Religious Studies Major Meets Career
Many graduates of Naropa’s BA in Religious Studies program enter careers in writing, translating, and teaching, while many others go on to pursue advanced degrees in a range of fields.
Discover Career Pathways for Religious Studies Graduates
Career Options
Vocational/Affiliations
- Clergy and Other Religious Leaders including Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Islamic, Hindu, Greek Orthodox
- Vocation as Monk, Rabbi, Nun, Pastor, Priest/Priestess, etc.
- Spiritual counselor or coach
- Chaplaincy
- Mission Work: Church, community, education, medical, evangelism, etc.
- Ministries i.e. food bank, youth, adult and leisure
- Counseling/Recovery
- Religious Education
- Care for children and elderly
- Family Life Center Management
- Music-Oriented Ministries
- Religious Camp
- Administration
Management/Business
- Administration/Management
- Fundraising, grant writing
- Spiritual care manager
- Nonprofit initiatives
- Coaching, therapeutic, wellness programming & entrepreneurial ventures
- NCOS
- Human Resources opportunities: Diversity/equity/inclusion, training & development, recruitment
- Marketing, Public relations, sales
Social/Community Services
- Wellness, health & healing vocations
- Volunteer services/organizations
- Policy analysis & advocacy
- Research, grant writing, fundraising
- Legislative & justice system work
- Case Management, counseling, rehabilitation
- Crisis Services (pregnancy, housing, etc.)
- Church-based organizing/Community Development
International/Foreign Relations
- Humanitarian Services Development: economic, community, disaster/Disease Relief
- Policy Development
- Program Administration
- Volunteer Coordination
- Peace Keeping or Peace-building
- Conflict Resolution/Management
- Diplomacy/Faith-based Diplomacy
- Public Service: foreign Affairs, International Security, International Law
Education
- Humanitarian Services Development: economic, community, disaster/Disease Relief
- Policy Development
- Program Administration
- Volunteer Coordination
- Peace Keeping or Peace-building
- Conflict Resolution/Management
- Diplomacy/Faith-based Diplomacy
- Public Service: foreign Affairs, International Security, International Law
Language/Communications
- Teaching
- Curriculum Development
- Tutoring
- Translating/Interpreting
- Research
- Writing
- Library Science
- Higher Education Administration
- International Student Support Services
- International Houses or Cultural Centers
- Student Affairs
- Study Abroad Programming
- Foreign News Correspondence
- International Broadcasting
- Reporting
- Editorial/Column Writing
- Investigative Journalism
- Photography
- Freelance Work
Artistic/Creative
Potential Employers/Organizations
Vocational/Affiliations
- Local churches, synagogues, mosques
- Religious organizations
- Religious communities, e.g. convents and monasteries
- Religious retreat centers
- Denominational boards and agencies
- Monasteries
- Military service
- Hospitals, hospices
- Homes for children, youth, senior citizens
- Correctional institutions
- Police and fire departments
- Missions boards
- Evangelical organizations
- Religious-based camps
Management/Business
- Being involved in a nonprofit re: grant writing, fundraising, marketing, outreach, etc.
- Creating your own organization re: education, coaching, wellness initiatives
- Human Resources: diversity/equity/inclusion, training and development, recruitment
- Marketing, public relations, journalism, publishers
- Product and service organizations
- Religious affiliated retail stores
- Consulting firms re: religious/spirituality, education & advocacy
- Entrepreneurial/start up, incubators and funding organizations
Social/Community Services
- Nonprofit and social services organizations including: United Way, Red Cross, Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, etc.
- Immigrant and refugee service providers
- Migrant service providers
- Hospitals, hospices, clinics
- Residential treatment facilities
- Correctional institutions
- Shelters
- Nursing, retirement, elderly and assisted living facilities
- Youth organizations and camps including YMCA, YWCA, Young Life, Campus Life, etc.
