Both disciplines study ethical and cultural issues and form part of the core of a liberal education. Each not only provides training for graduate study in its respective disciplines, but provides an excellent basis for further professional training in fields which require critical and interpretive skills.
Philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about the nature of reality, knowledge, and value.
Philosophers examine answers to these questions systematically and critically. Philosophy is also very effective in developing the student's ability to reason clearly, to distinguish good from bad arguments, to navigate through a complicated maze of questions, and to use intelligence and logic in situations often ruled by emotions. Students who have taken a large number of philosophy courses demonstrably excel in entrance exams to graduate and professional schools. The thinking skills you will develop in your philosophy classes will give you the kind of analytic ability sought by employers in many professions. The academic study of religion is a comparative exploration of the beliefs, sacred stories, rituals, and community structures of the world's religions.