Religion, Philosophy and Ethics

Religion, philosophy, and ethics is a combination that addresses the most fundamental questions human beings ask: what exists, what can we know, how should we live, and what role does faith play in shaping the answers? Religion examines the beliefs, practices, communities, and institutions through which human beings have sought meaning and moral guidance across cultures and throughout history. Philosophy provides the formal tools for analysing and evaluating arguments, examining the concepts of knowledge, truth, reality, and value with precision and rigour.

Ethics brings these together in the practical domain, asking how we should act and what we owe each other.

At York St John, this part-time programme is designed for people who are always asking why, who find the questions that religion and philosophy raise genuinely pressing rather than merely academic. A foundation year is available for students who need additional preparation before entering the main programme. A sandwich year in industry, a year abroad, and a work placement are all built in, giving you professional experience in relevant contexts and the opportunity to engage with these questions in a different cultural or institutional environment.

The programme combines serious academic study with an openness to the diversity of traditions and perspectives that makes these disciplines come alive.

Graduates from religion, philosophy, and ethics programmes go on to work in education, the civil service, journalism, law, interfaith work, counselling, healthcare ethics, community development, and a range of roles in cultural and religious organisations. The capacity for careful argument, tolerance of ambiguity, and sensitivity to different perspectives that the degree develops are valued across many professional contexts. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in theology, philosophy, religious studies, or ethics, and some pursue ordained or lay ministry in religious communities.