2025 Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Philosophy & Religious Studiesmaster's programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major degree program ranks #28 out of the 37 majors we look at each year. While this may limit the number of schools that offer the degree program, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual reviewed 6 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of philosophy & religious studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,070 master's degrees in philosophy & religious studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Philosophy & Religious Studies School for Your Master's Degree

The philosophy & religious studies master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality philosophy & religious studies program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to philosophy & religious studies students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of philosophy & religious studies students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for philosophy & religious studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized philosophy & religious studies related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for philosophy & religious studies students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Philosophy & Religious Studies in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in philosophy & religious studies.

Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Master's in Philosophy & Religious Studies

1

Jewish Theological Seminary of America
New York, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

22 Annual Graduates

Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in philosophy & religious studies. Jewish Theological Seminary of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in philosophy & religious studies from Jewish Theological Seminary of America

2

Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

34 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a master's degree in philosophy & religious studies. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy & religious studies from Columbia University in the City of New York

3

Fordham University
Bronx, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

24 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Fordham University if you want to pursue a master's degree in philosophy & religious studies. Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy & religious studies from Fordham University

4

New York University
New York, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in philosophy & religious studies has to take a look at New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy & religious studies from New York University

5

Catholic University of America
Washington, DC

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy & religious studies from Catholic University of America

6

Beth Medrash Govoha
Lakewood, NJ

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

633 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Lakewood, Beth Medrash Govoha is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in philosophy & religious studies from Beth Medrash Govoha

Best Philosophy & Religious Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best philosophy & religious studies colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	35	207
Pennsylvania	34	83
New Jersey	32	239
Maryland	32	43
District of Columbia	32	58

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Philosophy & Religious Studies Majors to Study

Major	Annual Graduates
Religious Studies	831
Philosophy	238
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies	1

Most Popular Majors Related to Philosophy & Religious Studies

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Social Sciences	6,974
Communication & Journalism	3,412
English Language & Literature	1,490
Theology & Religious Vocations	1,368
History	710
Foreign Languages & Linguistics	690
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies	455
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities	433
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences	281

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.