Department of Philosophy & Religion
At UNC Pembroke, the Philosophy and Religion major encourages students to think deeply, critically and creatively about the most meaningful questions in life. But it’s not just theoretical — our program is also highly practical, preparing students for success in a wide range of careers and graduate programs. We also offer an academic concentration in Philosophy and Religion for those pursuing an education degree, several minors and an Applied Ethics certificate.
The Quest for Meaning
Religion can be understood as the human attempt to discern the overall or ultimate
meaning in life, traditionally in light of some divine or sacred reality or realities.
Given the expansiveness of the religious quest, it is fitting that the academic discipline
of religious studies claims no one method of its own but rather uses diverse disciplines
such as literary studies, history, sociology, psychology, cognitive science and philosophy.
Society of Biblical Literature
As for philosophy, any belief, practice or institution that makes truth or value claims
is fair game for its probing. Philosophy analyzes and questions concepts of truth,
beauty, and goodness — including ultimate value, as it draws on great thinkers who
have pondered these issues over the millennia. This involves discerning and examining
the worldviews of different cultures at different times, which like the air we breathe
normally remain unnoticed.
A Major that Pays Off
48%
Higher Medical School Acceptance Rate Than Any Other Life Science Major
Higher Scores
on the LSAT, GMAT and MCAT compared to many other majors
Words That Inspire
Reflections on Philosophy and Religion
- The unexamined life is not worth living. - Socrates
- Many people would sooner die than think. In fact, they do. - Bertrand Russell
- The feeling of wonder is the mark of the philosopher, for all philosophy begins in wonder. - Plato
- Philosophy is the highest music. - Plato
- The safest characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. - Alfred North Whitehead
- The first step towards philosophy is incredulity. - Denis Diderot
- Truth is the object of philosophy, but not always of philosophers. - John Churton Collins
- It is a great advantage for a system of philosophy to be substantially true. - George Santayana
- Philosophy is not a theory but an activity. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
- Philosophy is the thoughts of men about human thinking, reasoning and imagining, and the real values in human existence. - Charles W. Eliot
- The philosophies of one age have become the absurdities of the next, and the foolishness of yesterday has become the wisdom of tomorrow. - Sir William Osler
- Adversity's sweet milk, philosophy. - William Shakespeare
- My definition (of a philosopher) is of a man up in a balloon, with his family and friends holding the ropes which confine him to earth and trying to haul him down. - Louisa May Alcott
- Philosophy means liberation from the - routine, soaring above the well known, seeing it in new perspectives, arousing wonder and the wish to fly. - Walter Kaufmann
- The philosophy which is so important in each of us is not a technical matter; it is our more or less dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means. It is only partly got from books; it is our individual way of just seeing and feeling the total push and pressure of the cosmos. - William James
- A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men- s minds about to religion. - Francis Bacon
- What is the meaning of human life, or of organic life altogether? To answer this question at all implies a religion. - Albert Einstein
- Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern. - Paul Tillich
- One- s religion is whatever he is most interested in, and yours is Success. - Sir James M. Barrie, from a novel
- By religion, then, I understand a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life. - Sir James G. Frazer
- Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. - Karl Marx
- Marxism is a religion. It presents, first, a system of ultimate ends that embody the meaning of life and are absolute standards; and, secondly, a guide to those ends which implies a plan of salvation. - Joseph Alois Schumpeter
- There- s nought, no doubt, so much the spirit calms/ As rum and true religion. - Lord Byron, from a poem
- If one wishes to form a true estimate of the full grandeur of religion, one must keep in mind what it undertakes to do for men. It gives them information about the source and origin of the universe, it assures them of protection and final happiness, and it guides - by - precepts - backed by the full force of its authority. - Sigmund Freud
- Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis. - Sigmund Freud
- When I mention religion I mean the Christian religion; and not only the Christian religion, but the Protestant religion; and not only the Protestant religion, but the Church of England. - Henry Fielding, from - Pastor Thwackum- in a novel
- In their religion they are so uneven, / That each man goes his own byway to heaven. - Daniel Defoe, from a poem
- Doubt is part of all religion. All the religious thinkers were doubters. - Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Religion is the vision of something which stands beyond, behind, and within the passing flux of immediate things; something which is a remote possibility, and yet the greatest of present facts; something which is the ultimate ideal and the hopeless quest. - Alfred North Whitehead
- If any one phrase could gather its (religion's) universal message, that phrase would be, - All is not vanity in this Universe, whatever the appearances may suggest. - William James
Opportunities
Internships
Hands-On Experience
Majors can gain real-world experience through the Philosophy and Religion Internship, which offers placement in:
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Religious organizations
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Nonprofit and community groups
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Government agencies
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Socially conscious businesses
Scholarships
Academic Opportunities
The department offers six scholarships exclusively for Philosophy and Religion majors.
Students can also explore:
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Minors in Philosophy, Religion and Philosophy & Religion
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Interdisciplinary minors in Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies and Popular Religious Culture in America
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A Certificate in Applied Ethics — a strong asset for those entering fields like business, healthcare, or public service
After UNCP
Upon graduation, UNCP Philosophy and Religion majors have moved into positions in
sales management, market development management, customer service management, management
analysis, information technology, pre-school education, middle school education, high
school education, children’s ministry, youth ministry, campus ministry, church pastoring
and starting a successful church.
Others have pursued graduate and professional study — including law school, med school, library science, and seminary — at institutions such as Vanderbilt University, Yale University, Drew University, the University of Florida, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, East Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, East Tennessee State University, Campbell University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Hood Theological Seminary.
Philosophy Degrees & careers
Others have pursued graduate and professional study — including law school, med school, library science, and seminary — at institutions such as Vanderbilt University, Yale University, Drew University, the University of Florida, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, East Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, East Tennessee State University, Campbell University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Hood Theological Seminary.
Faculty Excellence
Our faculty are dedicated to student-centered learning, combining high-quality teaching with real scholarly impact. Highlights include:
- Faculty with PhDs from Duke, Vanderbilt and Princeton Theological Seminary
- Publications in leading academic presses (Cambridge, SUNY, Routledge)
- Awards for teaching excellence at both the university and system level
Department Chair
Brian Stratton
Chair and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion
stanley.stratton@uncp.edu910.521.6460
Connect With Us
Sampson Academic Building, Room 140
PO Box 1510
PO Box 1510
Pembroke, NC 28372
Phone: 910.775.4283
Fax: 910.775.4247
Latest College of Arts & Sciences News
Jul 25
UNC Pembroke Computer Science Student Earns NASA Recognition for Cybersecurity Discovery
NASA recently recognized a UNC Pembroke computer science student for his exceptional cybersecurity skills. Shirsendu Mondal received a formal letter of appreciation from the agency's Vulnerability Disclosure Program for identifying and responsibly reporting a security vulnerability in one of NASA's digital systems.
Jul 9
Professor James Hudson Named 2025–26 Faculty Fellow with Carolina Asia Center, UNC Institute
Dr. James Hudson, associate professor of history at UNC Pembroke, has been selected as a Minority-Serving Institutions Faculty Fellow for the 2025-26 academic year. The fellowship, a joint initiative of the Carolina Asia Center and the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at UNC Chapel Hill, supports faculty at minority-serving institutions pursuing research related to Asia.
Jun 13
UNCP Professor Lays Groundwork for Study Abroad Program Immersing Students in the World of C.S. Lewis
This summer, Dr. Nikolay (Nick) Petrov, assistant professor of Religion at UNC Pembroke, spent time at the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, one of the foremost research institutions dedicated to British writers such as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.