Religious Studies

The Department of Religious Studies is the principal hub and focal point at Stanford University for the academic, non-sectarian study of religion. The department approaches religion as an essential human phenomenon and examines specific global religious traditions from a scholarly, critical standpoint. Utilizing the diverse analytical tools and methodologies of the humanities and social sciences, the department explores how religious beliefs, practices, texts, and social structures have shaped human history, culture, and contemporary affairs.

Comprising 16 core faculty members, the department holds particular research and teaching strengths in American Religions, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Religious Studies at Stanford operates under the conviction that religion is not simply a historical artifact or a contemporary geopolitical force, but a profound aspect of the human experience that prompts critical reflection on knowledge itself, ethics, and what it means to be human.

Academic Programs and Pathways

The department offers a rich, flexible curriculum designed to equip students for global citizenship and diverse career pathways:

• Undergraduate Major, Minor, and Honors in Religious Studies: Serving as an ideal interdisciplinary liberal arts major, the program trains students in critical reading, cross-cultural literacy, and analytical writing. While some undergraduates pursue graduate studies, most transition to successful careers in business, government, law, medicine, and the non-profit sector.

• Combined B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies: Offered jointly with the Department of Philosophy opens in a new tab, this popular combined major allows students to explore the intersection of philosophical inquiry and religious thought within a structured, cohesive curriculum.

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religious Studies: A highly competitive, research-intensive doctoral program. Students receive rigorous, interdisciplinary training within their chosen area of specialization. Graduates are routinely placed in tenure-track faculty positions at leading universities and colleges in the United States and abroad.

• Master of Arts (M.A.) in Religious Studies: An internal master's degree pathway open exclusively to current Stanford University students who wish to integrate advanced religious studies training into their primary undergraduate or graduate programs.

Interdisciplinary Alliances and Affiliated Centers

To enrich the public understanding of religion and foster collaborative research, the Department of Religious Studies works in close partnership with several of Stanford's premier interdisciplinary centers and departments:

• The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies opens in a new tab

• The Taube Center for Jewish Studies opens in a new tab

• The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies opens in a new tab

• The Center for South Asia opens in a new tab

• The McCoy Center for Ethics in Society opens in a new tab

• The Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies opens in a new tab (CMEMS)