DEGREE GUIDE

Religious Studies

What do Religious Studies degrees involve?

Religious Studies degrees teach you how different faiths, beliefs, and spiritual traditions influence societies, cultures, and individuals across history and in the modern world. You will study key areas such as world religions, philosophy of religion, ethics, mythology, and the role of religion in politics and culture. These courses help you develop strong analytical, research, and critical thinking skills while exploring how religious ideas shape global events, personal identities, and moral debates. As you progress, you may specialise in areas such as Eastern religions, contemporary spirituality, or religious conflict. Many courses incorporate textual analysis, field research, and interdisciplinary study, giving you a broad perspective on religion’s impact across different disciplines.

Example
Modules

World Religions: Survey major global religions including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism, learning about their beliefs, rituals, histories, and responses to life’s biggest questions.

Philosophy of Religion: Examine religious belief through philosophical thought, tackling arguments for and against God’s existence, the problem of evil, and the limits of human knowledge.

Religious Ethics: Explore how religions approach morality by analysing topics like war, sexuality, and charity through their ethical frameworks.

Common Degree Names

💼 Some courses offer placement opportunities in education, heritage, or charity sectors.
🌍 Study abroad is offered at many universities.

BA (Hons) Religious Studies
BA (Hons) Theology and Religious Studies
BA (Hons) Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
BA (Hons) Religious Studies and Sociology
BA (Hons) Theology and Global Development

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Religious Studies degrees explore how faiths, beliefs, and spiritual traditions shape societies and individuals. Universities welcome students from many different subject backgrounds – what matters is your curiosity about religion and your ability to think analytically.

Subjects that can strengthen your application:

Religious Studies or Theology – directly relevant, though not always required
Philosophy – develops analytical and argumentative skills
History – useful for understanding religious traditions in context
English Literature or Language & Literature – develops skills in textual analysis and interpretation
Sociology or Psychology – relevant for understanding religion in society
Classical Civilisation – provides a background in ancient religious contexts
Modern Languages – some courses involve learning Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, or Sanskrit

✨ Any combination of essay-based or analytical subjects works well for Religious Studies. Universities value your ability to think critically about complex questions and express ideas clearly in writing.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas - some universities prefer essay-based subjects or require an A-level alongside
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside relevant A-Level subjects
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three) alongside your Career-Related Study — see above for IB subjects that could strengthen your application

Always check specific course requirements.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE or equivalent)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language (or equivalent) – strong written English is important for this essay-based subject. Equivalents include Scottish National 5s, BTEC Level 2, or IB MYP certificates
GCSE Maths (or equivalent)

📋 Religious Studies is primarily an essay-based degree, so good written communication skills are important.

💬 Interviews

Interviews are not usually required, but some universities may invite you for a short conversation, either online or in person, to learn more about your interest in the subject

🔍 Work Experience

You don't need work experience to apply for Religious Studies. If you have a school placement to fill, a faith-based charity, interfaith organisation, or community group working across different religious communities gives you a sense of how religion shapes people's lives in practice.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What interests you about religion as a phenomenon to study and understand? Religious Studies takes an academic approach to religion - exploring beliefs, practices, texts, and institutions across different traditions and asking how religion shapes individuals and societies. If you've found yourself curious about why people believe what they do, how religions compare, or how religion intersects with politics, culture, and ethics, reflect on what questions that raised. Reading about different religions, watching documentaries, exploring sacred texts, or thinking about religion's role in current affairs can show genuine engagement. Admissions tutors want to see analytical curiosity about religion, whatever your own beliefs.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Humanities or Social Sciences

Some universities offer a foundation year that can lead into Religious Studies or related degrees. This adds an extra year but provides a route in if you don't have the required subjects or grades.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Humanities or Social Science)

Widely accepted by universities offering Religious Studies. Choose a pathway with essay-based and analytical units, and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

Start Your Journey → £3 a month

Full access to all self-discovery tools and guides. Cancel anytime.

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Context sentence

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

Heading 6

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

custom skills note goes here

Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Religious Studies degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Different Cultures, Languages & Beliefs: The degree is centred on understanding the world's major religions and belief systems. You'll study traditions including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Sikhism, exploring how different cultural and religious worldviews shape the way people live, worship, and understand the world.

Big Questions & Deep Thinking: Questions about God's existence, the nature of evil, the meaning of life, and how we decide right from wrong run through the degree. You'll study philosophy of religion and ethics alongside the traditions themselves, engaging with the deepest questions that religious thought attempts to answer.

Society, Communities & How People Live Together: Religion's role in shaping communities and public life is a major theme. You'll study how faith influences politics, identity, and social structures, examining topics like secularism, interfaith dialogue, and how globalisation is transforming religious practice across different societies.

Language, Stories & Writing: Some UK programmes offer optional scriptural language study alongside the main degree. If language draws you in, you can choose a degree where you can learn Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Sanskrit or Pali, reading sacred texts in their original form and studying how language shapes religious meaning.

Students who thrive in a Religious Studies degree are often motivated by

Engaging with People and Cultures

You're energised by working closely with people to understand what's really going on for them: talking, listening, asking questions, spending time, picking up on what isn't being said directly. That might be interviewing someone for a piece of research, sitting with a client who's trying to work something out, exploring a community you've not been part of, or working alongside people from a different culture. The energy comes from the engagement itself, not just from reading or thinking about people.

Analysing and Investigating

You're energised by making sense of information, looking for evidence, spotting patterns, and piecing together how things connect. Whether it's pulling apart data, questioning assumptions, or tracing a problem back to its source, you find energy in the process of understanding what's really going on. You'd rather dig into the details than accept things at face value.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes Religious Studies click for the students who love it?

Belief shapes how a huge part of the world sees everything, and they want to understand that from the inside rather than judge it from outside. Part of it is the thinking: getting to grips with the major faiths and traditions, reading what they teach and questioning the assumptions people make about them. But what sets these students apart is treating religion as something alive, meeting people of different faiths, visiting places of worship, and seeing how belief shapes everyday life.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you enjoy comparing different ways of seeing the world — not just tolerating difference, but genuinely wanting to understand it?
Do you find yourself thinking about big moral questions and wanting to explore how different traditions answer them?
Are you curious about why people believe what they believe — and how faith shapes the way whole communities live and think?
Do you find it comes naturally to try and see things from someone else's point of view, even when their perspective is very different from yours?

Careers a Religious Studies degree could lead you to

Religious Studies

What do Religious Studies degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

Heading 6

Heading 6

Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a Religious Studies degree could lead you to

Example
Modules