Health & Wellbeing and Religion Theology & Spirituality

Health and wellbeing as a field of study examines the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of what it means to flourish as a human being. It draws on biology, psychology, sociology, and public health to understand how health is produced and maintained, what threatens it, and how individuals and communities can be supported to live well. Religion, theology, and spirituality, combined with health and wellbeing, opens a dimension that is often underexplored in healthcare and social sciences: the role that faith, meaning-making, ritual, and spiritual community play in people's lives, their health choices, and their experience of illness and recovery.

The combination is genuinely timely, as healthcare systems increasingly recognise the importance of whole-person, culturally sensitive care.

At Liverpool Hope University, this three-year full-time degree combines both disciplines in a setting that is particularly well suited to the subject matter. Liverpool's religious and cultural diversity, from its two cathedrals and oldest mosque to its varied faith communities, provides a living context for the theoretical study of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and contemporary spiritual identities. The health and wellbeing strand addresses the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of health, alongside the policy and professional frameworks that shape how health services are delivered.

A sandwich year with work placement gives you direct professional experience, and the option of a year abroad extends your understanding of how faith, culture, and health intersect in different national and cultural contexts.

Graduates enter careers in healthcare, pastoral care, chaplaincy, community development, social care, public health, faith-based organisations, education, and counselling. The combination of health knowledge and religious and spiritual literacy is particularly valuable in NHS chaplaincy, palliative care, mental health services, and community health roles where cultural competence and sensitivity to diverse belief systems make a real practical difference. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in theology, health studies, social work, chaplaincy, or counselling, building specialist expertise for professional and academic roles.