Religious Studies: Degree Requirements

Religious Studies Degree Requirements * ¹

General Information
Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

Students may complete a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. A minimum of 122 credit hours are required to complete the Bachelors of Arts in Religious Studies.

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Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

Core Course Requirements

First-Year Experience (1-3 cr.) University College: UC110
Junior/Senior Integrator (3 cr.)

Area I. Communications Core

English Composition (6 cr.) W131 and W132
Speech Communication R110 (3 cr.)
Foreign Languages Requirement. First-year competency is required and second-year competency is strongly recommended. This requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways:

by completing first-year (10 credit hours) courses in a single language with passing grades;
by completing a second- or third-year course with a grade of C or better;
by taking a placement test and placing into the 200 level or higher; this waives the 100 level requirement but does not carry with it credit toward graduation.

This requirement may be met with first-year proficiency in American Sign Language.

Area II. Basic Courses

A. Analytic Skills (6 cr.)
These courses provide the student with insight into the process of logical reasoning. Each student must complete 3 credit hours in mathematics (Math M118 or above) plus Sociology R359

B. Natural Science (9-11 cr.)
The credit hours are to be selected from at least two of the following areas:

Anthropology A103
Astronomy A100, A105
Biology N100, N107, N200, N212, N213 (lab), N214, N215 (lab), N217, N251, N261
Chemistry C100, C101, C102, C105, C106
Geology G107, G117 (lab), G109, G119 (lab), G110, G120 (lab)
Physics 200, 218, 219
Psychology B105
At least one of these courses must be a laboratory course.

C. History (6 cr.)
This requirement is fulfilled by taking H113 and H114.²

D. Arts and Humanities (6 cr.)
The 6 credit hours must come from two of the areas below. Courses in ones major cannot be used to fulfill this requirement; however, one course taken as part of a minor may be used.

English Literature L115
Herron H100
Music M174
Folklore F101²
History H105, H106, H113²
Philosophy P110, P120
Religious Studies R111, R133², R180, R212²

E. Social Sciences (6 cr.)
The 6 credit hours must come from two of the areas following. Courses in ones major cannot be used to fulfill this requirement; however, courses taken as part of a structured minor may be used to fulfill this requirement.

Anthropology A104
Communication Studies C180
Economics E101, E201
Folklore F101²
Geography G110²
Political Science Y101, Y103
Psychology B104, B310

F. Comparative World Cultures (3 cr.) ³
Students must take one course from one of the areas below:

Anthropology A104
Geography G110
History H108
Political Science Y217
Religious Studies R133, R212

Area III. Advanced Courses (15 cr. at 300-400 level)

In addition to advanced courses in ones major, the SLA student should conduct in-depth study in other areas of the liberal arts or sciences. Ordinarily, at least 15 credit hours of ones 300 to 400 level courses must be taken outside the major department and in four different departments or interdisciplinary programs within the School of Liberal Arts or the School of Science. Up to four junior- or senior-level courses in a second major will count toward this requirement.

Area IV. Religious Studies Requirements (30 credit hours)

The Religious Studies Major
Students who choose to major in religious studies will be asked to complete 30 credit hours of course work with a grade of C or higher.

15 credit hours of Religious Traditions

Asian.
R352 Religion and Literature in Asia
R361 Hinduism and Buddhism

Western.
R304 Islamic Beginnings
R305 Islam and Modernity

Biblical.
R111 The Bible
R310 Prophecy in Ancient Israel
R315 Hebrew Bible
R316 New Testament
R319 Origins of Israel

Christian.
R180 Introduction to Christianity
R320 Development of Jesus Traditions
R329 Early Christianity
R344 Reformations of the 16th Century

American.
R173 American Religion
R312 American Religious Life
R339 Varieties of American Religion

