Religion Major (BA)

Hamline student sitting on bench outside, reading

Throughout history, religion has played a central role in the search for meaning at a personal, social, and cosmic level. In Hamline's religion program, you'll join a spirited discussion of religious beliefs' many forms throughout history and around the world, and you'll build a toolkit of skills and knowledge to propel you to success in whatever career you choose.

With your professors and peers, you'll examine the cultural, historical, systemic, and contemporary significance of religious texts, beliefs, and practices for the self-understanding of communities and individuals, and its embodiment in ritual and moral action.

You’ll be encouraged to explore your own traditions and those of others on campus, in the US, and around the world. Many religion majors go on to seminary in preparation for religious work or join other graduate programs in law, medicine, psychology, or the academic study of religion. Whatever you decide, your broad-ranging skill set will ensure that you're ready for your career.

Explore religion courses

Religion major (BA)

Choose from a wide variety of courses suited to your career interests and develop skills that will serve you on whatever path you choose.

Explore major courses

Religion courses

Explore one of the many religion course offerings to expand your understanding of different religious and spiritual teachings.

Explore religion courses

Internships for religion students

We make sure you leave Hamline with work experience in the field of religion on your resume. And the opportunities are boundless. Whether you want to explore a career in faith-based outreach, communications, politics, or more, we have internship opportunities for you.

Examples of past religion student internships include:

Bet Shalom, horticulturalist
Cake Plus Size Resale, summer special projects intern
Galicia Jewish Museum, intern
History Theatre, Inc., box office intern
Indevu Films, director's assistant
Keith Ellison for Congress, intern
She Rock She Rock, drum and band coach and workshop leader
Cannamaste, administrative assistant
Shifting Paradigm Records, marketing and operations intern
Uptown United Methodist Church, pastoral intern

About the department

We are made up of scholar-practitioners who seek to model the positive relation we see between the academic study of religion and the practice of it. As a church-related university, we strongly affirm the United Methodist emphasis on ecumenical openness to other faiths, and we embrace the global scope of the Hamline mission to prepare compassionate citizens of the world. We interpret our church affiliation as a charter of hospitality. While predominantly Christian, the department welcomes students of different religions and students of no religion, inviting all to deepen their understanding of their own values and commitments and to investigate other faiths with respect for their particular wisdom and intrinsic worth.