Department of Theology and Religious Studies

About our program

"[If] I went back to college today, I would probably major in comparative religion, because that's how integrated it is in everything we are working on, deciding and thinking about in life today." – John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State.

One of the first questions we often hear from prospective students is, “do I have to be religious to major or minor in Theology and Religious Studies?”

Not at all. All you need is curiosity about how religion and spirituality relate to people’s lives and how they have an impact on societies and cultures.

More broadly, what you need is an interest in how people make meaning in life and derive their values. Some of our majors and minors are atheists or agnostics who just find religion fascinating as a powerful influence on history and on the contemporary world. Others are committed to a religious tradition and are interested in exploring it more deeply.

While faith commitments are very welcome, our courses do not require such a commitment. We have courses in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam so that students can learn about a variety of traditions or delve into one or two of them deeply.

The Theology and Religious Studies Department at Seattle University is:

• Social Justice-Oriented, addressing the experiences and realities of oppressed peoples and the integral relationship between religion and social justice in local and global contexts.
• Intellectual, contributing to students' intellectual growth by helping them develop the skills and knowledge to engage critically and effectively with the multi-religious dimensions of human life.
• Catholic and Jesuit, emphasizing an in-depth study of the Catholic tradition in dialogue with other religious and secular perspectives, in keeping with the Jesuit, Catholic commitment of Seattle University.
• Ecumenical and Interreligious, exploring the internal diversity within Christianity and other religious traditions.