12 credit hours of Comparative and Thematic Studies

R100 Studies in Religion
R133 Introduction to Religion
R200 Studies in Religions
R212 Comparative Religions
R223 Religion and Imagination
R282 Religion, Ethics, and Values
R293 Ethics of World Religions
R300 Studies in Religion
R303 Religion in the Making
R313 Religion and American Ideas
R326 Studies in Biblical Religion
R343 Religion and Contemporary Thought
R346 Religious Women in the United States
R360 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena
R383 Religions, Ethics, and Health
R393 Comparative Religious Ethics
R400 Studies in Religion

3 credit hours in the departmental Senior Capstone
R433 Senior Capstone Tutorial

Including the Capstone, at least 21 credit hours must be taken at the 300 level or above

Suggested Program of Study

The following is a proposed program of study. It is meant to be an example of how one could schedule their classes to meet all of the requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies degree. Students are NOT required to take every course listed below. In many cases, there are other courses which can fulfill the same degree requirements. Consult with your advisor as you plan your program of study!

If you wish to take fewer credit hours in the fall and spring semesters, you may take classes during the summer sessions instead.

The IUPUC curriculum offers a significant portion of the IUPUI plan of study. Students transfer to the Indianapolis campus for degree completion.

First Year

First Semester

W131 Elementary Composition (3 cr.)

R110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 cr.)

R100 Studies in Religion (3 cr.)

U110 First Year Seminar (1 cr.)

S131 Intensive Beginning Spanish I (5 cr.)

Second Semester

W132 Elementary Composition II (3 cr.)

B104 Psychology as a Social Science (3 cr.)

S132 Intensive Beginning Spanish II (5 cr.)

R111 The Bible (3 cr.)

Second Year

First Semester

H113 History of Western Civilization I (3 cr.)

M118 Finite Mathematics (3 cr.)

R180 Introduction to Christianity (3 cr.)

G109 Fundamentals of Earth History (3 cr.)

G119 Fundamentals of Earth History Lab (1 cr.)

L115 Literature for Today (3 cr.)

Second Semester

H114 History of Western Civilization II (3 cr.)

R359 Social Statistics (3 cr.)

R173 American Religion (3 cr.)

B105 Psychology as a Biological Science (3 cr.)

R212 Comparative Religions (3 cr.)

G110 Introduction to Human Geography (3 cr.)

Third Year

First Semester

A104 Cultural Anthropology (3 cr.)

A100 The Solar System (3 cr.)

R304 Islamic Beginnings (3 cr.)

R312 American Religious Life (3 cr.)

I300 Junior/Senior Integrator (3 cr.)

Second Semester

R352 Religion and Literature in Asia (3 cr.)

E320 Indians of North America (3 cr.)

B310 Life Span Development (3 cr.)

B370 Social Psychology (3 cr.)

R312 Sociology of Religion (3 cr.)

Fourth Year

First Semester

P110 Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.)

C228 Discussion and Group Methods (3 cr.)

R339 Varieties of American Religion (3 cr.)

H100 Art Appreciation (3 cr.)

R360 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena (3 cr.)

Y101 Introduction to Political Science (3 cr.)

Second Semester

R433 Senior Capstone Tutorial (3 cr.)

A348 Civil War and Reconstruction (3 cr.)

C482 Intercultural Communication (3 cr.)

P120 Ethics (3 cr.)

R343 Religion and Contemporary Thought (3 cr.)

* The IUPUC curriculum offers a significant portion of the IUPUI plan of study. Students transfer to the Indianapolis campus for degree completion.

1. Courses which meet all general education requirements (approximately 92 credit hours) and Religious Studies courses which fulfill 12 of the 30 credit hours required for the major are available in Columbus.

2. This course appears on more than one list or in more than one section. However, this course may be used to satisfy only one requirement unless specifically stated.

3. These courses may be used for Comparative World Cultures and one other requirement if they appear on the Arts and Humanities or the Social Sciences lists (see above) toward this requirement. Three courses at the 300 or 400 level in a structured minor, including the business structured minor, can also be counted. The Junior/Senior Integrator course can be used to satisfy one of the Area III requirements.

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