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A Buddhist temple, part of the focus of Oregon State's religious studies online degree program.

Religious studies online program puts Oregon State in rare company

December 5, 2018  ·  2 minutes  ·  By Tyler Hansen

New bachelor’s degree emphasizes the academic study of religions

A Buddhist temple, part of the focus of Oregon State's religious studies online degree program. The temple is ornately designed with vibrant gold, red, blue, green and white statues and designs.

The new online bachelor’s program in religious studies will give distance learners the opportunity to dissect the relationship between religion and society and how they affect diversity, civility and social justice.

By Tyler Hansen

Someone who wants to earn a religious studies degree online doesn’t have many options when it comes to programs that focus on the academic study of world religions.

Thanks to Oregon State University, students not only have a new option to consider, but they can also do it while enrolled with one of the nation’s best providers of online education.

Oregon State recently launched a bachelor’s degree in religious studies that is available 100 percent online, making it one of the only programs of its kind in the country due to its comparative analysis of world religions, traditions and their impact on past civilizations to modern day.

Rather than teach religion and theology as many similar programs do, this new offering will guide students as they delve into the relationship between religion and society and how they affect diversity, civility and social justice. The program develops and applies the skills of critical humanistic thinking to religion and the religious experience.

Interdisciplinary religious studies curriculum with life-changing learning outcomes

Delivered entirely online by Oregon State Ecampus – the university’s top-ranked provider of distance education – the religious studies coursework will impart a distinctive breadth of knowledge in Asian and Eastern religions, with faculty specializing in Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese religions.

Graduates will leave the program with a heightened sense of global understanding, their responsibilities as citizens, empathy for others, and enhanced critical skills in reasoning and writing.

The religious studies bachelor’s program is offered by Oregon State’s College of Liberal Arts, which recently was ranked as America’s No. 1 university when it comes to delivering a high-quality liberal arts education online.


About Oregon State University Ecampus: As a leader in online education, Oregon State Ecampus provides access to exceptional learning experiences that transform the lives of students in Oregon and around the world. OSU Ecampus delivers more than 50 bachelor’s and graduate programs and over 1,200 classes online and in a hybrid format. Oregon State consistently ranks among the nation’s best providers of online education. Learn more about OSU degrees online at ecampus.oregonstate.edu.

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Tyler Hansen

Tyler Hansen is a writer for Oregon State University Ecampus. He primarily writes feature stories on the Oregon State students and faculty who learn and teach online, news stories and articles that provide readers with the information they need to continue their educational journeys. Prior to starting at Oregon State in 2011, he worked as a sports writer, journalism teacher and arts and entertainment editor.

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