Is BA Religious Studies a theology degree?

No — BA Religious Studies is non-confessional and comparative. Theology is the study of a particular religious tradition's beliefs from within. Religious Studies studies religious phenomena across traditions using historical, social-scientific and textual methods. The two overlap but differ in approach.

Do I need a religious background to study BA Religious Studies?

No. BA Religious Studies is open to students of any faith or none. The course is academic, not pastoral, and is taught from a comparative, non-confessional standpoint. Students of faith often find the academic distance illuminating for their own tradition.

Can BA Religious Studies be studied online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the seminar-led on-campus degree with live tutorials, recorded lectures and asynchronous discussion forums. Distance learners complete textual and ethnographic work in their own location with tutor supervision.

Will BA Religious Studies qualify me to teach RE?

It gives you the subject base for an RE PGCE. UK secondary teaching requires PGCE qualified teacher status, which graduates pursue separately. BA Religious Studies is recognised by UK PGCE programmes as the subject base for an RE specialism.

Is BA Religious Studies useful for chaplaincy work?

Yes — particularly the interfaith and chaplaincy strand. Many chaplaincy roles in NHS trusts, universities and the prison service look for religious-studies graduates with both academic and interfaith literacy. BA Religious Studies is a strong base; further pastoral or theological training is typically required for specific roles.

BA Religious Studies in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Religious Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree that studies religion as text, as practice, as politics and as lived experience across major traditions. You will read sacred texts in translation, study comparative method, work through contemporary religious life in the UK and internationally, and finish with a dissertation on a religious topic of your choice.

BA Religious Studies at LSJHML is non-confessional — open to students of any faith or none — and academically demanding. Reading lists are heavy, seminars are central, and the assumption is that religion is a serious subject worth taking on its own terms regardless of personal commitment.

Key Features

UK honours degree aligned with British Association for the Study of Religions and Society for the Study of Theology frameworks.
Comparative core across major traditions — Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Indigenous traditions.
Sacred texts module reading major texts in translation with attention to interpretive tradition.
Contemporary religious life — secularisation debates, new religious movements, religion in the public square.
Interfaith and chaplaincy strand for students considering pastoral or interfaith careers.
Final dissertation of 10,000 words on a religious topic of your choice.

What You Will Learn

The BA Religious Studies is structured around the working competencies of an applied religious-studies graduate — textual literacy, comparative method, contemporary cultural knowledge and clear writing. You leave able to read a sacred text with its interpretive tradition, compare religious phenomena across traditions, and analyse contemporary religious life with current scholarly frameworks.

Comparative method — phenomenology of religion, social-scientific approaches, current critical scholarship.
Sacred texts — selected reading across the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Qur'an, key Hindu and Buddhist scriptures.
Religious history — origins, schisms, reform movements and modernity across major traditions.
Contemporary religious life — secularisation, religious nationalism, new religious movements.
Religion and politics — religion in the public square, religious freedom, interfaith dialogue.
Religious ethics — comparative ethics, bioethics, religion and human rights.
Research methods — textual, archival, ethnographic and mixed methods.
Public-facing religious-studies writing — feature, briefing, exhibition copy.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers with serious interest in religion as an academic subject.
International students seeking a UK religious-studies degree taught in central London.
Career-changers from teaching, charity work or chaplaincy wanting a structured UK undergraduate credential.
Mature applicants from interfaith, heritage or pastoral roles formalising experience into a recognised qualification.

Career Pathways

BA Religious Studies graduates move into teaching, research, chaplaincy, heritage and policy-adjacent roles where religious literacy matters. Typical roles include:

Researcher (think tank, charity, university post-further-study)
Chaplaincy Coordinator (NHS trust, prison service, university)
Interfaith Programme Officer (charity, local authority, NGO)
RE Teacher (post-PGCE)
Heritage Curator (faith-based or interfaith heritage organisation)
Religious Affairs Journalist (specialist desk, broadcast)

Graduates progress to MA Religious Studies, MA Theology, MA Anthropology or to PGCE for teaching routes.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; some courses request a portfolio or interview.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.