Religious Studies

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

4,580

declining 9.86%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,223

growing 0.612%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$34,050

growing 3.23%

Average Wage

$84,999

growing 9.3%

People in Workforce

335,436

declining 0.122%

Average Employee Age

44.4

declining 0.925%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Religious Studies degree recipients are Lynchburg, VA, , and New York, NY. The locations with a relatively high number of Religious Studies degree recipients are Mount Prospect, IL, Ambridge, PA, and Camarillo, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Religious Studies is a bachelors degree.

Philosophy and Religious Studies Religious Studies

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Religious Studies and the types of students that study this field. Liberty University awards the most degrees in Religious Studies in the US, but Christian Life College and Simmons College of Kentucky have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Religious Studies.

Tuition costs for Religious Studies majors are, on average, $8,223 for in-state public colleges, and $34,050 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Religious Studies programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (479 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (3,432 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Religious Studies

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Religious Studies, is Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above (3,432 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Religious Studies programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,223

Median In-State Public

$34,050

Median Out of State Private

Liberty University has the most Religious Studies degree recipients, with 1,062 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Religious Studies.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Christian Life College
75%
Simmons College of Kentucky
57.7%
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
50%

Out of all institutions that offer Religious Studies programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Christian Life College and Simmons College of Kentucky have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Religious Studies, with 75% and 57.7%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Religious Studies

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Religious Studies by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Religious Studies.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Philosophy and Religious Studies graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Philosophy and Religious Studies majors is $84,999 and the most common occupations are Clergy, Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, and Postsecondary teachers.

The industry that employs the most Philosophy and Religious Studies majors is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. .

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

$84,999

Average Wage in Workforce

± $4,392

9.3%

1 Year Growth

± 6.37%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Philosophy and Religious Studies majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Philosophy and Religious Studies majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Philosophy and Religious Studies majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

The most common occupations Philosophy and Religious Studies majors, by number of employees, are Clergy, Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, and Postsecondary teachers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Philosophy and Religious Studies majors working as Clergy, Judicial law clerks, and Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Philosophy and Religious Studies majors are Surgeons, Dentists, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

335,436

2018 Workforce

± 14,203

0.122%

1 Year Growth

± 5.99%

The number of Philosophy and Religious Studies graduates in the workforce has been declining at a rate of 0.122%, from 335,846 in 2017 to 335,436 in 2018.

The largest single share of Philosophy and Religious Studies graduates go on to work as Clergy (10%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Philosophy and Religious Studies by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

The most common industries that employ Philosophy and Religious Studies majors, by number of employees, are Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Religious organizations, and Elementary & secondary schools.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

The highest paying industries of Philosophy and Religious Studies majors, by average wage, are Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. , Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Offices of physicians.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

335,436

2018 Workforce

± 14,203

0.122%

1 Year Growth

± 5.99%

The number of Philosophy and Religious Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 0.122%, from 335,846 in 2017 to 335,436 in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Philosophy and Religious Studies graduates by share is Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, followed by Religious organizations. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Philosophy and Religious Studies majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Philosophy and Religious Studies majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies is 44.4, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Philosophy and Religious Studies degrees, and White students earn the majority (2,890) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

44.4

Average Age in 2018

± 0.595 Years

0.925%

1 Year Change

± 1.93%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies. The most common ages of employees with this major are 31 and 30 years old, which represent 4.4% and 3.09% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Religious Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Philosophy and Religious Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (52.9%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Religious Studies.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
2,890 degrees awarded
Black or African American
441 degrees awarded
Unknown
412 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Religious Studies for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Male
1,177 degrees awarded
White Female
1,128 degrees awarded
Unknown Male
214 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Religious Studies. White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Religious Studies is from the 2 Digit Course Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Korea
4,213 degree recipients
Canada
3,617 degree recipients
Philippines
2,578 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Uganda
9.31 times more than expected
Ireland
9.3 times more than expected
South Africa
6.51 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Uganda that hold Philosophy and Religious Studies degrees (9.31 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Korea (4,213 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Religious Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Religious Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Religious Studies majors need more than the average amount of Learning Strategies, Writing, and Instructing.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Religious Studies majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Learning Strategies is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.