Philosophy with Religion in Society

Philosophy is one of the oldest and most rigorous academic disciplines, concerned with the most fundamental questions that can be posed: what exists, what we can know, what makes actions right or wrong, what constitutes a just society, and how we should think clearly and argue well. Philosophy with religion in society adds a further dimension, examining the role that religious belief, practice, and institution play in human life and in the social and political worlds we inhabit. The combination allows you to engage with both the analytical traditions of western philosophy and the empirical and normative questions raised by religion as a social phenomenon.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time MA familiarises you with the arguments and positions of both the historical philosophical tradition and contemporary philosophical debate, while also developing your capacity to assess those arguments independently and critically. The religion in society element grounds the philosophical study of religion in sociological, historical, and cultural perspectives, asking how religious communities function, how belief shapes social life, and how religion interacts with politics, law, and ethics. In your third year you will spend a year abroad, broadening your intellectual and personal horizons.

With a typical entry tariff of 168 UCAS points, this is a demanding programme at one of the UK's most distinguished philosophy departments.

Philosophy graduates are sought across a very wide range of careers, because the skills of precise reasoning, careful argument, and clear communication that philosophy develops are genuinely transferable. Law, the civil service, journalism, education, healthcare ethics, policy research, technology ethics, and academic research are all well-trodden paths for philosophy graduates. The religion in society element adds particular value in careers involving interfaith work, social research, policy relating to religious communities, and education in diverse settings.

Postgraduate study in philosophy, religion, ethics, or related fields is a natural route for those who wish to go deeper.