About This Course
This is a course that allows you to enjoy the wealth of Welsh literature, drama and creative culture and consider some of life's deepest questions at the same time. What is being? How can moral principles be discovered? Can the existence of God be proved - or to the contrary? Students who enjoy creative writing can take part in poetry and prose workshops, and there are also specific modules to refine your professional writing skills. You will split your time equally between studying specific modules in Welsh and others in Philosophy, Ethics and Religion.
The entire course gives you the opportunity to build on your experiences and open new doors. You will learn new critical skills to respond with originality to literature, and you will also see the relevance of the Welsh tradition to some of the most important and challenging ideas developed over the centuries, worldwide. Take a fresh look at creative works from one of Europe's richest literary traditions, from heroic poetry, the tales of the Mabinogion and the poetry of masters such as Dafydd ap Gwilym, to the cutting edge and challenging works of the later period, from the ecumenical and the ephemeral and feminist to scientific and Welsh literature in America. Consider how Welsh language writers around the world have responded to the demands of the ages, creating shocking, challenging and beautiful works. Enjoy these alongside learning more about analytical and continental philosophy, and religions from the Eastern and Western traditions.
From the novel, to the drama, to the language of the most experimental media and art; from philosopher to theologian and political pamphleteer, this degree gives you the opportunity to better understand the meaning of thinking, and how to express that thought. You can apply that understanding, while gaining skills that are practical as well as analytical.Ìý
Additional Course Options
This course is available with a Placement YearÌýoption where you will study for 1 additional year. The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year.
The Placement Year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with a self-sourced organisation relevant to your degree subject. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider.ÌýYou would normally start sometime in the period June to September of your second year and finish between June and September the following year.ÌýPlacements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.Ìý
You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Careers and Employability Services.
You will have the opportunity to fully consider thisÌýoptionÌýwhen you have started your course at Bangor and can make an application for a transfer onto thisÌýpathway at the appropriate time. Read more about the work experience opportunities that may be available to you or, if you have any questions, please get in touch. Ìý
This course is available with an International Experience YearÌýoption where you will study or work abroad for 1 additional year.Ìý You will have ‘with International Experience’ added to your degree title on graduating.
Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå°æing abroad is a great opportunity to see a different way of life, learn about new cultures and broaden your horizons.ÌýWith international experience of this kind, you’ll really improve your career prospects. There are a wide variety of destinationsÌýand partner universities to choose from. If you plan to study in a country where English is not spoken natively, there may be language courses available for you at Bangor and in your host university to improve your language skills.Ìý
You will have the opportunity to fully consider thisÌýoption at any time during your degree at Bangor and make your application. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.Ìý
Read more about the International Experience Year programme and see the studying or working abroad options on theÌýStudent Exchanges section of our website.
Watch/Gwyliwch - Mared Fôn Owen
Course Content
A joint honours degree allows you to study the same core modules as students on the single honours courses; you will take fewer optional modules, but you will not be without options, either.Ìý
The teaching takes place through lectures, seminars, presentations, case studies and workshops. You will write essays, undertake various weekly exercises and tasks, reading and preparing for seminars. Assessment is a combination of coursework and examinations, with some modules assessed solely on the basis of coursework. There are specific modules available for second language students, and full support throughout the degree course.Ìý
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What will you study on this course?
In the first year, through reading key texts you will become familiar with the aspects that underpin philosophy and religion, even if you have not studied those areas before, from Philosophy of Religion, Ethics and Logic, to Discourse and 'the Death of God'. You will also read poetry, prose and drama, and have an opportunity to take part in creative writing workshops, if you wish.Ìý
In the second and third years, a wide variety of modules are offered: e.g., the novel from Daniel Owen to Dewi Prysor; Welsh language theatre from Saunders Lewis to Aled Jones Williams', modern poetry and eisteddfod odes; Meic Povey’s television dramas; Dafydd ap Gwilym; the Mabinogion. Or why not study the Welsh culture of the Welsh Americans, or even ask "What is Literature?" (the 'Philosophy and Literature' module is a bridge between the two disciplines). There are modules on the great thinkers of the western tradition, as well as those comparing western and eastern thought, and there is a wide range of Welsh modules covering subjects as diverse as Buddhism, Religious Education, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, or the Transatlantic Slave Trade.Ìý
The Independent Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå°æ and Dissertation modules give you the opportunity to explore in more depth a topic of particular interest to you, whether a single author or writer such as Caryl Lewis, Geraint Jarman or Nietzsche, or a subject such as ecocriticism, gender and transgender, literature and slavery, approaches to language regeneration, etc.Ìý
Modules for the current academic year
Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Welsh and Philosophy, Ethics and Religion BA (Hons) Modules page.
Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.
Facilities
- Our excellent teaching facilities include geophysical labs and wave flumes, as well as advanced computer systems.Ìý
- We are on the coast, next to the Irish Sea and the Menai Strait within the UNESCO Geopark GeoMon. We are also next to the classic glaciated environments of Snowdonia and so the perfect place to study geosciences with a wide range of environments for field courses and study sites for final-year projects.Ìý
- We have a £3.5m ocean-going research ship as well as several smaller survey boats fully equipped with the latest ocean survey equipment.Ìý
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General University Facilities
Library and Archive Services
Our four libraries provide a range of attractive study environments including collaborative work areas, meeting rooms and silent study spaces.
We have an extensive collection of books and journals and many of the journals are available online in full-text format.
