Graduate study and careers in religious professions

Another significant option for students of religion is a career in a profession that is directly related to a community of faith. In non-sectarian institutions, the study of religion is academic and not confessional, but it can provide an excellent basis for going on to specific training to be the leader of a religious community or one of its professional members.

Some professional positions within a religious community may be available to a religion major straight out of college, but most require graduate training at a seminary or theological school. In these institutions, which are usually affiliated with a single denomination or branch of a religious tradition, graduate students are able to specialize in theology, divinity, ministry, mission, religious education, religious counseling, and religious music at the Masters and in some cases at the doctoral level.

For further information on training in these fields, consult websites produced by The Association of Theological Schools, The Forum for Theological Education, and the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion.