About

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies comprises about 25 full-time faculty members committed to the academic study of religion within a broad range of religious traditions using diverse methodological approaches, including the theological, social scientific, historical, and literary.  The significant strength of Georgetown’s research and teaching in the fields of religion and theology reflect the Jesuit, Catholic identity of Georgetown University and its mission of engaging seriously and fully the religious dimension of human existence. 

The department’s contribution to the educational mission of Georgetown University takes multiple forms: it provides a diverse array of options for students to fulfill the university’s two required courses in theology; its majors program offers the opportunity for concentrated study in the areas of Religious Studies, Christian Theology, Religious Ethics, Biblical Studies, and Religion, Politics, and the Common Good; and it has developed a distinctive and innovative Ph.D. program in Religious Pluralism. 

The decisiveness of religious claims and institutions on our cultural and political lives, global affairs, and personal formation lends the study of religion a particular practical significance.  Theology focuses on the wisdom traditions of the religions themselves in order to augment contemporary intellectual inquiry.  Religious studies applies the analytical methods of the modern academy in order to address both practical and theoretical questions. The Theology and Religious Studies Department is committed to the integration and advancement of both in its inquiry into the religious dimensions of human life.