- Churches, synagogues, and mosques
- Lobby agencies
- Mental health institutions
- Private and group practice
- Federal, state, or local government
- Public welfare agencies designed to support minority populations
International/Foreign Relations
- International aid and relief NGOs
- Nonprofits i.e. refugee organizations, Habitat for Humanity, vital voices, red cross, care
- Voices or Habitat for Humanity
- Federal government agencies with an international focus, e.g. Peace Corps, USAID and the Foreign Service (State Department)
- Private voluntary organizations
- Humanitarian organizations, e.g. International Red Cross and CARE
- Religious organizations, e.g. World Vision
- National Security Council
- United Nations
Education
- Private, Waldorf, charter, secondary and religious-affiliated institutions
- Multicultural education and programming
- Seminaries and religious-based programming and education
Artistic/Creative
- Online blog, social media, content creation
- Publication art/writing i.e. magazines, newspapers, etc.
- Broadcast, radio, film agencies
- Foreign news agencies
- Advertising agencies
- Publishing houses
- Museums & galleries
- Tourism agencies, chamber bureaus, and visitor centers
- Organizations and centers devoted to the promotion of the religious/spiritual arts
- Freelance/entrepreneurial ventures
Language/Communications
- Publishing, copyrighting, editing for spiritual/religious-based publications
- Radio, television, and film
- Denominational boards/agencies
- Interdenominational organizations
- Local churches, synagogues, and mosques
- Advertising and public relation agencies
- Museums
- Galleries
- University and commercial publishing companies
- Magazine and newspaper publishers
- Professional and trade associations
- Electronic media organizations
- Websites
Career Path Preparedness
Strategies for Success
- Sign up for the Internship class and complete an internship related to the psychology/counseling field. See the Career & Life Development office on MyNaropa for the full internship site list and for a variety of different organizations to get involved in.
- Get involved in school leadership groups & resources i.e. SUN, the Naropa community, residence halls, CARE team, CReST, conflict/mediation support, leadership groups, etc.
- Complete a service-learning project aligned with your career goals/path. See your COR professors & advisors for details.
- Align your classes, curriculum, research projects and thesis/capstone projects with your career goals/path.
- Volunteer/familiarize yourself with organizations that align with your career goals & provide the opportunity for hands-on training.
- Earn a minor in a specialized field of interest.
- Ensure you have taken any undergraduate prerequisites if you are pursuing a graduate degree in religious studies / international relations, etc.
- Work with a teacher, mentor, etc. to help build your skill set and training in terms of spiritual/religious vocation areas of interest.
- Attend workshops, conferences, MeetUps, panels, etc. to build your connections.
- Obtain skills in business, marketing, technology to increase employment and entrepreneurial options.
- Own your global, cultural and political skills and understanding. Leverage that in securing other careers in a variety of fields i.e. technology, business, marketing, education, government, humanitarian services, etc.
- Understand and practice communicating the transferable and sought-after skills that you acquire from religious and spiritual studies.
- Develop verbal, written, non-verbal and translation competencies in other languages to increase your international relations skill set.
- Work, study, travel abroad to develop intercultural relationships, understanding, humility, and sensitivity.
Continuing Education
If you are interested pursuing a graduate degree, there are several things you will want to keep in mind while in your undergraduate studies:
- Academic work and the way you show up is VERY important. Put in your best effort academically and aim for a high grade point average.
- Relationships matter. REALLY matter. Build positive connections while in the Naropa community with faculty, staff, colleagues, etc. These relationships will continue to support you and you can ask those same people to provide recommendation letters for your graduate degree applications!
- Get experience! A lot of it. Either through academic, internship, volunteer or work opportunities. This will bolster your application and CV immensely!
Alumnx Spotlight
Getting connected with Naropa Alumnx is a great way to build your professional network and resources. Some ways to get involved are:
- Connect with Naropa’s Office of Development and the Alumnx Relations Officer at 303-546-3594 or nualumni@naropa.edu.
- Join Naropa University’s Facebook page
- Visit the Alumnx & Resources page.
- Reach out to Naropa Alumnx on Linkedln
- Attend Career & Life Development events and Alumnx panels
