Our reputation

Our School specialises in philosophy, theology and religious studies, and the history and philosophy of science.

Through our interdisciplinary research and teaching we are proud to have created a stimulating environment for taught and research students, visiting professors and the external organisations that we collaborate with.

The School is part of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, and this supports our interdisciplinary work with other Schools across the University and beyond. This can be anything from cross-disciplinary research, hosting interdisciplinary conferences, and co-delivering taught modules.

Top 50 in the world for Philosophy

(QS World Rankings by Subject 2024)

Our students come from around the world, and we're proud of the diverse and lively environment that this creates. 

Teaching staff in the School are highly respected in their fields and their expertise means that we can offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, diverse module choice and extensive research supervision across numerous topics.

Research events and activities, such as the collections in the Museum of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine and the Community Religions Project, highlight the passion, expertise and commitment of our staff and students to real-life issues. In turn, these create exciting opportunities for students across the School to get involved with.

• 11th in the UK for religious studies and theology (Guardian University league tables 2025)
• Three quarters of the research activity submitted to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 by the School is either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”.