Academic Catalog

Philosophy | Bachelor of Arts: Religious Education and Community Engagement

The Religious Education and Community Engagement degree prepares students who wish to enter faith connected employment. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed program, which includes coursework in philosophy, religion, leadership, sociology, history, and marketing, and the skills developed in these courses would prepare students for a range of professional careers within religious and community settings.  From roles like youth, children’s, or music minister to non-profit employee, fundraiser, or executive director the Religious Education and Community Engagement degree provides practical skills at an exceptional value for online or on-campus students.

Program Summary

General Education34
Bachelor of Arts Language Requirement10
Required Courses27
Directed Electives12
Open Electives37
Total Hours120

Program Requirements

General Education

All undergraduate degrees require completion of the Kansas Systemwide General Education

Courses identified with GE on this page may satisfy a general education requirement in addition to the identified degree requirement.  Students who apply a degree requirement to satisfy a general education requirement will typically add an equal number of hours to the university elective category.  This flexibility may allow you to complete a minor or certificate within the 120 hour degree.  Transfer students are especially encouraged to select these courses in completing General Education requirements to maximize the likelihood of completing the degree with 120 credit hours.  

General Education34-35

Effective in Fall 2025 the math pathway course identified below is required for this degree.

The General Education Math Pathways course identified for this major is MATH 101 Contemporary Mathematics . All students pursuing this degree program will be required to complete this course or the corequisite support course. Students who place into a higher level math course may be able to satisfy this requirement; consult with your Academic Advisor for additional information.

Placement measures for MATH 101 Contemporary Mathematics  include:

  • Math ACT: 19 or higher OR
  • Math SAT: 510 or higher OR
  • ALEKS PPL: 30 or higher OR
  • Accuplacer QAS: 255 or higher OR
  • HS GPA and Course Grade: 3.00 cumulative GPA (unweighted) and C- or higher in Second Semester Algebra 2 or Integrated Math 3 OR
  • Institutional Measure

Students who do not meet any of the placement measures listed above will need to register for the corequisite support course: MATH 100 Contemporary Mathematics with Review Credit for the corequisite support course will satisfy any requirement for the pathway course listed above. 

 BA Language Requirement

All FHSU students pursuing a BA degree are required to take two consecutive non-English language classes. These classes total 10 hours at FHSU.  Courses accepted in transfer must be a minimum of 8 credit hours and determined to be equivalent to the FHSU sequence or additional credit hours must be taken. Students taking beginning Spanish or French classes may be able to apply the first class to the Arts and Humanities area of the general education requirement.  

Bachelor of Arts Language Requirement10
Program (Major) Core
Required Courses
PHIL 140Philosophy and the Bible: Old Testament3
PHIL 170World Religions3
PHIL 240Philosophy and the Bible: New Testament3
LDRS 302Introduction to Leadership Behavior3
SOC 680Nonprofit Organizations3
SOC 664Social Entrepreneurship and Grassroots Social Action3
Proposed Course/Topic Course - Christian Theology and Doctrine3
Proposed Course/Topic Course - Religious Direction Methods – Capstone3
Proposed Course/Topic Course - Religious Education and Community Engagement Internship3
Directed Electives
Select 12 credit hours from the following:12
History of Christianity
Marketing Principles
Social Media Marketing
Philosophy of Religion
Readings in Philosophy
Sociology of Death and Dying
Grant Writing
Sociology of Aging
Program Development and Evaluation
Internship in Sociology
Total Hours39

Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts Degree Language Requirement
Two consecutive semesters of a non-English Language
All bachelor degrees require:
GPA of 2.0 on FHSU courses & 2.0 on all coursework (Higher program requirements prevail over the 2.0 when set)
A minimum of 30 hours earned from FHSU with a grade of D, C, B, or A
Successful completion of an upper division Writing and Information Literacy course (Most majors contain a course designated)
A minimum of 45 hours of recognized upper division credit
A minimum of 120 hours of recognized college credit
Plan of Study Grid
First Year
First SemesterHours
ENG 101 English Composition I (SGE010 - English Discipline Area) 3
SGE070 - Institutionally Designated Area: Personal and Professional Development 3
PHIL 170 World Religions (SGE060 - Arts and Humanities Discipline Area) 3
COMM 100 Fundamentals of Oral Communication (SGE020 - Communication Discipline Area) 3
Open Electives 3
UNIV 101 Freshman Seminar 1
 Hours16
Second Semester
ENG 102 English Composition II 3
PHIL 140 Philosophy and the Bible: Old Testament 3
SGE050 - Social and Behavioral Sciences Discipline Area 3
Open Electives 3
 Hours12
Second Year
First Semester
SGE060 - Arts and Humanities Discipline Area 3
Directed Electives 3
SGE030 - Math and Statistics Discipline Area 3
Open Electives 3
Open Electives 3
 Hours15
Second Semester
PHIL 240 Philosophy and the Bible: New Testament 3
SGE050 - Social and Behavioral Sciences Discipline Area 3
SGE040 - Natural and Physical Science Discipline Area 4
Open Electives 3
 Hours13
Third Year
First Semester
SGE070 - Institutionally Designated Area: Critical Thinking 3
Directed Electives 3
Directed Electives 3
Beginning Language Course 1 (Bachelor of Arts Language Requirement) 5
Open Electives 3
 Hours17
Second Semester
LDRS 302 Introduction to Leadership Behavior 3
Directed Electives 3
Beginning Language Course 2 (Bachelor of Arts Language Requirement) 5
Open Electives 3
Open Electives 3
 Hours17
Fourth Year
First Semester
Proposed Course - Religious Directions Methods 3
Upper Division Elective 3
Upper Division Elective 3
Upper Division Elective 3
Open Electives 3
 Hours15
Second Semester
Proposed course - Religious Education and Community Engagement Internship 3
Upper Division Elective 3
Upper Division Elective 3
Upper Division Elective 3
Upper Division Elective 3
 Hours15
 Total Hours120

Academic Degree Maps are term-by-term sample course plans that specify milestones, courses, and special requirements that are necessary for facilitating on-time completion. Degree Maps are examples and are not prescriptive. Individualized choices such as concentration options, transfer credits, optional minors, advisory programs (certificates), etc. can alter the recommended coursework. Course offerings are subject to change. Students should consult with their academic advisors for additional guidance on course planning.

To determine courses to take in the directed choices (often listed as Program Elective Course) and directed elective course blocks see the overview tab for courses. Open electives indicate the student is free to choose courses from any subject, but students should discuss with their advisor how many of these hours must be upper division. To locate approved courses in General Education areas (Undergraduate Programs) see the general education section of the catalog.

The undergraduate course maps typically advise the most efficient route for students to complete the general education requirements. Courses that are required in the major may be listed as fulfilling relevant general education requirements. This will result in more open elective course hours in some maps than is listed on the degree overview page.