University undergraduate student using a touch screen in the Monica Partridge Building Digital Hub. Friday November 5th 2021.

Philosophy and Theology BA

University Park Campus, Nottingham, UK

Course overview

Religion and philosophy are two of the most profound influences on individuals and society. By studying them together you'll get to understand:

  • the overlaps and differences
  • how they support and disagree with each other
  • their personal, historical, and cultural importance

You'll cover issues from the deeply personal to society-wide concerns, developing a greater understanding of different ways of living.

This degree will transform how you think and feel about fundamental issues of human existence.

Theology

  • Study biblical writings together with key thinkers, ideas, events and movements that shaped the course of Western Christian thought
  • Examine the key texts, thinkers, ideas and events in the history of Islam and Judaism

Philosophy

  • Study topics, figures, and themes from across the Western, Indian, Chinese and Africana traditions
  • Explore crime and justice, race and gender, politics and religion, the environment and society
  • Apply philosophical thinking to everyday issues

Indicative modules

Mandatory

Year 1

Reasoning, Argument, and Logic

Mandatory

Year 1

Mind, Knowledge, and Ethics

Optional

Year 1

Metaphysics, Science, and Language

Optional

Year 1

Philosophy of Religions

Optional

Year 1

History of Philosophy: Ancient to Modern

Optional

Year 1

Gender, Justice, and Society

Optional

Year 1

Philosophy and the Contemporary World

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting the Hebrew Bible

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting the New Testament

Optional

Year 1

Christianity and the Challenge of Modernity

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting Islam

Optional

Year 1

Interpreting Judaism

Optional

Year 1

Philosophy for Theologians

Optional

Year 1

The Bible in Music, Art and Literature

Optional

Year 1

Atheism

Optional

Year 1

Religion, Media and Ethics

Optional

Year 1

Big Questions in Theology and Religious Studies

Optional

Year 1

Reading World Religions

Optional

Year 1

Biblical Hebrew

Mandatory

Year 2

Religion in Britain: Interfaith Encounters in a Secular Age

Optional

Year 2

Exile and Homeland: Jewish Culture, Thought and Politics in Modern Europe and Mandatory Palestine between 1890 and 1950

Optional

Year 2

Body and Soul: Christian Theological Anthropology

Optional

Year 2

The Theology of Paul

Optional

Year 2

Islamic Theology and Philosophy

Optional

Year 2

Africana Philosophies and Religions

Optional

Year 2

The Philosophy of Religion

Optional

Year 2

Jewish Theology and Philosophy from Philo to Kabbalah

Optional

Year 2

Beginners Greek for Second and Third Years

Optional

Year 2

Intermediate Biblical Hebrew

Optional

Year 2

Social Philosophy

Optional

Year 2

Topics in Asian Philosophy

Optional

Year 2

Freedom and Obligation

Optional

Year 2

Mind and Consciousness

Optional

Year 2

Normative Ethics

Optional

Year 2

Being, Becoming and Reality

Optional

Year 2

Philosophy of Art

Optional

Year 2

The Nature of Meaning

Optional

Year 2

Knowledge and Justification

Optional

Year 2

An Introduction to Metaethics

Optional

Year 2

Continental Philosophy

Optional

Year 2

Space, Time and Motion

Optional

Year 2

Employing the Arts

Optional

Year 2

Arts Work Placement Module

Optional

Year 3

Dissertation in Philosophy

Optional

Year 3

Advanced Logic

Optional

Year 3

Marx

Optional

Year 3

Buddhist Philosophy

Optional

Year 3

Communicating Philosophy

Optional

Year 3

Environmental Ethics

Optional

Year 3

Philosophy and Mortality

Optional

Year 3

Knowledge, Ignorance and Democracy

Optional

Year 3

Advanced Topics in Aesthetics

Optional

Year 3

Play, Games and Recreation

Optional

Year 3

Mind, psychology and mental health

Optional

Year 3

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

Optional

Year 3

Authenticity, Freedom and Ethics

Optional

Year 3

Equality

Optional

Year 3

Dirty Talk: Feminist Philosophy of Language

Optional

Year 3

Dissertation in Theology

Optional

Year 3

Islamic Theology and Philosophy

Optional

Year 3

Jewish Theology and Philosophy from Philo to Kabbalah

Optional

Year 3

The Theology of Paul

Optional

Year 3

The Philosophy of Religion

Optional

Year 3

Exile and Homeland: Jewish Culture, Thought and Politics in Modern Europe and Mandatory Palestine between 1890 and 1950

Optional

Year 3

Body and Soul: Christian Theological Anthropology

Optional

Year 3

Africana Philosophies and Religions

Optional

Year 3

Intermediate Biblical Hebrew

Optional

Year 3

Beginners Greek for Second and Third Years

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About modules

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. This content was last updated on Wednesday 21 August 2024. Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.

