Department of Religious Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies
Students on Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025 requirements RELBA
Requirements
The major requires at least 30 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
- Area A (Africa, Europe, and West Asia). One (1) course:
- Any REL-A 100–499
- Area B (South and East Asia). One (1) course:
- Any REL-B 100–499
- Area C (The Americas). One (1) course:
- Any REL-C 100–499
- Area D (Theory, Ethics, Comparison). One (1) course:
- Any REL-D 100–499
- Majors Seminar in Religion. One (1) course:
- REL-R 389 Majors Seminar in Religion
REL-R 389 Majors Seminar in Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- Limited to majors
- Description
- Investigation of a theme or topic in the study of religion, with close attention to method, theory, and history of the discipline.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Electives.
- Advanced Electives. Three (3) additional credit hours:
- Any REL-A 400–499
- Any REL-B 400–499
- Any REL-C 400–499
- Any REL-D 400–499
- Any REL-R 400–499
- Religious Studies 200–499 Electives. Six (6) additional credit hours:
- Any REL-A 200–299
- Any REL-A 300–399
- Any REL-A 400–499
- Any REL-B 200–299
- Any REL-B 300–399
- Any REL-B 400–499
- Any REL-C 200–299
- Any REL-C 300–399
- Any REL-C 400–499
- Any REL-D 200–299
- Any REL-D 300–399
- Any REL-D 400–499
- Any REL-R 200–299
- Any REL-R 300–399
- Any REL-R 400–499
- Free Electives. Six (6) additional credit hours:
- Any REL-A 100–499
- Any REL-B 100–499
- Any REL-C 100–499
- Any REL-D 100–499
- Any REL-R 100–499
- One course from the following:
- COLL-C 103 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Humanities
- COLL-C 104 Critical Approaches to the Social and Historical Studies
COLL-C 103 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Humanities
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of COLL-C 103 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the arts and humanities Breadth of Inquiry area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of COLL-C 103 or COLL-S 103.
- Summer 2025CASE AHcourseSpring 2025CASE AHcourseFall 2024CASE AHcourse
- Summer 2025CASE CAPPcourseSpring 2025CASE CAPPcourseFall 2024CASE CAPPcourse
COLL-C 104 Critical Approaches to the Social and Historical Studies
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of COLL-C 104 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the social and historical studies Breadth of Inquiry area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of COLL-C 104 or COLL-S 104.
- Summer 2025CASE CAPPcourseSpring 2025CASE CAPPcourseFall 2024CASE CAPPcourse
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourseSpring 2025CASE SHcourseFall 2024CASE SHcourse
- Advanced Electives. Three (3) additional credit hours:
- Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- Major GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Major Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
- Major Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Major Residency. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College Breadth. At least 58 credit hours must be completed in courses from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines outside of the major area.
Major Area Courses
- Unless otherwise noted in the requirements above, courses that may apply toward the Credit Hours and GPA requirements in this academic program include all courses with the
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This program of study cannot be combined with the following:
- Bachelor of Arts in African American and African Diaspora Studies and Religious Studies (AAADRELBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies (PHILRELBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and African American and African Diaspora Studies (RELAAADBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy (RELPHILBA)
- Minor in Religious Studies (RELMIN)
Exceptions to and substitutions for major requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires at least 120 credit hours, to include the following:
- College of Arts and Sciences Credit Hours. At least 100 credit hours must come from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines.
- Upper Division Courses. At least 42 credit hours (of the 120) must be at the 300–499 level.
- College Residency. Following completion of the 60th credit hour toward degree, at least 36 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences coursework must be completed through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College GPA. A College grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.000 is required.
- CASE Requirements. The following College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE) requirements must be completed:
- CASE Foundations
- CASE Breadth of Inquiry
- CASE Culture Studies
- CASE Critical Approaches: 1 course
- CASE Foreign Language: Proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level coursework
- CASE Intensive Writing: 1 course
- CASE Public Oral Communication: 1 course
- CASE Sustainability Literacy: 1 course
- Major. Completion of the major as outlined in the Major Requirements section above.
Most students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Bloomington General Education program.
Subject areas
- Any AAAD course that carries degree credit
- Any AAST course that carries degree credit
- Any ABEH course that carries degree credit
- Any AFRI course that carries degree credit
- Any AMST course that carries degree credit
- Any ANTH course that carries degree credit
- Any ARTH course that carries degree credit
- Any ASCS course that carries degree credit
- Any AST course that carries degree credit
- Any BIOC course that carries degree credit
- Any BIOL course that carries degree credit
- Any BIOT course that carries degree credit
- Any CEUS course that carries degree credit
- Any CHEM course that carries degree credit
- Any CJUS course that carries degree credit
- Any CLAS course that carries degree credit
- Any CLLC course that carries degree credit
- Any CMLT course that carries degree credit
- Any COGS course that carries degree credit
- Any COLL course that carries degree credit
- Any EALC course that carries degree credit
- Any EAS course that carries degree credit
- Any ECON course that carries degree credit
- Any ENG course that carries degree credit
- Any EURO course that carries degree credit
- Any FOLK course that carries degree credit
- Any FRIT course that carries degree credit
- Any GEOG course that carries degree credit
- Any GER course that carries degree credit
- Any GLLC course that carries degree credit
- Any GNDR course that carries degree credit
- Any HHC course that carries degree credit
- Any HISP course that carries degree credit
- Any HIST course that carries degree credit
- Any HON course that carries degree credit
- Any HPSC course that carries degree credit
- Any HUBI course that carries degree credit
- Any IMP course that carries degree credit
- Any INST course that carries degree credit
- Any INTL course that carries degree credit
- Any JSTU course that carries degree credit
- Any LAMP course that carries degree credit
- Any LATS course that carries degree credit
- Any LING course that carries degree credit
- Any LTAM course that carries degree credit
- Any MATH course that carries degree credit
- Any MELC course that carries degree credit
- Any MEST course that carries degree credit
- Any MLS course that carries degree credit
- Any MSCH course that carries degree credit
- Any NEUS course that carries degree credit
- Any OVST course that carries degree credit
- Any PACE course that carries degree credit
- Any PHIL course that carries degree credit
- Any PHYS course that carries degree credit
- Any POLS course that carries degree credit
- Any PSY course that carries degree credit
- Any REEI course that carries degree credit
- Any REL course that carries degree credit
- Any RMI course that carries degree credit
- Any SEAS course that carries degree credit
- Any SGIS course that carries degree credit
- Any SLAV course that carries degree credit
- Any SLHS course that carries degree credit
- Any SLST course that carries degree credit
- Any SOAD course that carries degree credit
- Any SOC course that carries degree credit
- Any STAT course that carries degree credit
- Any THTR course that carries degree credit