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

You’ll take an introductory course in either theological methods or religious studies. You’ll also complete one course each from five distinct areas. Finally, you choose five electives from across a vast catalog of courses, with topics ranging from Jesus in film to silk road religions.

See full degree requirements at the JCU Academic Catalog.

Capstone Experience

Senior Seminar

3 Credits

TRS4900

Culminating seminar for TRS majors and minors, inviting students to synthesize and integrate the breadth and depth of knowledge they have gained through their four-year course of studies. Interrogates the notion of "religion" as a comprehensive category and explores the possibilities and pitfalls of dialogue between religious communities. Meets the Core Capstone, AW, and OP requirements for the major. Restrictions: TRS Majors, TRS Minors, or by permission from Department Chair.
Core Requirements

Introduction to Biblical Studies

3 Credits

TRS4102

Upper-level introduction to the literature of the Bible, including the writings contained in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Selections representing the major biblical genres will be read, including legal, cultic, narrative, prophetic, poetic/liturgical, wisdom, apocalyptic, and epistolary material. Biblical texts will be analyzed in terms of their emergence in various cultural milieus. The history of the reception and interpretation of biblical texts will also be considered. Restrictions: TRS Majors, TRS Minors, or by permission from Department Chair.

Theological Methods

3 Credits

TRS4330

Consideration of key theological concepts (e.g., revelation, faith, scripture, tradition, community, context) and how they play out in several contemporary theological methodologies. Beginning with the assumption that all theology is contextual, the course locates individual thinkers within their different historical and cultural worlds—inviting students to reflect on what it means to do theology out of their own unique commitments, contexts, and life experiences. Does not satisfy the Jesuit Heritage TRS Core requirement. Offered: Every other Fall.
Restrictions: TRS Majors, TRS Minors, or by permission from Department Chair.
Professional Development

Cas Professional Development

0 Credits

CE2001

A series of online modules, workshops, and career-related experiences to practice, polish, and perfect professional skills necessary in securing internships, research experiences, entry into graduate and professional schools, and post-graduation jobs.

Philip Metres, Ph.D

Professor

Dr. Metres is the author of thirteen books, including Fugitive/Refuge (2024) and The Sound of Listening (2018). His work has garnered fellowships from the Guggenheim and Lannon Foundations, the National Endowment of the Arts, and others. He is a professor of English at John Carroll University in Cleveland.
Bernard Prusak

Smiley Chair in Business Ethics
Professor

Bernard Prusak is a Professor at John Carroll University.

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