Philosophy and Religion and Professional Education

Philosophy and religion, combined with a professional education qualification, is a distinctive pathway that prepares you both as a rigorous thinker in these disciplines and as a qualified secondary school teacher. Philosophy asks fundamental questions about knowledge, reality, ethics and the nature of mind, developing the kind of careful, structured reasoning that underlies all critical inquiry. The study of religion examines the beliefs, practices, texts, histories and cultures of the world's religious traditions, approaching them with intellectual rigour and respect for their complexity.

Together these subjects constitute Religious Education and Philosophy, which is taught in secondary schools across Scotland and beyond.

At the University of Stirling this four-year, full-time programme integrates subject-specific study in philosophy and religion with the professional formation required to qualify as a secondary school teacher. You will develop deep knowledge of philosophical traditions from ancient ethics through to contemporary analytic and continental thought, alongside a thorough understanding of the world's major religions, their histories and their contemporary expressions. As the programme progresses you will gain extensive classroom experience, learning to plan and deliver lessons, manage learning environments and develop your professional practice under the guidance of experienced teachers.

The degree also includes a year abroad, offering an international dimension to your academic development. By the time you graduate you will be qualified to teach in Scottish secondary schools.

Graduates of this programme enter secondary teaching directly, with the professional qualification built into the degree. Philosophy and religion graduates who teach bring strong skills in facilitating discussion, developing ethical reasoning and helping young people engage thoughtfully with complex questions. Beyond teaching, the philosophical and analytical training opens further study routes in philosophy, theology, educational research, ethics and public policy.