRS9999 RECHERCHE DE THÈSE DE DOCTORAT / PhD THESIS RESEARCH (30cr.)

Does God exist? If God exists, what can we as humans know about God? Is the world in which we live God’s creation? If so, can we know anything of God’s will for the created order, and more especially for humanity as part of that order?

The various modules offered as part of the Theology degree programme, all in their different ways, examine and assess some of the answers given within the Christian tradition to these basic questions about God and human existence. Christians have, for example, looked for answers in the Bible – in the Hebrew scriptures, which they share with Jews and with Muslims, as well as in what they call the New Testament. Some of our modules therefore involve critical study of various parts of the Bible or Biblical texts in translation or in the original language. Again, Christians have seen God at work in the Church, even if the understanding of what is meant by Church varies from one Christian group to another. We therefore offer a number of modules that look critically at different periods of Church history or at particular aspects of Christian history.

Or again we are concerned to examine what Christians down the ages as well as contemporary Christian theologians believe, so you will find modules on aspects of doctrine looked at from a historical perspective and on modern theology. Other modules look at the interaction of Church and society or at the liturgical practices of different Christian traditions, or at Christian ethics in general as well as particular ethical issues. Students are also encouraged to explore in other modules the way theology is done from the perspective of the marginalized in our modern world, of the poor, the oppressed, the disadvantaged and of women.In addition to studying the Christian tradition, students of Theology are also encouraged to take advantage of our close association with Religious Studies to broaden their horizons and to consider the theological beliefs and practices of other world faiths.

Theology, like Religious Studies, is an academic discipline and as with any other discipline in a modern University, it is subjected to analytical and critical treatment. It can be studied by Christians of any tradition who wish to deepen their understanding of their faith or by adherent of other faiths or indeed by agnostics and atheists, who are seekers after truth or genuinely concerned to understand what Christians believe and why.The structure of this programme and the modules it offers can be found in our departmental handbooks. Printed copies of the handbooks are also available on request.

Our department grants undergraduate students a Bachelor’s degree and a minor. Both programs offer introductory and advanced courses that enable students to reach the four goals of the academic study of theology and religion for undergraduate students at Villanova.

Our Students
engage theology and religious studies as academic disciplines, each with their own methods of analyzing religious phenomena;
investigate the central beliefs and practices of the Christian tradition with a particular emphasis on Roman Catholicism;
analyze the phenomenon of religion as it operates in human history as well as in contemporary culture; and
evaluate the significance of religion for personal and collective ecological, political, economic, social, and cultural life.

To reach these goals our programs emphasize a broad understanding of Christian and non-Christian theological and religious traditions that invites students to participate in what Augustine calls the restless search for wisdom. Villanova students embark on an academic journey to recognize Christian theology as a living, ongoing tradition that continues to be refined as it engages the contemporary world. Discerning the relevance of Christian theology for their own lives and values, they seek to understand those whose values and senses of the sacred differ from their own.

Our students appreciate Christianity’s contributions to the development of Western culture and recognize the complexity and diversity of religious beliefs and practices in pluralistic societies.

They clarify and articulate moral convictions, deliberate and form judgments both about everyday theological and ethical issues and the implications of moral principles for building a more just, sustainable and peaceful world.

Our department offers a master’s degree in Theology for full-time or part-time students. Non-matriculated students who wish to further their studies may be accepted on an individual case basis. Our program prepares students for doctoral study or secondary-school education. It also provides further foundation for those in educational or ministerial leadership, enriches Christian life and thought for those in the professions, and deepens the interpersonal and intellectual qualities of those who pursue careers in other fields.

Whether you choose the master’s degree as a terminal degree or intend to pursue further academic work, our program offers courses that support you choices.

Please also check our Five-Year B.A./M.A. Program in Theology, where you may receive both degrees in an accelerated five-year timeframe.

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies:

offers graduate courses that:
emphasize a broad understanding of the Catholic theological tradition as mediated through the questions raised by modern culture and responded to by the Second Vatican Council and by the continuing challenges of human life
investigate the resources of the Christian tradition and of contemporary culture
advance academic ways of understanding Christian belief and practice
reflect critically upon the life of faith, and
engage in what Augustine calls the restless search for wisdom

serves the Church by:
preparing graduate students for doctoral study or secondary school education
providing further foundation for those in educational or ministerial leadership
enriching the Christian life and thought for those in the professions, and
deepening the interpersonal and intellectual qualities of those who pursue careers in other fields or change careers

attracts men and women of all ages and with diverse educational backgrounds who:
value the academic study of theology
plan to attend full-time or are interested in attending part-time, and
either seek a degree or are non-degree-seeking persons.