Philosophy, Religion and Ethics
UCAS Code: VV56
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits overall with Distinctions in 30 Level 3 credits and Merits in 15 Level 3 credits
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Extended Project
plus BBB. The Extended Project should be in a relevant subject
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English at grade C or grade 4
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in a relevant subject plus A Level grade B
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in a relevant subject
Scottish Higher
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
plus AB at A Level
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
In this broad, interdisciplinary degree, you will study the momentous questions in Philosophy, Religion and Ethics that matter most to you. This combination of subjects is a way to a deeper understanding of religion, and issues such as human freedom, knowledge and justice. You can explore the history, meaning and contemporary relevance of scriptural texts, gender studies, and sociology of religion, alongside key areas such as ethics, metaphysics, and political philosophy. We also teach courses on major figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes and Hegel.
You will study in a philosophy department with particular expertise in Ethics, learning from Sheffield’s cutting-edge scholars of Religion, who approach their studies from a wide variety of academic perspectives including Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, History, Social Science, Literary Studies, and Philosophy of Religion.
The department is known for its friendly, supportive and collegial atmosphere and offers a wide range of academic and social activities, including a dynamic Philosophy Society, and a popular reading weekend. Our students also work in the community on our award-winning Philosophy in the City project, which introduces schoolchildren to philosophical ideas they can apply to everyday life.
Our graduates have robust analytical skills, excellent presentation and research skills, the ability to work independently and in teams and, crucially, can develop convincing arguments to influence complex decision-making. These skills are highly valued by employers and transfer well into many types of working environments including teaching, law, social work, journalism, the civil service, charities and business.
Modules
The Sheffield year is made up of 2 semesters. You’ll take 3 modules (or equivalent) in each semester. Assessment for your modules will take place at the end of each semester. For each module you’ll attend lectures with the whole class, as well as smaller group tutorials or seminars, where you have the opportunity to discuss the topic in more detail, and to try out your own ideas. In the first year you have the option to combine your philosophy and religion modules with subjects in other departments. For instance: you may want to study a language or take a course in sociology or journalism. Your second and third years will typically be devoted to philosophy and religion modules.
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
The University of Sheffield Bursary is available to home students who have a household income of £40,000 or less. You may also be eligible for an additional £250 per year depending on your postcode and grades. We use the details you submit to Student Finance and UCAS to assess your eligibility for a bursary. You don’t need to apply; if you’re eligible you’ll receive an award for each year of your course. If you're a care leaver, care for an ill or disabled family member or are estranged from your parents or guardian you may be eligible for an enhanced bursary of £4,500 per year. The University also offers a number of scholarships to help you fund your studies and enhance your learning experience. Use our Student Funding Calculator to check what funding your could be eligible for - www.sheffield.ac.uk/funding/calculator. Further information - www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding
The Uni
University of Sheffield
Philosophy
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Explore SheffieldWhat students say
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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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Theology and religious studies
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?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.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?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.
£18k
£24k
£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.
£18k
£24k
£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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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?
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