<p>So, can I just ask a general question? I am a religious studies major at UVA--only in my second year--but the more I study my subject, the more I am interested in it. I have had many professors who make me toy with the idea of divinity school or some sort of theological-related graduate background. However, I have no intention of going into the ministry, nor of becoming an academic. What sorts of careers do most people pursue after completing divinity school, and is it mostly limited to these two categories, or can it be more general?</p>
<p>You kinda answered your own question.</p>
<p>Getting a graduate or doctoral degree in theology is an extensive course of study preparing you for a career in the ministry or teaching religion. Is that degree going to materially help you get a job in non-religious fields? Not really - you’re not gaining any knowledge, skills or abilities that are significantly applicable to non-religious career fields.</p>
<p>Graduate school in general tends to be a highly-specialized set of studies that prepares students for a very specific professional or academic path - one much more specific than an undergraduate degree. Before anyone enrolls in graduate school, they need to have a solid career plan or at the very least an intended direction that matches up with their field of study.</p>
<p>Most denominational seminaries or theological schools prepare for ministerial careers. Places like Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, University of Chicago Divinity School, and to some extent Princeton Theological Seminary add further academic and professional dimensions. HDS for example prepares students for a wide variety of professions (through different kinds of degrees and programs) beyond ministry and academe. Here is some relevant info from their site:</p>
<p>[Career</a> Services | Harvard Divinity School](<a href=“http://www.hds.harvard.edu/life-at-hds/career-services]Career”>Career Services | Harvard Divinity School (HDS))</p>
<p>An unexpected admissions twist, though, is that many programs at the above schools prefer applicants who were not undergrad religion majors. They want their programs enriched with students with strong backgrounds in a variety of disciplines. That doesn’t mean that you should drop your current major, but you certainly should research this angle as closely and carefully as possible.</p>
<p>^What polarscribe said. Graduate study is really designed to prepare you for some sort of career. It’s not like going to undergrad all over again, and isn’t really designed to just allow you to explore further some area in which you are interested. There have been many programs in recent years that have popped up like that, taking advantage of the bad economy and students’ uncertainty about grad school (like master’s of liberal studies or what have you). But those are generally cash cow programs that serve the purpose of making money for the university.</p>
<p>If you really like your subject, great! There are many ways you can continue to pursue that interest. VIsit museums, live nearby a college or university and attend lectures, read books, join discussion groups. You can even take classes as a non-degree student from time to time. But unless you want a career related to divinity, don’t get a divinity degree. If you want to do something else, pursue the credentials that will qualify you for that career.</p>