The information on this page is accurate for students that entered the programme in 2024/2025 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2025 or after, you can find the details of your programme: BA Philosophy, Ethics and Religion(For students entering from September 2025 onwards)
Your course
Thinking about the world and the fundamental questions of life are central to this degree programme. It combines the disciplines of Philosophy and the Study of Religion (encompassing Theology and Religious Studies), which are both concerned with thinking about the world and the fundamental questions of life. Ethics, in both its secular and religious varieties, constitutes a prominent theme in the programme. In Year 1, you will study core topics in Philosophy and the Study of Religion by means of both compulsory and optional modules. This will enable you to begin to identify areas of personal interest that you may wish to pursue further in subsequent years. In Years 2 and 3, the programme provides the opportunity to gain knowledge of and competence in a range of important topics, along with general skills in each disciplinary area. You will also have the option of specialising in a disciplinary subfield (such as normative philosophy, philosophy of religion, or the social scientific study of religion). You may undertake a final-year project in either of the disciplines or on a topic that combines both disciplines, according to your own interests.
Year 2 includes a core module that prepares you for your final-year project as well as teaching transferrable skills for future employment.
In each year, you may choose one or more Discovery modules to extend your knowledge or skills beyond your programme of study.
The programme has an international variant, which includes a study abroad year, and an industrial variant, which includes a work placement year.
This programme is full time and in person. It does not include any distance learning elements.
Your future
You will gain numerous transferrable skills that are valued by employers. These include organisational skills (gained by developing a personal path through your programme, engaging in academic and extra-curricular activities, meeting assessment deadlines); the ability to work both independently and as part of a team; the ability to interpret and analyse texts and other sources of information; the ability to develop arguments and to effectively communicate your ideas; and awareness of how cultural or historical context affects scholarship in the disciplines and in a variety of issues in contemporary society. These skills will help you to transition either into an employment environment after completing your degree, or into postgraduate education if you decide to take your studies further.
Our world
In each year of your degree, you will engage with material that demonstrates the relevance of your areas of study to contemporary issues and concerns (such as those relating to ethical, political, environmental matters; ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, etc.). You will thus develop an informed understanding of your place in the world. Both Philosophy and the Study of Religion have crucial roles to play in explicating diverse ways of understanding the world, how our world is shaped, and how it can be changed for the better.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates must study 120 credits, which may include up to 20 credits of Discovery modules.
Candidates must pass at least 100 credits, including any PFP (pass for progression) modules and a minimum of 40 credits in Philosophy (PHIL) and 40 credits in the Study of Religion (THEO), to progress to the next year of the programme.
Candidates must study the following compulsory modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIL1080 | The Good, The Bad, The Right, The Wrong | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | PFP |
| PHIL1260 | How To Do Philosophy | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| THEO1001 | Bible and Theology: Texts and Traditions | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO1122 | Introduction to the Study of Religions | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | PFP |
Candidates may study up to 40 credits from the following optional modules (no more than 20 credits in each semester):
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIL1090 | Knowledge, Self and Reality | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO1002 | Christian and Muslim Cultures: Global Religious Practice | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO1177 | Religion, Politics and Society in the Modern World | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPSC1015 | Magic, Science and Religion | 10 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL1007 | Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion | 10 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL1015 | Thinking About Race | 10 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL1022 | Philosophy Meets the World | 10 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| THEO1003 | Religions of India | 10 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates may study up to 20 credits of discovery modules.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory module:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THEO2301 | Studying Religion in Context | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Candidates will be required to study at least one module in Ethics or Political Philosophy:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIL2906 | Do the Right Thing: Topics in Moral Philosophy | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL2915 | How to Live Together: Topics in Political Philosophy | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PRHS2000 | Human Rights and Religion | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates will be required to study at least one module in Philosophy of Religion:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIL2631 | God, Thought and the World: Topics in Philosophy of Religion | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PRHS2451 | Augustine of Hippo: A Key Thinker in Philosophy and Theology | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates may study 0-60 credits of optional modules from the following list to make up the required 120 credits:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIL2615 | How Do You Know? Topics in Epistemology | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL2925 | Reality Check: Topics in Metaphysics | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO2001 | Dharma Traditions | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO2251 | Sociology of Religion | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| THEO2720 | Religion, Gender and Society | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Candidates may study up to 20 credits of discovery modules or one module from the following optional modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSER2206 | Developing Your Professional Identity: Preparing for a Career in Within The Arts, Heritage and Creative Industries | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| FOAH2020 | Towards the Future: Skills in Context | 20 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to choose ONE of the following modules:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRHS3000 | Independent Research Project in Philosophy, Religion or History of Science | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| PRHS3001 | Integrated Research Project in Philosophy, Religion or History of Science | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
| PRHS3700 | External Placement: Beyond the University | 40 | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | PFP |
Candidates must choose between 60 and 80 credits of optional modules from the following list:
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARTF3042 | Cultural Diversity in Museum and Material Culture - Case Study | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| EAST3707 | Buddhism: A Lived Tradition | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| FOAH3150 | Religion and Violence | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3013 | Bioethics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL3112 | Kant | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PHIL3123 | Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PHIL3125 | Continental Philosophy | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3310 | Philosophy of Sex and Relationships | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3320 | Philosophy of Biology | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3321 | Metaethics | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3322 | Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL3421 | Philosophy of Mind | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL3700 | Feminist Philosophy | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL3723 | War, Terror and Justice | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL3852 | Philosophy of Modern Physics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHIL3855 | Philosophical Issues in Technology | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3865 | Philosophy of the Social Sciences | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| PRHS3170 | Religion, Belief and Ethics | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PRHS3300 | Religion and Mental Health | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| THEO3000 | Religion and Media | 20 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| THEO3021 | Muslims in Britain: Transnational Communities and Multicultural Politics | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| THEO3190 | Religions and Global Development | 20 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| THEO3280 | Religion, Politics and the Future | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| THEO3286 | God, Sex and Gender in Africa | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| THEO3295 | Humanity in Christian Thought: Theological Anthropology | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| THEO3306 | Hindu Traditions | 20 | Not running in 202526 | |
| THEO3780 | Pentecostalism as a Public Religion in Africa | 20 | Not running in 202526 |
Last updated: 09/09/2025 13:55:28
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team