McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Religious Studies
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (15-17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3-4
	RELG 101 or RELG 120	Exploring Religions or Comparative Religion	3	C
	UNIV 101	The Student in the University or Carolina Core Requirement4 (PR/CC)	3

Semester Two (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
		RELG Major Course (100-level or higher)5 (MR)	3	C

Semester Three (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		RELG Major Course (200-level or higher)5 (MR)	3	C
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (PR/CC)	3
		Social Science	3
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C

Semester Four (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		RELG Major Course (200-level or higher)5 (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3

Semester Five (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	RELG 390	Theories of Religion (MR)	3	C
		RELG Major Course (300-level or higher)5 (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
		History7 (CR)	3
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3

Semester Six (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		RELG Major Course (300-level or higher)5 (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (or Elective8 if RELG 120 chosen above) (CR/PR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3

Semester Seven (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		RELG Major Course (300-level or higher)5 (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3

Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	RELG 488	Perspective in Religious Studies9 (offered only in Spring semester) (MR/CC-INT)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	3
		Elective8 (PR)	1

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	24	52-64	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
4. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
5. The major in Religious Studies requires 18 elective credit hours be completed in Religious Studies Courses. Students may apply up to 9 credit hours from the 100-level and 200-level, not to exceed 3 credit hours at the 100-level.
6. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of, but related to the major. In place of a cognate, a student may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of courses concentrated in one area that follow a structured sequence. A second major eliminates the minor/cognate requirement.
7. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
8. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.
9. RELG 488 may be taken in the spring semester prior to the senior year or in the spring of the senior year.

Program Notes

• Courses identified as “critical” must be completed in the student’s first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• Students have the option to complete an Intensive Major in Religious Studies. In addition to all of the Religious Studies degree requirements, students must complete: 1) an additional RELG course at the 300-level or above or, with advisor approval, a course that relates directly to the research path selected from anthropology, classics, history, languages, or philosophy, and 2) RELG 498, Advanced Project, in the senior year.
• Graduation “with Distinction” is an optional program of study, in which students actively engage in significant research, scholarship, and/or performance activities in collaboration with a faculty mentor within a chosen major. Graduation with Distinction for this program of study requires: 1) fulfillment of all requirements for the Intensive Major in Religious Studies, 2) a minimum major GPA of 3.75, and 3) a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement