Document Type
Article
Academic Year
2025-2026
Approved Date
3-13-2026
Abstract
This proposal outlines the initiative to rename the University of Dayton’s Department of Religious Studies to the Department of Theology and Religious Studies to better reflect the modern academic and public distinction between the two fields. While "religious studies" is now widely understood as a secular, third-person analysis of religion, "theology" refers to the insider study of a faith tradition, which directly aligns with the department's faculty expertise and its explicitly theological MA and PhD programs. Because prospective students and local faith communities increasingly associate the term "religious studies" with purely secular education, the department has faced enrollment losses from students mistakenly worried they cannot pursue ministry or theology degrees. By expanding the name, the department aims to clear up this confusion, improve online search discoverability, better attract faith-aligned undergraduate and graduate applicants, and bring its branding in line with prominent Catholic peer institutions like Georgetown and Villanova.
Recommended Citation
University of Dayton. Department of Religious Studies, "DOC 2026-08 Proposal to Rename the Department of Religious Studies to the Department of Theology and Religious Studies" (2026). Senate Documents. 350.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/senate_docs/350
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