Religious Studies

Religious studies is the academic examination of religion as a human phenomenon, exploring the beliefs, practices, texts, communities, and institutions through which people have sought to make sense of existence, relate to the sacred, and organise their moral and social lives. It is an inherently comparative and multidisciplinary field, drawing on history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, textual scholarship, and the study of ethics to examine traditions from ancient Egypt to contemporary new religious movements, and from Christianity and Islam to Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and indigenous religions worldwide.

Liverpool Hope University's three-year full-time religious studies degree includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and professional work placement experience, giving you direct exposure to religious and related organisations in professional and international contexts. The year abroad and placement provide valuable perspective on how religion operates in different cultural and social settings, complementing your academic study with lived and professional experience. Liverpool Hope has a distinctive character as a university with a faith heritage, which informs its approach to religious studies as a serious academic discipline concerned with one of the most fundamental dimensions of human experience.

You will study major world religions, religious philosophy and ethics, sociology of religion, history of Christian thought, sacred texts and hermeneutics, and the role of religion in contemporary society and public life.

Graduates in religious studies go on to work in interfaith relations, chaplaincy, community organisations, education, journalism, the civil service, social work, international development, and roles in charities and faith-based organisations. The analytical and ethical reasoning skills the degree develops are valued in any field requiring sensitivity to values, diversity, and the complex relationship between religion and public life. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in theology, religious studies, education, or social work.