Department of Religion and Philosophy

As a significant contributor to Shaw University’s liberal arts program, the mission of Shaw University’s baccalaureate religion and philosophy program is to educate, facilitate, and graduate majors who are competent in the field for entry level vocations and/or graduate school, to enhance their understanding of the spiritual, philosophical and ethical values of our diverse world and with regard to Shaw’s own distinct heritage within the Christian and African-American tradition, and to promote the discipline of healthy religious and philosophical discourse through the commitment to scholarly inquiry, research, and discussion.

The educational programs are structured around curricula that enable students to gain balanced exposure to the nature, tasks, and roles of ministers,theologians, philosophers, ethicists, and human services professionals in communities of faith, the public square, and the academy. These curricula include (1) a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy, (2) Associate of Arts in Religious Studies (The Associates of Arts Program is presently suspended.), and (3) a minor in either religion or philosophy for students in other degree programs of liberal arts and sciences.

In addition to the main campus in Raleigh, these areas of study are offered through the University’s Centers for Alternative Programs in Education (CAPE) at Ahoskie,Asheville, Durham, Fayetteville, Greenville, High Point, Kannapolis, Rocky Mount/Wilson, and Wilmington, North Carolina.

The department boasts a committed and accomplished faculty who are dedicated to their students and to helping them achieve their educational and career goals. To that end the departmental full-time faculty endeavor to offer all of the required major courses online in alternating semesters as well as the courses being taught in a face to face format. This allows the students to graduate in a timely fashion and permits students fuller exposure to the diverse faculty.