Degrees in Religious Studies

B.A. Undergraduate students may effectively major in Religious Studies by selecting a B.A. in Liberal Arts and choosing the Religious Studies concentration. Contact Mari Rethelyi (mrethelyi@lsu.edu).

Located at the largest public university in Louisiana, the Religious Studies program at LSU is non-confessional and focuses on the study of religion as an academic discipline. As a field within the humanities, the study of religion seeks to investigate this significant and universal expression of the human experience, whether in major world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam) or in smaller, indigenous traditions. Courses in Religious Studies bring together perspectives and approaches from a variety of disciplines (for instance, history, philosophy, literature, and anthropology) in order to allow students to explore fully and to appreciate better this multidimensional component of human life. Our small student-to-faculty ratio permits students to work closely with faculty members to design their course of study.

Our major requires the completion of 27 total hours:

Pick two of the following courses:

REL 1000, "Religions of the World"

REL 2000, "Introduction to the Study of Religion"

REL 2027, "Asian Religions"

REL 2029, "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam"

 

Pick six REL courses as electives: 

Two at the 1000-, 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level

Three at the 3000- or 4000-level

One at the 4000-level

 

Take the senior capstone during your final year: 

REL 4301, "Theories of Religion"

Our minor requires the completion of 15 total hours:

Take these two courses: 

REL 2027, "Asian Religions"

REL 2029, "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam"

 

Pick three REL courses as electives: 

One at the 1000-, 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level

Two at the 3000- or 4000-level

*NOTE: Students entering LSU prior to the 2012-13 academic year fall under a different set of requirements, including distribution areas for the elective courses. Please contact Mari Rethelyi (mrethelyi@lsu.edu) for more information.