Religious Studies, B.A.

Universal Curriculum Requirements

To be awarded a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students are required to complete universal curriculum requirements in addition to the program requirements provided below. The school universal curriculum requirements can be found on the school Degree Programs page .

Prerequisites

To declare the major, students must complete at least one course in Religious Studies with a grade of C or better.

Students interested in declaring a major may obtain the major declaration form online. Prospective majors must consult with the Director of Undergraduate Programs or a faculty member in order to plan their courses and to choose an advisor. 

Program Requirements

In order to complete a major in Religious Studies, each student must complete the following requirements: 

Complete a minimum of ten graded courses (30 credits) within the Department of Religious Studies.  
- Specific program requirements are listed below.
A grade of C (2.0) or above must be achieved in each course offered for the completion of the Religious Studies major.

Courses from other University Departments and Study Abroad 

The Department permits a total of up to six credit hours of coursework taken outside of the Religious Studies department to be counted towards the major. Outside courses that are not included in the concentration course lists below must be approved by petition to the Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Core Requirements

Students will complete each of the following requried courses.

RELG 1000 - Questions in the Study of Religion Credits: 3
OR
Two courses (each 3 credits) that have been approved by the Department as introductory courses for the study of religion.
RELG 3730 - Conversations in the Study of Religion Credits: 3
RELG 4500 - Majors Seminar Credits: 3
Note: RELG 4500 does not count toward the three courses at the 3000-level.

Electives

Take three courses (of 3 credits each) at the 3000-level or above. 

Courses taken to fulfill the concentration requirement or the Breadth requirement may be used to fulfill this requirement. 
RELG 3730 will also count as satisfying this requirement.

Breadth Requirement

Of the remaining elective courses, two courses (of 3 credits each) must be from outside of the student’s chosen concentration.

Concentrations

Students will select one of the following concentrations and complete three-courses (9 credits).

At least one of these courses (3 credits) must be at the 3000-level or above.
Note: RELG 1010 and RELG 1040 cannot be used to fulfill concentration requirements.
In exceptional circumstances, a student may design their own concentration by identifying three connected courses and petitioning the Director of Undergraduate Programs.

Distinguished Majors Program

The Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) in Religious Studies affords qualified students the opportunity to do advanced research and to receive at graduation the honor of distinction, high distinction, or highest distinction.

Entry into the program

Students qualify for application to the program if they have achieved an average GPA of 3.400 in all course work prior to application to the program.
Students must apply to the DMP program by April 1 of their Third Year (or equivalent). To do this, students will be asked to write a few short paragraphs in which they explain why they are interested in the program and to outline two or three topics on which they would be interested in writing. A form explaining the application essay in more detail will be available on the Religious Studies website.
The applicant must obtain endorsement from a Religious Studies faculty member to apply to the program. Unless otherwise arranged, this faculty member will serve as the student’s thesis advisor. Students should contact the Religious Studies Director of Undergraduate Programs (DUP) if they need help identifying faculty members for endorsement. By the end of the first semester of the thesis-writing year, the student must obtain a second reader for the thesis from the Department as well. The DUP can also help students find a second reader if they are unable to do so on their own.

DMP Requirements

Completion of normal major requirements.
In addition to the 30 credits required for the major, students must take the following courses.

RELG 4800 - Crafting a Research Project in Religious Studies Credits: 3
Note: In RELG 4800 students write a thesis proposal outlining the thesis’s driving questions, its methods and its sources. Students also write an annotated bibliography of works relevant to the thesis.
RELG 4900 - Distinguished Major Thesis Credits: 3
Note: RELG 4900 is an independent study in which each student works with a faculty advisor to write the Distinguished Majors Thesis.
- The thesis should be thirty to fifty pages in length. Final copies must be submitted to the faculty advisor and the second reader no later than May 1st for Spring graduation and August graduation, and December 1st for December graduation. A final copy must also be submitted to the department archives by sending it to the DUP.

Additional Information

For more information, contact the Undergraduate Program Director, Department of Religious Studies, P.O. Box 400126 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4126; (434) 924-6705.
www.virginia.edu/religiousstudies.

Religious Studies, B.A.

Universal Curriculum Requirements

Prerequisites

Program Requirements

Core Requirements

Electives

Breadth Requirement

Concentrations

Buddhism

Christianity

Hinduism

Islam

Judaism

Religions of Africa and the African Diaspora

Religions of the Americas

Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy

Religion, Literature, and the Arts

Religion, Politics, and Global Perspectives

Distinguished Majors Program

Entry into the program

DMP Requirements

Additional Information