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Ethics, Religion and Philosophy

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C-B,B,C

Pass Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff Points

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

IB Diploma with minimum 26 points overall or 104-112 UCAS Tariff points from Higher Level. If you plan to meet the Level 2 course requirements through your IB Diploma you will need to achieve Higher Level 4 or Standard Level 5 in English

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*D

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

104-112

Equivalent qualifications and combinations will be considered, including Extended Project when achieved at Grade C or above Other AS levels (or qualifications equivalent to AS level) are not accepted. Please contact the University directly if you are unsure whether you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Philosophy

Theology and religious studies

Questions about religion and ethics are considered by us all at some point in our lives. And it’s these questions that lie at the heart of this course.

You’ll consider theories about goodness, what we morally owe to each other, the meaning of human existence, the nature of divinity, faith, and our relation to the transcendent from Eastern, African, and Western cultural perspectives and religious institutions. You’ll explore how philosophical reflections on morality and religion have shaped our ideas about humanity, and the challenges the modern world poses. Along the way, you’ll find your philosophical voice and develop a rich set of digital, analytical, and critical skills invaluable for your future – with the power to positively influence others and drive progressive change.

As a philosophy student, you will be joining a hub of research-active philosophers, with many of them being invited to present at major international conferences and workshops. Our staff work across key areas including metaethics, normative ethics and philosophy of religion – with this expertise behind us, we provide a rounded, balanced understanding of the subject.

You may also have the opportunity to spend your third year studying overseas, including in the US, or on placement, with opportunities available in Britain or abroad.*

This course has a foundation year available.

*Placement and/or study abroad options may be available, potentially extending the duration of study up to 4 years. Study abroad will be subject to any international travel restrictions and/or availability.

**Features and Benefits**
- **Learn from experts** - our academics are leading specialists in their fields including moral theory and the philosophy of religion. With this expertise behind you, you can be sure your learning is relevant and cutting-edge.

- **Wide range of units** - from your second year, you’ll choose from a diverse range of option units, allowing you to pursue your own interests, including Gender, Race, and Sexuality.

- **Outside the mainstream** - we offer an inclusive curriculum that engages with philosophical thought outside of mainstream philosophy and explores the principles of equity, diversity and inclusivity, allowing you to successfully challenge established modes of thought.

- **Assessments** - we’ll encourage you to think deeply, critically and creatively through a variety of assessment methods including learning diaries, portfolios, and academic blogs.

- **Employability** - we place a strong emphasis on key employability skills, ensuring you have the analytical, digital, communication and team-working abilities that employers value. Our Final Year 'Bioethics' module's assessment brief is co-designed with the Mental Health Foundation. We also offer a distinct link to the PGCE provision at Manchester Met through the final year Philosophy of Education optional units.

- **Flexibility** - this course offers you the chance to change to the general BA (Hons) Philosophy degree route.

- **The Human Sciences Research Seminar Series** - a fixture at the University for 40 years and funded by the Royal Institute of Philosophy, it has hosted internationally renowned thinkers, and today offers you the chance to hear from leading philosophers at the forefront of their research specialisms.

- **Dedicated Support** - we believe that a first-class learning experience starts with an open, inclusive, welcoming, and supportive pedagogical environment. The philosophy staff provide rigorous and enjoyable research-led teaching that intellectually stimulates, challenges, and inspires you – both in-person and online.

- **Placement or study abroad flexibility** - you may have the opportunity to spend your third year studying abroad or boost your career prospects with a placement in industry.

The Uni


Course location:

Manchester Metropolitan University

Department:

History, Politics and Philosophy

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.

74%
Philosophy
79%
Theology and religious studies

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

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
57%
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

88%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
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
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

Theology and religious studies

Teaching and learning

71%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
57%
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

85%
Library resources
93%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
79%
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
22%
Male students
78%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
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.

£17,160
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
33%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Other elementary services occupations
18%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
16%
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.

£17,000
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

25%
Other elementary services occupations
17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
17%
Other administrative occupations

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.

£16k

£16k

£18k

£18k

£23k

£23k

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.

£16k

£16k

£18k

£18k

£23k

£23k

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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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