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

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.

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.

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.

Religious Studies BA

Nonprofit Leadership Concentration

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.

Nonprofit Leadership

What is Religious Studies?

“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

Learn More >

featured News

Childhood photo of Salman Hamdani standing near the waterfront with the New York City skyline and Twin Towers in the background.

MSU Professor’s Documentary on 9/11 Hero to Air on WKAR-HD

When the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, Salman Hamdani rushed toward the Twin Towers to help. The 23-year-old New York City Police Department cadet and emergency medical technician lost his life that day, but his story of heroism — and his family’s struggle to ensure he was recognized as a hero — lives on in a documentary film co-created by Mohammad Khalil, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University.

A man speaks into a microphone before a seated audience during the College of Arts & Letters Colloquium 2026, with welcome slides projected behind him.

College Begins 2026-27 Academic Year with New Programs, People, and Possibilities

A new academic year brings new beginnings and Fall 2026 marks an especially significant moment for Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters. Students are returning to a college that has grown in scope, with new academic programs, newly housed majors, and expanded opportunities. The year also brings a new slate of performances, exhibitions, and other creative and academic experiences.

A group of 12 new faculty and staff members pose together for a photo in a meeting room at Michigan State University.

College Welcomes 20 New Faculty and Staff Members

With the start of the Fall 2026 Semester, the College of Arts and Letters is welcoming 20 new faculty and staff members whose talents, experiences, and perspectives will contribute to the college’s teaching, research, creative activity, and student support. New faculty and staff members will be recognized during the College of Arts and Letters’ 2026 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Monday, Sept. 28.

Global Cultural Knowledge

We offer

Small Class Sizes

Individualized Research

Nonprofit Leadership Career Track

Degree Areas

Nonprofit Leadership, Religion, and Social Change BA

Religious Studies BA

Nonprofit Leadership Concentration

Religious Studies Minor

Nonprofit Leadership Online Graduate Programs

Religious Studies BA

Nonprofit Leadership Concentration

Religious Studies Minor

Global nonprofit leadership M.A

featured News

MSU Professor’s Documentary on 9/11 Hero to Air on WKAR-HD

College Begins 2026-27 Academic Year with New Programs, People, and Possibilities

College Welcomes 20 New Faculty and Staff Members

Events