Santa Clara University

 

On this site you will find information about the mission of our department and the mission of the university, about the courses and university programs in the Department of Religious Studies, information about careers and graduate school in the field of religious studies, tools for our majors and minors, background on our faculty and staff, religion resources for all students and alumni, links to the department's Local Religion Project, and updates on departmental events and news.

Also on this site, you can learn about interdisciplinary minors and which religious studies classes count toward each of those minors.  Our newest interdisciplinary minor is the Arabic, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies (AIMES) Program.  In addition to that program, we have interdisciplinary minors in Catholic Studies, Asian Studies, Ethnic Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Please feel free to explore, using the navigation menu on the left.  If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.

The Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries, located in the School of Education, Counseling Psychology, and Pastoral Ministries, offers master's degrees in Catechetics, Pastoral Liturgy, Spirituality, and Liturgical Music. Many of these courses are taught by faculty from the Department of Religious Studies.  The Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries has an online application.

Reflections from the Class of 2008

	"I was never planning on studying religious studies at Santa Clara. Having gone to public school my entire life, religion classes were very new to me. In fact, coming into SCU as a freshman, I was ready to take my three R.S. courses and fulfill my requirement as soon as possible. After taking a few courses though, I realized what an interesting and pertinent subject matter religious studies is. Not only was I learning something new, but these classes challenged me in ways I was not used to. Deciding to continue my religious studies courses and pursue a minor is perhaps one of the best decisions I have made over the last four years. The knowledge I have gained has been a great supplement to my business education. Thank you for all that you and your department have done not only for me, but for all the students at Santa Clara. " (Kyle Ozawa)
	"A special thanks for the warm, caring community that each of you help to sustain in the department.  More than anything, your 'care for souls' has been the single most influential factor in my flourishing as religious studies major." "The field trips in my 'Islam' class greatly enriched my understanding of and sensitivity to Islam." (Maggi Van Dorn)
	Click here to read more.