Theology and Religious Studies

Bachelor of Arts

Degree Type:

B.A.

College:

College of Arts & Sciences

Department:

Theology & Religious Studies

Learn to ask big questions that cut across the entire human experience.

Studying theology and religion helps you understand and respond to the forces that shape modern businesses, international events, and interpersonal relationships.

The Theology and Religious Studies major at John Carroll University will prepare you for any career that involves cross-cultural communication, empathetic client interaction, ethical decision-making, or social advocacy. With its emphasis on writing, research, and critical thinking, a bachelor's degree in theology is also excellent preparation for graduate school.

Our program is firmly grounded in the Jesuit Catholic tradition and radically open to the diversity of faiths that enrich our world.

13 Carroll Faith Communities
#4 most engaged in community service (Princeton Review, 2024)
90% of students complete 2+ high-impact experiences, such as internships or service-learning
14:1 Student-to-faculty ratio at JCU

Experiential Learning

Participate in a service-learning experience with a local nonprofit. Take field trips to synagogues, mosques, churches, and temples. Study abroad for a summer or semester.

Interreligious Understanding

Participate in interfaith conversations and programs. The Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding hosts a variety of events each year, often in collaboration with student groups and faculty.

Learn about the Tuohy Center

Campus Involvement

Get involved with a faith or cultural organization, such as Hillell at JCU or Muslim Student Association. Join a Carroll Faith Community, student-led groups grounded in spirituality and friendship.

Experiential Learning

Participate in a service-learning experience with a local nonprofit. Take field trips to synagogues, mosques, churches, and temples. Study abroad for a summer or semester.
Interreligious Understanding

Participate in interfaith conversations and programs. The Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding hosts a variety of events each year, often in collaboration with student groups and faculty.

Learn about the Tuohy Center
Campus Involvement

Get involved with a faith or cultural organization, such as Hillell at JCU or Muslim Student Association. Join a Carroll Faith Community, student-led groups grounded in spirituality and friendship.

Program Overview & Outcomes

With flexible requirements and an incredibly diverse range of courses available, this versatile major can be customized to fit your academic and professional goals. Many of our students pursue a double major — and choose electives that connect and complement their second area of study.

When you major in theology and religious studies at JCU, you will learn to:

Critically analyze the religious dimensions of the human experience as expressed in sacred texts, art, ritual practice, ethical commitments, philosophy/theology, and social structures
Identify ways in which religious or ethical traditions — and the critical study thereof — provide resources for responding to injustice and living ethically

Curriculum: What You Will Learn

Building on the two-course requirement of the core, the TRS major ensures a broad grounding in five content areas and provides maximum flexibility to pursue the topics important to you. Design your own pathway in Catholic theology, Islamic or Jewish Studies, ethics, or social justice.

See full degree requirements at the JCU Academic Catalog.

Sample Courses

Jesus in Film

3 Credits

TRS3126

Introduction to the words and deeds of the historical Jesus of Nazareth, as understood by his contemporaries. Comparisons to how Jesus was later understood and portrayed by his followers (e.g., in the New Testament) and in popular media (art, literature, and film).

Islam in America

3 Credits

TRS3441

Introduction to the history of Islam and its arrival in North America. Focus on the experience of American Muslims, including African-American Muslims, immigrant Muslims, and new American converts. Considers all levels of the Muslim public sphere in the U.S. and current U.S. relations with Muslim countries.

Justice & Ethics in Health Care

3 Credits

TRS3584

Explores the various ethical considerations surrounding health care and its delivery as these impact individuals, institutions, and society. Special attention given to the relationship between ethical considerations and religious commitments. Moral theories, terms, and concepts that govern healthcare considerations and policies determining bedside clinical decisions will be introduced and applied to analyze various case studies. A social justice lens will focus on the causes, conditions, and consequences of injustice relevant to current controversial topics such as the right and access to health care, bias and discrimination in research and treatment, patient autonomy, informed consent, conscientious objection, resource allocation, genetic engineering, organ allocation and trafficking.

Zeki Saritoprak

Professor/Chair

Zeki Saritoprak is a Professor/Chair at John Carroll University.
Noah Bickart

Assoc Professor/Mandel Chair

Professor Noah Benjamin Bickart holds the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Chair in Jewish Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at John Carroll University.
Jim Bretzke

Professor

Jim Bretzke is a Professor at John Carroll University.
Edward Hahnenberg

Professor

Dr. Edward P. Hahnenberg is the Breen Chair in Catholic Theology and Director of the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding at John Carroll University.
Kristen Tobey, Ph.D

Associate Professor

Kristen J Tobey, Ph.D is an Associate Professor at John Carroll University.
Thomas R. Blanton, IV

Visiting Assistant Professor (New Testament and early Christianity)

Explore the Theology & Religious Studies program at John Carroll University, examining diverse religious experiences and preparing for impactful careers.

Deepen your scholarship in theology, ethics, and religious thought. Prepare for careers in ministry, education, counseling, or service-driven work. Through the accelerated pathway, complete your master's in just one additional year.

Build leadership and business skills with JCU's AACSB-accredited MBA. A natural complement to any major—including theology. Through the accelerated pathway, add your MBA in just one additional year.

Two degrees in five years—not six. Combine rigorous scholarship with Jesuit values for service, teaching, or ministry.

Two degrees in five years—not six. Combine your theological foundation with business expertise for nonprofit leadership, church administration, or mission-driven work.

“To major in TRS is not to simply study religion, but to grasp at that "something more", articulate it, and wrestle with the deepest part of the human experience.”

Kerry Kelly '26