Religion - Major

Audra Franley teaching a class at Thiel College

Major: Religion
Degree awarded: Bachelor of Arts
Total credit hours: 31
Internship/Practicum opportunities: Visit the Career Development Center for internship information.

PDF Details / Downloadable / Print Format
Online Academic Catalog Details / Required Courses

About the Religion Major

A Thiel College religion major will gain a vast understanding of Christianity and all other world religions. The Thiel liberal arts curriculum prepares our religion majors for a wide range of professions, not just a career in ordained ministry. The study of religion is for anyone though who is interested in how humans make and find meaning in the world.

Religion Major Objectives

This program is a unique blend of youth ministry, biblical studies, and theology courses, including upper-level courses in readings in theology and meaning making, as well as courses in the foundations of Christian spirituality and theological thinking.

Develop familiarity with the biblical writings of the Jewish and Christian traditions and with scholarly approaches to interpreting these and other religious texts.
Interpret the nature of religious experience, Christian and otherwise, with a level of sophistication appropriate to an undergraduate scholar of religion.
Understand the key persons, works, and movements from the history of Christianity and develop a mature understanding of the interrelatedness of religion and culture.
Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written forms in the field.
Cultivate interpersonal skills and learn to be a valuable member of a team.
Network with distinguished religion alumni.

Religion Curriculum

You will learn about the diversity and the unity of the world’s religions with engaging courses focusing on subjects like Hebrew, Greek, psychology of religion and sociology of religion. You will also explore Thiel’s affiliation with The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States. Review the Academic Catalog (2023-2024) for detailed course listings.

Scholarship Opportunities

Thiel College offers scholarships to students for reasons such as academic success, community service or involvement, exemplary leadership and more! The scholarships available to religion majors are:

The William F. Behringer Scholarship for Religious Studies
Edith Binkley Scholarship
Walter and Gertrude Bradley Scholarship
The Michael Robert and Laura Belle Bretsnyder Scholarship Fund
Louis E. Creighton Scholarship
The Rev. Dr. Luther E. and Ruth (Potts) Fackler Scholarship
Virgil, Clara and Paul Fackler and Marian R. Moore Scholarship Fund
Graf/Obenauf Scholarship
Ellwood and Sara Hauser Scholarship
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. May Scholarship Fund
Mister Rogers Scholarship
Rev. E. Stewart Proper and William Stewart Proper Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Rev. Dr. Elmer and Dorothy Cooke Ortner Memorial Scholarship
Edward k. Rogers and Jane Holden Rogers Scholarship
The Rev. and Mrs. Everett R. Smail Pre- Seminary Scholarship Fund
The Betty Harter Spence ’37 Endowed Scholarship Fund
Rev. Robert E. Wolff Scholarship Fund
The Rev. Harry B. Wood Jr. ’47 and Margaret Kohler Wood ’46 Endowed Scholarship Fund

Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about the types of aid available to students.

Clubs & Organizations

It's easy to get involved on campus! Joining a student club or organization is an excellent way to meet others and gain leadership experience. An education major might be interested in the following clubs and orgs:

Thiel Christian Fellowship
Veritas Ars Quaero (Humanities Research Honorary Society)
Theta Alpha Kappa (National Religious Studies and Theology Honorary Society)
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
TC Soldiers for God
Lutheran Student Movement

Visit our Campus Life page to see a full list of student clubs and organizations.

Alumni & Careers

Graduates of Thiel College's religion programs have gone on to distinguished graduate school programs and have worked in a variety of different occupations.

Thiel graduates have pursued graduate degrees at Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, the University of Chicago Divinity School, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and nearly every Lutheran seminary! Alumni have also found employment in fields such as teaching, financial planning, non-profit administration, and hospitality.

Learn More About Thiel’s Religion Major

At Thiel College, our Bachelor of Arts in Religion degree program combines a comprehensive curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities to provide students with a transformative education. The major’s courses build deep knowledge and skills needed to excel in a variety of fields.

Request information to learn more about majoring in religion at Thiel.