Philosophy & Ethics
UCAS Code: Combined Honours only – see combinations tab|Duration: 3 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
The Philosophy and Ethics course at Hope explores life’s biggest questions and the nature of morality: on what basis do we judge things as good or evil? It challenges you to examine your assumptions, opinions, and worldview. Key questions include: Do we need to believe in God for life to have meaning? What does it mean to be human? Do we have free will, or is life determined?
This philosophy and ethics course uses primary texts by philosophers like Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche. You will learn to analyse and evaluate arguments. Also, you'll enhance your ability to express your ideas clearly. You will learn the basics of philosophy. As you advance, you'll study topics like religion, political philosophy, and applied ethics. You'll also explore modern issues like human personhood, artificial intelligence, ecology, and animal rights.
Studying in Liverpool provides a rich cultural context for exploring the human condition through art, performance, and social life. The course at Liverpool Hope is contemporary and timely, particularly in applied ethics and the study of religion in the modern world.
This philosophy and ethics course gives you the skills to tackle ethical and ideological challenges today. You'll prepare for many jobs that need critical thinking and the ability to handle complex, conflicting ideas.
Hear what a Philosophy & Ethics student has to say about the course.
Course structure
Teaching on this philosophy and ethics course is delivered through lectures for all students, smaller seminars of 15–20 students, and tutorials typically limited to 10 students. You will also use online resources via Moodle, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment, and have the opportunity for weekly one-to-one meetings with your tutor.
In the first year, the Philosophy and Ethics component includes approximately 6 teaching hours per week, reducing to around 5 hours per week in the second and third years. In addition to taught sessions, you are expected to undertake independent study and collaborate in groups to prepare for assessments.
Assessment and feedback
Throughout this philosophy and ethics course, you will complete a variety of assessments, including essays, portfolios, group presentations, and written exams. In your final year, you will undertake a dissertation on a research topic of your choice.
Feedback is provided through the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle), and you are encouraged to discuss your feedback directly with your tutors for further guidance.
Year One
Your first year lays the foundation for the philosophy and ethics course, introducing key concepts in moral philosophy, human nature, and knowledge.
Ethics, Freedom, and Human Nature
This module begins with normative ethics, including utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and deontological ethics, discussed in the context of animal ethics. A study visit to Chester Zoo will explore the morality of zoos and animal conservation. You will also study meta-ethics, including emotivism, ethical egoism, ethical naturalism, and ethical non-naturalism (intuitionism). The second half of the module examines theories of free will, determinism, and human nature, covering libertarianism, determinism, indeterminism, compatibilism, and deep-self compatibilism, alongside topics such as mind-body dualism, the noumenal self, agent-causation, and the relationship between neuroscience and philosophy.
Knowledge, Value, and Life’s Meaning
This module explores philosophy of knowledge (epistemology), including empiricism, rationalism, and transcendental idealism, drawing on thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, and feminist epistemologists like Sandra Harding. You will then study existentialism and debates on life’s meaning, using the works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Year Two
In the second year of this philosophy and ethics course, you will build on first-year foundations and explore philosophy of religion, aesthetics, politics, environmental issues, and applied ethics in greater depth.
Themes in Philosophy of Religion
This module examines the relationship between faith and reason, exploring the limits of language when addressing the infinite and contemporary perspectives on God, time, and human experience. You will also study Islamic philosophy of religion, pantheism, and animism.
Phenomenological Aesthetics
Explore philosophical aesthetics and the influence of phenomenology on the study of art. Starting with Kant’s epistemology and aesthetics, you will examine the phenomenological method of Husserl and its adaptation by Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty to understand the philosophy of art.
Political Philosophy
Engage with debates on justice, representation, and government. This module covers liberty, democracy, socialism, anarchism, global justice, feminist thought, and our ethical obligations to others.
Environmental Ethics
Study contemporary issues such as valuing the nonhuman environment, climate change, and rewilding. You will also explore ecofeminist and indigenous perspectives, with visits to local nature reserves to contextualise your learning.
Applied Ethics
Building on first-year normative and meta-ethics, this module addresses prominent ethical issues including abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, sexual ethics, homosexuality, pornography, love, and fidelity. Seminal texts in each area are studied to understand their historical and ongoing influence on ethical debate.
Year Three
The Limits of Personhood
Examine what defines a person and how identity persists over time. This module explores early modern theories of personal identity, including those of Locke and Hume, and contemporary debates in the philosophy of mind, such as the relationship between mind and brain, artificial intelligence, and the human/animal boundary. You will also consider how social norms shape personhood, focusing on gender, postcolonialism, race, and our relationship with the natural world.
God after the Death of God: Modern and Contemporary Philosophy of Religion
Explore the continuing relevance of Nietzsche’s “death of God” and the nature of religion in modern thought. You will study continental and phenomenological perspectives on God, examining key thinkers such as Heidegger, Derrida, Levinas, Irigaray, and Meillassoux. The module also addresses issues of power, enlightenment legacies, religious truth, and the promise of postmodern approaches to philosophy of religion.
Entry requirements
| A-Levels | BBC |
|---|---|
| UCAS Tariff Points | 112 UCAS Tariff points must come from a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent). Additional points can be made up from a range of alternative qualifications. |
| BTEC | DMM |
| Access to HE | 112 Tariff Points |
| IB | 26 points |
| Irish Leaving Certificate | 112 Tariff Points from Higher Level qualifications only |
| Welsh Baccalaureate | This qualification can only be accepted in conjunction with other relevant qualifications |
| T-Levels | Merit |
| Subject Requirements | No specific subject requirements |
International entry requirements
| Specific Country Requirements | Select your country |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall (with reading and writing at 6.0) and no individual score lower than 5.5. We also accept a wide range of International Qualifications. For more information, please visit our English Language Requirementspage. |
Careers
A degree in philosophy and ethics provides excellent preparation for teaching the subject at A level and equips you with the intellectual skills to navigate ethical and ideological challenges in the contemporary world.
Graduates develop strong critical thinking, textual analysis, report writing, and oral communication skills, which are highly valued by employers. This prepares you for careers in law, media, public administration, social and community work, and teaching. You will also be well positioned to pursue postgraduate studies in philosophy and related humanities subjects.
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are £9,535* for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,535*.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
*subject to Council approval.
Additional costs
On top of tuition fees, you will also need approximately £200 to purchase key textbooks that will be used throughout your studies.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2026/27 are £14,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is only available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: