At Capital University (as at many other institutions), the academic study of religion and of philosophy are housed in a single department. Capital’s Religion and Philosophy Department offers majors and minors in religious studies and philosophy, as well as a professional program in which students complete theoretical and practical study of Christian ministry, in addition to fulfilling the requirem
ents for all religion majors. Graduates of the department find themselves well prepared for a broad range of careers. In addition to those students who work in ministry or continue in graduate ministry training, majors and minors in philosophy or religion go on to careers in business, enter graduate MA and PhD programs, attend law and medical school, become teachers, and put to good use both a specific knowledge base and the invaluable skill set that is common to the humanities: careful, critical analysis of problems and arguments, clear and effective writing and oral communication, creative problem-solving, and a capacity to take individual initiative toward both personal and common goals. Our students are also equipped with a broad awareness of how others have asked and answered the “big questions” that arise for all human persons: What does it mean to be human? What is our purpose and how can we live that purpose? How can we distinguish truth from its imitators? Is there more to the world and to our lives than what we perceive? Is there a God and if so, how shall we understand and relate to the divine?
