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Philosophy, Ethics and Religion

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

104-128

GCSE English Language or English Literature at grade C or 4 (or higher) will be required

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Philosophy

Religious studies

Ethics

Who am I? How should I live? Is there a God? Is religious belief credible in the 21st century and why is it still with us?

In a world where meaning is often ‘hidden’ or involves a complicated analytical response, it’s essential that we spend the time trying to engage with who we are and what values we want to hold as individuals in today’s complex society.

Through the lens of prominent thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato and Foucault, you’ll examine some of today’s most pertinent moral, religious, social and political questions. We’ll teach you how to interpret texts, analyse complex concepts and apply ideas and ethical values to daily life.

You’ll search for what ‘truth’ and ‘meaning’ might mean by studying a range of ideas and positions. Central questions will include: what is the place of the self in the world?; what values should we hold in contemporary society regarding business, sport and surveillance?; and does belief in God shape the kind of values we hold? In fact, is it this belief in God that constitutes a religion? - if so, what actually constitutes a religion?

You’ll develop key skills in problem-solving, analytical and creative thinking, and learning to engage with philosophical, ethical and religious questions. Putting skills and theory into practice, you’ll complete professional work placements and gain valuable experience in preparation for your future career.

By combining the study of philosophy, ethics and religion, you’ll foster your own development as a thinker and have the opportunity to think critically and creatively, make new links and find new insights – skills which are vital in today’s job market and society.

**Professional work placements**
Students on the programme have undertaken placements in primary and secondary schools, charities such as CAFOD, MPs’ offices, legal firms, publishers, local government, and in university and prison chaplaincies.

**Graduate opportunities**
You’ll learn how to engage in deep dialogue, which will give you the ability to empathise with and respect the views of others. These skills are important for careers where communication, leadership, problem-solving and analytical thinking is important, such as management, law, social work, local government and education. You could also progress on to a career in teaching after further study.

Modules

On this course you will study a selection of modules, which may include: Ethical Foundations; Studying Religion and Spirituality; Introduction to Philosophy; Mind, Self and World; Understanding Social Justice; Science and Religion; Metaethics; Modern Philosophy; Indigenous Religions and Cultural Appropriation.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£12,000
per year
International
£12,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Horsforth Campus

Department:

Humanities

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

91%
Philosophy
85%
Religious studies
91%
Ethics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Philosophy

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
91%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
64%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

73%
Library resources
73%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
82%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
40%
Male students
60%
Female students

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

Theology and religious studies

Teaching and learning

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
68%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
62%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
40%
Male students
60%
Female students

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Philosophy

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£15,600
low
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Childcare and related personal services
15%
Teaching and educational professionals
11%
Other administrative occupations

Although there aren't a lot of jobs around for professional philosophers, philosophy degrees are a relatively popular option, with more than 2,000 students graduating in a philosophy-related subject in 2015 - a little down on previous years, but still healthy. Nearly a quarter of philosophy graduates take a postgraduate qualification, and it's a relatively common subject at both Masters and doctorate level — so if you think academic life might be for you, think ahead about how you might fund further study. For those who go into work, philosophy grads tend to go into teaching, accountancy, consulting, journalism, PR, housing, marketing, human resources and the arts while a few go into the computer industry every year, where their logical training is highly rated.

Theology and religious studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£15,600
low
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

13%
Food preparation and hospitality trades
13%
Teaching and educational professionals
13%
Childcare and related personal services

Theology can actually be a very vocational subject —by far the most common move for theology graduates is to go into the clergy and at the moment we have a serious shortage of people willing to go into what is one of the oldest graduate careers. If you want to study theology but don't want to follow a religious career, then there are plenty of options available. 2015 graduates went into all sorts of jobs requiring a degree, from education and community work, to marketing, HR and financial analysis. Postgraduate study is also popular — a lot of theology graduates train as teachers, or go into Masters or even doctoral study - where philosophy and law are very popular postgraduate subjects of study.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Philosophy

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£20k

£20k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Theology and religious studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£20k

£20k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here