Program Overview

---

BA Religions, Theology and Ethics

Overview

Our BA Religions, Theology and Ethics course is designed for you to engage with a wide range of traditions and beliefs, covering all periods up to the present day.

We offer one of the widest ranges of course units at any British university. You can study ancient languages to read scriptures in their original form, learn about Buddhist, Jewish and Islamic traditions, and pursue an interest in the Bible or Christian theology.

Discover the different approaches to religion offered by sociology, anthropology, and philosophy.

Whether or not you have a religious background, the study of the beliefs, philosophies, practices, policies, ethics, and values which have defined our civilisations over hundreds of years provides insight into one of the most fascinating aspects of the human psyche.

You'll explore topics crucial to understanding the shape of our current multicultural society - from religion, culture, and gender to Holocaust theory, from sacred spaces to apocalyptic expectation.

Courses you can study cover Islam, Judaism and Christianity, Japanese religious worldviews, and include theology, history and biblical studies.

Aims

We aim to:

• provide a multidisciplinary curriculum informed by the research and scholarly activities of the teaching staff;
• stimulate curiosity about a variety of religious cultures, their histories and the present condition;
• enable you to analyse and evaluate a range of political, social and cultural practices using methodologies drawn from the disciplines of Religious Studies;
• develop your critical understanding of religion, theology and the various approaches to studying this discipline through a diverse range of learning, teaching and assessment methods;
• equip you with the skills necessary to interpret primary and secondary sources related to an in-depth study of texts, religious practices and traditions;
• provide, when required, appropriate language instruction;
• equip you for a variety of careers through subject specific knowledge, active engagement in your own learning and the development of analytical and other transferable skills.

Special Features

• Placement year option: Apply your knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study. This hands-on experience not only boosts your employment prospects but also helps you define your career path while expanding your professional network.
• Learn in a multi-faith city: You will have the opportunity to engage with living religious traditions in a contemporary context in one of the most religiously diverse and dynamic cities in the UK.
• Study abroad: During the second year of your degree, you can apply to spend one semester studying abroad. Exchange partners are offered in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
• Read scriptures in their original language: You can study ancient Hebrew or Greek as part of your course.
• Connect with like-minded students: Join one of our student societies to further explore your interests, including the Religions and Theology Society, an inclusive community that plans academic and social activities from first year through to postgraduate level.

Entry Requirements

A-level

• ABB including one essay based/humanities subject.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
• Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.
• Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels.
• If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

A-level Contextual Offer

• BBC including one essay based/humanities subject.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
• Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.
• Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels.
• If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

UK Refugee/Care-Experienced Offer

• BBC including one essay based/humanities subject.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
• Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.
• Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels.
• If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

International Baccalaureate

• 34 points overall. 6,5,5 in Higher Level subjects
• Applicants studying the International Baccalaureate Career Related Programme (IBCP) should contact the admissions team prior to applying so that their academic profile can be considered.

GCSE/IGCSE

• Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 6 or B in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and 4 or C in Mathematics.
• GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

Other Entry Requirements

• Other entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
• Select other entry requirements Scottish requirements Welsh Baccalaureate Foundation year Pearson BTEC qualifications OCR Cambridge Technical qualifications Access to HE Diploma T Level Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Fees and Funding

Fees

• Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

Policy on Additional Costs

• All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme.
• Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application.

Scholarships/Sponsorships

• Find out more from student finance
• Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
• Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
• Many students work part-time or complete a student internship

Application and Selection

How to Apply

• Apply through UCAS

Advice to Applicants

• We are looking for applicants who have the predicted A-level grades (or other relevant qualifications) for the relevant degree programme and whose personal statement demonstrates an enthusiasm for the subject.

Home-Schooled Applicants

• If you have followed a non-standard educational route and have been, for example, educated at home, your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course to which you applied.
• You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the academic entry requirements as specified for the course.
• We will also require a reference which should be written by somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education.

Non-Standard Educational Routes

• Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.
• Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest.
• There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.

How Your Application is Considered

• We don't normally interview for this degree, except in the case of mature applicants.
• In considering your application, all the information on the UCAS form is taken into account, particular attention being paid to academic qualifications and predictions, to your referee's confidential report, and to your personal statement.

Returning to Education

• We welcome applications from mature students.
• We accept a wide range of qualifications including Access courses.