Each subject brings their own methods and approaches to teaching.

Different types of philosophy suit different methods of teaching. You might get involved in small-group study of texts or learn alternative styles of presentation - from press releases to legal briefs.

Teaching quality and support

Our staff know that both subjects can deal with complicated and sensitive ideas and take pride in their teaching. Across both departments individual staff have been awarded four Lord Dearing Awards in the past four years. Nominated by students and other academics they recognise outstanding student learning.

In the 2022 National Student Survey 97% of philosophy students surveyed agreed that staff were good at explaining things - we know how to teach in-depth concepts. Tutor's contributions to high quality teaching and learning are recognised through our annual Lord Dearing Awards. View the full list of recipients.

If you have worries about your work we won't wait for them to become problems. As a joint honours student you will have a personal tutor from the Department of Philosophy as well as a Joint Honours advisor from the School of Psychology. They will support your academic progress and help find solutions to any issues. 

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Placements
  • Workshops

A combination of essays and exams are the norm for most modules. Weekly reading summaries, presentations and online quizzes and tests may also be used by individual lecturers depending on the module.

 

Assessment methods

  • Commentary
  • Dissertation
  • EssayIn-class test
  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Presentation
  • Reflective review
  • Written exam

We provide a structure of lectures, seminars and tutorials around which you organise other study and commitments. Our minimum expected contact time with you is: 

  • Year one - at least 12 hours
  • Year two - at least 9 hours
  • Year three - at least 9 hours 

Weekly tutorial support and the accredited Nottingham Advantage Award offer other learning activities, on top of these class contact hours. Your lecturers will also be available outside your scheduled contact time to help you study and develop. This can be in person and online.

As well as your timetabled sessions you'll carry out extensive self-study. This will include course reading and seminar preparation. We also encourage lots of group activity - studying is more fun, more rewarding, and often better quality when done together.

As a guide 20 credits (a typical module) is about 200 hours of work (combined teaching and self-study).

Class sizes vary depending on topic and type. A popular lecture may have up to 200 students attending while a specialised seminar may only contain 10 students.

Your lecturers will usually be from our academic staff in the Department of Philosophy many of whom are internationally recognised in their fields.

Theology and Philosophy both open the doors to a wide range of possible careers.

You'll develop key professional skills such as how to:

  • understand and analyse others' ideas and beliefs
  • think carefully and clearly
  • sift evidence, make reasoned decisions and argue persuasively
  • develop sensitivity to cultural and religious diversity
  • communicate your ideas with confidence
  • engage intelligently and critically with the world in all its depth and complexity

The skills you develop will make you:

  • resilient - as the nature of work changes you can adapt
  • flexible - you can choose across different sectors as you develop and grow and opportunities arise

Recent graduates are currently working in areas such as:

  • law, public policy, strategy, and consulting
  • banking and finance
  • postgraduate degrees and academia
  • teaching
  • creative arts and cultural administration
  • police and detective work
  • religious and charitable organisations
  • journalism, advertising, and communications
  • psychology and counselling
  • publishing and editing
  • charities

Find out more about opportunities for our Philosophy and Theology students.

Graduate profiles

"I left Nottingham with ways of thinking which have enabled me to thrive on a sought-after graduate scheme, and to secure an exciting job thereafter."

Luke Gallimore, BA Philosophy 2015. Now Head of Product Management, Monstarlab

Meet more of our graduates and how they think Nottingham has equipped them for the future.

Key fact

Only 14% of employers state that specific degree subjects are a selection criterion. (Institute of Student Employers recruitment survey 2019)

Average starting salary and career progression

78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.

HESA Graduate Outcomes (2017 to 2021 cohorts). The Graduate Outcomes % is calculated using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.T

hroughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

University undergraduate student Cole Pearce studying in Nightingale Hall accommodation's library, University Park. November 5th 2021.

The department is a great learning atmosphere full of friendly professionals. The eclectic research of the tutors can bring you into contact with literature, history, archaeology, art history and continental philosophy – something for all students of the programme. 

Jack Murphy

BA Philosophy and Theology

Course data

Open Day June 2022