Global Cultural Knowledge

The Department of Religious Studies prepares students to lead social change and navigate cultural differences. Religious Studies offers a wide variety of classes in global religious and cultural knowledge and a one-of-a-kind Nonprofit Leadership career track.

We offer

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Small Class Sizes

Individual attention from award-winning faculty & staff and advisors.

Individualized Research

Program is dedicated to deepening your understanding of religious phenomena, and broadening your global cultural knowledge.

Nonprofit Leadership Career Track

Religious Studies will help you on your path to a future career in Nonprofit and NGO leadership.

Degree Areas

Nonprofit Leadership, Religion, and Social Change BA 

This interdisciplinary degree prepares students for leadership in nonprofit, philanthropic, and community-based sectors. Students develop intercultural competence, strategic thinking, and practical skills for creating meaningful social change at local and global levels.

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Religious Studies BA 

Learning about religions means that you understand different cultures and develop a more global perspective. Religious Studies is the ideal major for those who seek a career in international & interdisciplinary fields.

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Nonprofit Leadership Concentration

The Concentration in Nonprofit Leadership is unique at Michigan State University, that will appear on your official transcript, and that gives you additional career options available only as a Religious Studies major at Michigan State University.

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Religious Studies Minor

To study religion is to develop cultural knowledge that will be of value both to you and to your future employer. We offer minors in both Religious Studies & Religion in the Americas.

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Nonprofit Leadership Online Graduate Programs

Our professional degree programs train and empower nonprofit leaders to tackle local and global challenges through an ethical lens while building intercultural competence and knowledge of human and ecological systems.

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Religious Studies BA 

Learning about religions means that you understand different cultures and develop a more global perspective. Religious Studies is the ideal major for those who seek a career in international & interdisciplinary fields.

Nonprofit Leadership Concentration

The Concentration in Nonprofit Leadership is unique at Michigan State University, that will appear on your official transcript, and that gives you additional career options available only as a Religious Studies major at Michigan State University.

Religious Studies Minor

To study religion is to develop cultural knowledge that will be of value both to you and to your future employer. We offer minors in both Religious Studies & Religion in the Americas.

Global nonprofit leadership M.A

Our Global Nonprofit Leadership M.A. is offered 100% online and our competency and knowledge-based curriculum allows you to build on your previous knowledge and experience while learning in a unique five-week course sequence that builds your skills and knowledge.

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Nonprofit Leadership

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What is Religious Studies?

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“My emphasis on Nonprofit Leadership has given me immense perspective about how to help bring people together using the skills learned throughout my Religious Studies major, including learning about people’s beliefs and traditions.”

Liv Swanton

Religious Studies Major with Nonprofit Leadership Focus

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featured News

From First-Generation Graduate to Rehabilitation Counselor and Advocate for Developmentally Disabled

Renee Hall earned dual bachelor’s degrees in English and Religious Studies from Michigan State University in 2010 and a master’s degree, also from MSU, in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2014. She has been an active member of the disability community for more than 20 years, serving in roles including advocate, direct support professional, service coordinator, counselor, and research specialist. She also is a first-generation college graduate.

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Religious Studies Professor Part of $3.6 Million NSF Grant to Build First-of-Its-Kind Solar-Agriculture Lab

Michigan State University scientists plan to build a first-of-its-kind outdoor lab to study how solar panels placed alongside crops cloud save water, improve soil health, and support ecosystems, all while boosting farmers’ bottom line and preserving farm production. The project, led by Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Anthony Kendall, is made possible by a five-year $3.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Gretel Van Wieren, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at MSU, is among the senior research personnel on the project.

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Collage of six professional headshots arranged in two rows of three. Top row: a smiling man in a suit jacket, a woman with curly hair wearing large earrings, and a smiling man with a beard in a plaid shirt and sweater. Bottom row: a man in a vest and collared shirt, a smiling woman with glasses and long hair, and a woman in a turtleneck sweater in front of a bookshelf.

2025 Faculty Award Winners Recognized for Outstanding Achievement

The College of Arts & Letters honored its Faculty Award Winners at the 2025 College of Arts & Letters Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 29 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. These faculty members were recognized for their outstanding leadership, teaching, innovation, and community engagement, as well as the significant impact they have made in enhancing curriculum and student experiences.

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