Philosophy & Ethics and Sociology

Philosophy and ethics asks some of the most fundamental questions human beings have ever posed: What is the nature of reality? What can we know, and how? What makes an action right or wrong?

Does life have meaning, and where does that meaning come from? These questions are not merely abstract: they have direct implications for how we live, how we structure societies, and how we treat one another. Sociology, by contrast, focuses on how societies actually work, examining the structures, inequalities, and cultural forces that shape human behaviour and social life.

The combination opens a powerful dialogue between how things are and how they ought to be.

At Liverpool Hope University, this three-year full-time degree brings philosophy and ethics into sustained conversation with sociological analysis. On the philosophy side, you will explore questions of morality, free will, the existence of God, the nature of personhood, and the foundations of ethical judgement. The sociology component develops your understanding of social structures, inequalities, cultural practices, and social change, equipping you with both theoretical frameworks and empirical methods.

The combination means you can analyse social issues with philosophical rigour and ground philosophical argument in sociological reality. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and work placements, building both your professional experience and your global perspective. The typical entry tariff is 88 UCAS points.

Graduates of philosophy, ethics, and sociology programmes find careers in education, social work, the charity and voluntary sector, journalism, public policy, human resources, and community development. The capacity for rigorous ethical argument combined with social analysis is valued in any profession that deals with complex human situations. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in philosophy, ethics, sociology, law, or social work, developing their expertise in areas where clear moral thinking and social understanding both matter.