by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 28 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,185 master's degrees in religious studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The religion master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality religion program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for religious studies students working on their master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in religious studies.
Duke University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in religious studies. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.
Master's recipients from the religious studies major at Duke University earn $2,495 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in religious studies from Duke University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in religious studies needs to check out University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in religious studies from University of Pennsylvania
It's difficult to beat Emory University if you want to pursue a master's degree in religious studies. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in religious studies from Emory University
Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in religious studies. Located in the city of New York, Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.More information about a master’s in religious studies from Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in religious studies from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in religious studies from Vanderbilt University
Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in religious studies from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in religious studies from George Washington University
UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.More information about a master’s in religious studies from The University of Texas at Austin
UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a master’s in religious studies from University of California - Santa Barbara
View the Best Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Religious Studies is one of 3 different types of Philosophy & Religious Studies programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Religion/Religious Studies | 426 |
| Christian Studies | 293 |
| Jewish Studies | 89 |
| Other Religion/Religious Studies | 34 |
| Islamic Studies | 31 |
| Catholic Studies | 4 |
| Buddhist Studies | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | 789 |
| Other Philosophy & Religious Studies | 98 |
| General Philosophy & Religious Studies | 15 |