Deferrals

• Deferrals are normally allowed; however, we do ask applicants to let us know as early as possible if they are intending to defer.
• This helps us to adjust the number of offers we make, in order to achieve the required number of students in a given year.

Re-Applications

• If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.
• Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.
• In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved.

Transfers

• We will consider applications to transfer to Manchester from other universities and would normally ask for a letter explaining why a transfer was needed, relevant transcripts, a copy of the applicant's UCAS form and a confidential reference from one of the applicant's current university tutors.

Course Details

Course Description

Our BA Religions, Theology and Ethics course is designed for you to engage with a wide range of traditions and beliefs, covering all periods up to the present day.

We offer one of the widest ranges of course units at any British university. You can study ancient languages to read scriptures in their original form, learn about Buddhist, Jewish and Islamic traditions, and pursue an interest in the Bible or Christian theology.

Discover the different approaches to religion offered by sociology, anthropology, and philosophy.

Whether or not you have a religious background, the study of the beliefs, philosophies, practices, policies, ethics, and values which have defined our civilisations over hundreds of years provides insight into one of the most fascinating aspects of the human psyche.

You'll explore topics crucial to understanding the shape of our current multicultural society - from religion, culture, and gender to Holocaust theory, from sacred spaces to apocalyptic expectation.

Courses you can study cover Islam, Judaism and Christianity, Japanese religious worldviews, and include theology, history and biblical studies.

Course Content for Year 1

The core course asks the question what religion is and introduces a broad range of historical, literary and anthropological approaches.

The diverse and exciting range of other course units are all introductory.

Course Units for Year 1

• Introduction to the Study of Religions and Theology
• Histories of the Islamic World
• The History and Sociopolitics of Palestine/Israel
• Digital Greek New Testament
• Introduction to Christianity
• Introduction to Judaism
• Religion, Ethics and the Environment
• Truth and Truth Telling
• Bible in Ancient and Modern Worlds
• Being Human[e]: Theological Studies in Philosophy and Ethics
• Standing on The Shoulders of Giants: Foundations for Study in The Arts

Course Content for Year 2

This is the most flexible year of study and you can study subjects as broad as Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa, The End of the World and the History of Islamic Thought.

Course Units for Year 2

• Religions in China
• Themes in the Histories of Arab and Jewish Nationalisms
• The Politics of Women and Gender in the Middle East and North Africa
• History of Modern Islamic Thought
• Digital Greek New Testament
• Religion, Culture and Gender
• Biblical Hebrew
• New Testament in Greek II
• World Christianities
• Interpreting Religion
• God at the Movies
• Jewish Philosophy and Ethics
• End of the World and Apocalypticism
• Problems in Theology, Philosophy and Ethics: Evil
• World Philosophies: Ethics and Ideas in the History of Thought
• All about Eve: Encountering the First Woman from Antiquity to Today
• Anthropology of Religion
• Racism and Ethnicity in the UK

Course Content for Year 3

You will do an extended dissertation project of your choosing along with a choice of units including Lived Religion, Science and Islam and Contemporary Religion in the British Isles.

Course Units for Year 3

• Dissertation
• Religions in China
• Digital Greek New Testament
• Biblical Hebrew
• New Testament in Greek II
• Holocaust Theology and Ethics
• Science and Islam
• Gender and Sexuality in the Bible
• Paul: Theology, Ethics, Philosophy
• Interdisciplinary Literature and Theology: Empathy, Ethics, Liberation
• Making Sense of Christ
• Contemporary Religion in the British Isles

Careers

Career Opportunities

You will develop versatile and transferable skills, including presentation, critical thinking and analysis, teamwork, and cultural sensitivity.

Some course units will enable you to develop more specific skills, such as translation, source handling, exegesis, data collection and geo-historical awareness.

Degrees in Religions, Theology and Ethics provide some of the necessary skills to prepare for roles in fields such as:

• teaching and education
• cultural heritage
• counselling
• the creative industries
• law
• research consultancies and think-tanks
• finance
• publishing
• faith-based organisations
• youth work
• charity work
• media
• the public sector

The University of Manchester is the second most targeted in the UK for top graduate employers (High Fliers Research, 2024).

Employers include the BBC, the Civil Service, Xaverian College, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SPCK, the Church of England, Christian Aid and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue.

The University also has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester, you will have access to numerous opportunities to help boost your employability.

Students also choose to continue to postgraduate study, including further education in Religion and Theology and PGCE courses.

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.