范德比尔特大学校园内的宗教学术研究始于宗教研究系。我们的首要任务是单独和比较地教育学生不同宗教传统的性质，历史和功能。在检查这些宗教在文化和社会背景下的位置时，应格外小心，同时要检查它们在塑造个人和群体对人类事务行为的看法中所起的关键作用。该系提供宗教学专业，宗教学副修和荣誉学位。目前，重点领域包括（按字母顺序）非裔美国人宗教传统，佛教和亚洲宗教传统，基督教，伊斯兰教和犹太教。
The first and primary mission of the Department of Religious Studies is to educate students in the nature, history, and function of different religious traditions, both individually and comparatively. Care is taken to situate these religions in their cultural and social contexts, while examining the critical roles they play in shaping individual and group perspectives on the conduct of human affairs. The department offers a major in Religious Studies, a minor in Religious Studies, and an Honors track. Areas of concentration include African-American Religious Traditions, Buddhism and Asian Religious Traditions, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.<br>Religious Studies majors begin with a descriptive but multidisciplinary study of the subject. Along the way, they learn a variety of analytical tools, theoretical perspectives, and practical methods for interpretation. The major's comparative component ensures that students recognize the commonalities of various religious traditions, thereby developing a sense of the abstract idea of religion while maintaining a strong sense of the historical differences among traditions. Students emerge from the program with a set of analytical skills and disciplined perspectives on this all-important feature of human experience skills and perspectives that prepare them to thrive in an increasingly pluralistic, global world.