Philosophy and Religion

MA

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Study with experts in global philosophy and applied philosophy

  • Study with experts in Politics and International Relations from across the World

  • Make professional contacts at our annual conference

Why Lancaster?

  • Join a unique department that brings together scholars specializing in Global religions and a wide range of philosophical traditions
  • Study a course designed to explore religion through the lens of different disciplines
  • Go beyond Western philosophy with modules designed to explore philosophy from a global perspective
  • Learn from experts who specialise in research areas such as reproductive ethics, roles of women in Islam, philosophy of psychiatry and global Christianity
  • Benefit from an applied approach – understand how philosophy can help us solve pressing challenges in the modern world
  • Build your professional experience by presenting your ideas and getting feedback at the department’s postgraduate conference

This cross-disciplinary programme provides you with the opportunity to pursue and develop your interests in philosophy and religious studies, and to focus on the interface between the two. It builds on core modules, which aim to introduce you to central disciplinary skills and knowledge, with a choice of optional modules across both disciplines.

Digging deeper

We start this course with our modules Studying Religion and What is Philosophy? with both modules covering a lot of ground. In Studying Religion you’ll explore areas like social and cultural transformations of religion and spirituality, as well as sharpening your skills in making sense of conflicting data from different sources and forming an evidence-based argument. In What is Philosophy? you’ll explore the methods used and debates within the subject. At the same time, our teaching team will discuss their fascinating research on everything from the ethics of work to feminist philosophy.

The freedom to explore

Alongside the core module and dissertation, you’ll choose from our range of optional modules. You might analyse Indian source texts on politics and ethics or look at an applied area such as philosophy of mental disorders. Perhaps you’ll pick our independent study module to focus on any topic that sparks your interest.

Hone your research skills

You’ll also dig deeper into an area that interests you with our dissertation module. You’ll have 20,000 words to explore a topic at the intersection of philosophy and religion that interests you. Whenever you need support, you’ll be able to turn to your academic supervisor.

Careers

The advanced research skills developed through the programme, can be relevant to a range of professions. Equally, if you intend to go on to a PhD, this programme provides an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of the two disciplines.

Our MA Philosophy and Religion graduates might choose to pursue a career in the following:

  • Civil and Diplomatic Services
  • International charities and NGOs
  • Consultancy
  • Teaching and education
  • Media, journalism and PR
  • Politics and government

Find out more about the support the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion offers to improve your employability, and learn about the careers of some of our alumni.

Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring that you gain a highly reputable degree. We are also dedicated to ensuring that you graduate with relevant life and work-based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award, which offers you the opportunity to complete activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development.

Visit our Employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 degree in a related subject is normally required. We will also consider applications where you have a degree in other subjects, have a 2:2 or equivalent result and/or extensive relevant experience. In these cases, you should clearly demonstrate how your experience and skills have prepared you for postgraduate study.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Optional

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Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £11,960 £5,980
International £24,830 £12,415

General fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.