Meaningful Non-Religious Career Paths in Interreligious Studies

Hartford International University for Religion and Peace alumni use their interfaith foundation to serve a higher purpose through meaningful careers beyond traditional religious paths.

Today’s diverse world places unparalleled value on being able to listen to neighbors, coworkers, and friends who hold different beliefs with open ears, hearts, and minds – which is why an interreligious foundation drives meaningful, impactful careers that go far beyond fields we typically associate with faith.

HIU degree programs boost emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and critical thinking and helps you express complex ideas clearly, considerately, and persuasively. Combine these insights with interfaith dialogue and you’ll see that difficult conversations can lead to great things – even friendship – if you're humble, open-minded, and listen with tolerance, respect, and curiosity toward beliefs different from your own.

Hartford International graduates are applying these valuable and transferable skills to advance foreign policy, handle complex issues for news outlets, and launch social media advocacy campaigns.

Meaningful
Non-Religious Career Paths
in Interreligious Studies

An Interreligious Foundation Can Lead to Meaningful and Impactful Work That Goes Beyond Traditional Careers in Religion

The skills you’ll learn through interreligious and peace studies enable you to fulfill your calling to make a difference across industries as a professional who can embrace complexity, be curious, and reach beyond cultural and ideological divides.

Explore 6 Non-Religious Career Paths That HIU Alumni Have Taken

1. Start a Non-Profit

Make a direct impact by taking a cause you care about and building your own organization that puts your beliefs into action.

Rochelle Bayless ’13

Founder & Executive Director, Grace Café

A master’s thesis, A Theology of Food as Acts of Grace, became the blueprint for a non-profit pay-what-you-can community restaurant to address hunger & food insecurity.

2. News & Media

Communicate world issues and sensitive topics in the media in a way that is both respectful and knowledgeable.

Emily Barger ’18

Politics Producer, NowThis

Filmmaker, photographer, and producer depicting complex themes like the struggles of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and stereotypes Muslim women face in the U.S.

3. Advocacy & Social Services

Examining the world’s conflicts opens your heart and builds the practical skills that allow you to be a voice for those who need it most.

Rev. Jacklevyn “Jacky” Frits Manuputty ’11

Maluku Interfaith Organization, Co-founder & Director

Promoting peace, friendship, and environmental awareness through community building, social media, the arts, and mentoring former child soldiers in Indonesia.

4. International Diplomacy & Foreign Policy

The complexity of foreign relations combines your aspirations for peace and knowledge of world religions and cultures to aid global communities.

Ambassador Andrew Young ’55

Former Ambassador to UN; Former Congressman; GoodWorks International, Co-Founder

A civil rights movement activist alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. foreign policy advocate for human rights & economic advancement in underdeveloped countries.

5. Teaching in Public and Private Schools

Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. Your empathy, ability to see different perspectives, and sensitivity increase your value as an educator.

Kyra E. Jenney ’22

Choate Rosemary Hall, Department Head of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences

Employs learning approaches that create spaces for students to develop the reflective practices of critical thinking, identity cultivation, and cultural humility.

6. Become a Business Owner

Your empathy & insight into people makes you the kind of business owner who creates meaningful products that make the world a better place.

Cathi Nelson ’07

President and Founder, The Photo Managers; Speaker; Author

A passionate photographer builds a business that empowers others to use visual storytelling to preserve and share their personal life journeys and family stories.

With an interreligious foundation, you gain the following skills that help you succeed in careers in many fields:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Empathy
  • Abstract Reasoning
  • Tolerance
  • Curiosity
  • Active Listening
  • Cultural Sensitivity
  • Communicating Complexity
  • Persuasion
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Humility
Hartford International University for Religion & Peace

A pioneer in interreligious and interfaith theological education – Hartford International University for Religion and Peace offers programs that focus on interfaith dialogue and understanding, including a Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies. Despite coming from different faith backgrounds, your interreligious studies peers share your curiosity, willingness to embrace complexity, and love for all of humanity. As you engage with one another, the message becomes clear: there’s strength in our differences.

While you, like many HIU alumni, can pursue more traditional paths in faith-based organizations and clergy roles, studying religion in a multi-faith classroom prepares you for careers that make the world a better place in many shapes and forms.

Whether it’s corporate diversity or international diplomacy – your empathetic nature, the skills you’ve honed in critical thinking, and the breadth and flexibility of your interreligious knowledge empowers you to define your calling and path to making a difference how you choose.