Hey yall,
I have found myself interested in some colleges/universities via the list below. As far as I am aware, these schools are all in some way religiously affiliated. I, however, am not religious myself but these schools seem great otherwise. I am hoping the religious affiliation wouldn’t be a complete deal breaker but it really depends on how strong the religious atmosphere is & how open-minded the student body/faculty are.
Colleges:
- Fordham U
- Pepperdie U
- U of Portland
- Loyola Marymount U
- Chapman University
- Occidental College
- American U
if anyone has any insight it would be very appreciated. Thanks!
Fordham. Not religious but has a service ethos and commitment to a broad education that includes humanities for all that is part of its Jesuit heritage.
Pepperdine. Definitely more conservative than most college campuses.
Portland. Don’t know.
Chapman. Don’t know.
LMU. Same as Fordham but with the California vibe.
Occi and American. Not aware it has any impact at all.
Fordham, Portland and Loyola are Jesuit schools. They have a mission to serve the world and will have a religious course (usually 2 or 3) requirement although the number and types of courses that can meet the requirements are huge. There may also be a service requirement. No one will try to convert you.
Of the others, Pepperdine is probably the most religious. I don’t think American is at all.
Curious what those courses are. When I was in college, I almost had enough REL credits to earn a minor, but our REL courses included ethics classes such as Judeo-Christian Ethics, Business Ethics, Sports Ethics, Bio-Medical Ethics, etc. So in reality, the religion courses weren’t necessarily “religious”.
The Catholic schools usually will all require 1-3 classes in religious studies. But they are more History or Sociology classes, not preaching or Bible study or anything near that. And all religions are offered as far as topics goes.
Pepperdine is a bit different from the rest - that’s a bit more religious.
I agree with the above posters’ ratings.
Go to each school’s website and see what the gen ed requirements are and if any are religious. Then look in the course catalog to see if any of the courses that fulfill the religion requirement appeal to you—typically there are a wide range of courses that will meet the requirement, some of which aren’t focused on ‘religion’. Also check if there is required chapel/religious service attendance. Here is Pepperdine’s https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/student-life/spiritual/convocation/
“how open-minded the student body/faculty are.” That same openness will be required from OP. And he needs to check what’s current.
American: never knew it had any religious affiliation. It’s got kids from around the world. Chapman: https://www.chapman.edu/campus-life/fish-interfaith-center/about/faqs.aspx
OP needs to read up. Many schools are independent of their founding religious ties. Many use them as a basis for a pluralist philosophy (Oxy.)
This is like asking if Georgetown is “too” Catholic.
Not sure how anyone could possibly answer your question. Instead, why don’t you take a look at required courses for each school. At Marymount, for example, the liberal arts requires courses in Theology/Philosophy/Religious Studies. Is that something your student is willing to do?
Just adding, nothing wrong with a required philosopy or religion class. There are all sorts of rounding requirements at many colleges. So often, you can pick the class(es) that meet the requirement, but still interest you. These colleges are not trying to recruit you to their religions, but ensure some breadth in your studies.
There are far more religious colleges we could warn you against, where being uniform is a primary concern. Or, where the number of kids belonging to that religion is so high that your socializing opps are changed. We don’t seem to know UPortland, but so many diverse kids do study happily at the others.