Philosophy, Religion and Ethics

Philosophy, religion, and ethics is a trio of disciplines that have engaged with the deepest questions human beings ask: what is real, what can we know, how should we live, and what, if anything, is sacred? Philosophy provides the analytical tools for examining these questions with rigour and clarity. Religion studies the traditions, practices, beliefs, and communities that have shaped human life across cultures and centuries.

Ethics applies philosophical reasoning to questions of value, morality, and how we should treat each other and the world we inhabit. Together, they form one of the most enriching and intellectually challenging combinations available in the humanities.

This programme at Roehampton University includes a foundation year for students who need additional preparation, a sandwich year, and a work placement, making it a programme that combines intellectual depth with genuine professional experience. The foundation year provides the academic and critical thinking skills needed for degree-level study, while the sandwich year places you in a professional context where the ethical, organisational, and human questions explored in your studies have direct relevance. You will study the great traditions of Western and Eastern philosophy, the world's major religions, and the applied ethics of areas such as environmental ethics, bioethics, and political philosophy, developing both broad knowledge and the ability to reason carefully about difficult questions.

Graduates from philosophy, religion, and ethics programmes pursue careers in education, the law, social work, chaplaincy, journalism, the civil service, the voluntary sector, international development, and many areas of business where ethical reasoning and communication skills are valued. The analytical and reflective skills the discipline develops are genuinely transferable. Postgraduate options include theology and religious studies, philosophy, applied ethics, social work, and education, and the programme prepares you well for any of these routes.