The Bible has played an important role in shaping culture, history, literature, the arts, and law in societies around the world. In biblical studies courses, students develop informed perspectives on the Bible’s influence in politics, public life, and popular culture; its role in religious faith and practice; the Bible’s relationship to the study of race, gender, and sexuality; its role in social movements, ethics, and meaning making, and more. Students develop knowledge that will serve them in other areas of study, in their careers, and in their ongoing lives and roles as citizens.

Students taking even a single course in biblical studies will be able to apply what they have learned to their chosen fields of study. This is because academic study of the Bible intersects with many other disciplines. Biblical studies courses often include theoretical approaches and topics related to a range of fields, including but not limited to African and Africana studies, American studies, anthropology, archaeology, literature, art history, ethics, environmental studies, history, languages, linguistics, film studies, music, philosophy, peace and justice studies, politics, pre-law, psychology, sociology, theology, and women’s, gender and sexuality studies.

Students become more culturally aware and religiously literate in biblical studies courses. They also acquire competence as strong readers, precise writers, and critical thinkers, analyzing not only the relationships between texts but also the ways in which those texts connect to their social settings and to the interpretive communities that continue to read them. They can then apply these critical skills and learning to other classes, as well as to contemporary situations and their careers.

Most employers are not looking for specific disciplinary skills. Instead, they want to hire people capable of learning and growing into a position and adapting to a variety of jobs over the course of their career. Courses in biblical studies help students develop many of the top ten skills employers identify as important, including facility in both written and verbal expression, the ability to work through complex information and problems, an understanding of global contexts, and a strong sense of ethics and values.
It Takes More than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success

Did you know that 60% of American CEOs have humanities degrees? The short and long-term employment outlook for majors in the humanities, including biblical studies, is excellent, due to the depth and breadth of their training and the intellectual flexibility this work helps to cultivate.

Studies show that students in the humanities earn good salaries and find ample opportunity for career development and advancement. In short, humanities degrees and courses in areas like biblical studies prepare students for a wide range of jobs in the public and private sectors, including not-for-profit work and business. Humanities degrees also prepare students for graduate and professional schools in fields such as medicine, law, and business.

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