We house one of the largest university-based archives not only in Wales, but also the UK. Allied to the Archives is the Special Collections of rare printed books.
Learning Resources
There is a range of learning resources available, supported by experienced staff, to help you in your studies.Ìý
The University’s IT Services provides computing, media and reprographics facilities and services including:
- Over 1,150 computers for students, with some PC rooms open 24 hours a day
- Blackboard, a commercial Virtual Learning Environment, that makes learning materials available on-line.Ìý
Course Costs
General University Costs
Home (UK) students
- The cost of a full-time undergraduate course is £9,250 per year (2025/26).
- The fee for all integrated study abroad years is Ìý£1,385 (2025/26).
- The fee for an integrated year in industry as part of a sandwich programme is £1,850 (2025/26).
More information on fees and finance for Home (UK) students.
International (including EU) students
Additional Costs
There are also some common additional costs that are likely to arise for students on all courses, for example:
- If you choose to study abroad or take the International Experience Year as part of your course.
- If you attend your Graduation Ceremony, there will be a cost for gown hire (£25-£75) and cost for additional guest tickets (c.£12 each).
Course-specific additional costs
Depending on the course you are studying, there may be additional course-specific costs that you will be required to meet. These fall into three categories:
- Mandatory Costs: these are related to a particular core or compulsory module that you’ll be required to complete to achieve your qualification e.g. compulsory field trips, uniforms for students on placement, DBS Check.
- Necessarily Incurred Costs: these may not be experienced by all students, and will vary depending on the course e.g. professional body membership, travel to placements, specialist software, personal safety equipment.
- Optional Costs: these depend on your choice of modules or activity and they are shown to give you an indication of the optional costs that may arise to make sure your choice is as informed as possible. These can include graduation events for your course, optional field trips, Welcome Week trips.
Entry Requirements
Offers are tariff based, 96 - 128 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification e.g.:
- A Levels:Ìý including grade B in Welsh (or a grade B in a humanities subject studies through the medium of Welsh - e.g. History, Geography, Religious Studies). General Studies and Key Skills not normally accepted
- BTEC National Extended Diploma**: MMM-DDM
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma**: MMM-DDM
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (1080): considered on a case-by-case basis
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: including grade H5 in Welsh**
- Access**: pass required
- Welsh Baccalaureate:ÌýWe will accept this qualification in conjunction with other level 3 qualifications
- T Levels: T Levels in a relevant subject considered on a case-by-case basis
- Extended Project Qualification:ÌýPoints can include a relevant Extended Project (EPQ) but must include a minimum 2 full A-levels, or equivalent.
We are happy to accept combinations of the qualifications listed above, as well as alternative Level 3 qualifications such as City & Guilds, Access and Cambridge Technical Diplomas.Ìý
We also welcome applications from mature learners.
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications that are equivalent to A levels/Level 3 and/or college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information can be found on ourÌýInternational pages.Ìý
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go toÌý.
**Can be considered in conjunction with another qualification in Welsh or taken through the medium of Welsh (e.g. A Levels).
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Offers are tariff based, 104 - 128 tariff points from a Level 3 qualification e.g.:
- A Levels:Ìý including grade B in Welsh (or a grade B in a humanities subject studies through the medium of Welsh - e.g. History, Geography, Religious Studies). General Studies and Key Skills not normally accepted
- BTEC National Extended Diploma**: DMM-DDM
- Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma**: DMM-DDM
- City & Guilds Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (1080): considered on a case-by-case basis
- International Baccalaureate Diploma: including grade H5 in Welsh**
- Access**: pass required
- Welsh Baccalaureate:ÌýWe will accept this qualification in conjunction with other level 3 qualifications
- T Levels: T Levels in a relevant subject considered on a case-by-case basis
- Extended Project Qualification:ÌýPoints can include a relevant Extended Project (EPQ) but must include a minimum 2 full A-levels, or equivalent.
We are happy to accept combinations of the qualifications listed above, as well as alternative Level 3 qualifications such as City & Guilds, Access and Cambridge Technical Diplomas.Ìý
We also welcome applications from mature learners.
International Candidates: school leaving qualifications that are equivalent to A levels/Level 3 and/or college diplomas are accepted from countries worldwide (subject to minimum English Language requirements). More information can be found on ourÌýInternational pages.Ìý
*For a full list of accepted Level 3 qualifications, go toÌý.
**Can be considered in conjunction with another qualification in Welsh or taken through the medium of Welsh (e.g. A Levels).
General University Requirements
To study for a degree, you’ll be asked for a minimum of UCAS Tariff points. For a fuller explanation of the UCAS Tariff Points, please see .
We accept students with a wide range of qualifications and backgrounds and consider each application individually.
All students need to have good basic skills and the University also values IT and communication skills.
As part of the University’s policy, we consider applications from prospective disabled students on the same grounds as all other students.
We also consider applications from mature students who can demonstrate the motivation and commitment to study a university programme. Each year we enrol a significant number of mature students. For more information about studying as a mature student, see our Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå°æing at Bangor section of the website.
EU and International Students' Entry Requirements
For detailed guidance on the entry requirements for EU and International Students, including the minimum English Language entry requirement, please visit the Entry Requirements by Country pages. International applicants can also visit the International Education Centre section of our website for further details.
Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå°æ offers International Incorporated Bachelor Degrees for International students whose High School qualification is not equivalent to the UK school leaving qualification. The first year (or Year 0) is studied at Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå°æ International College, an embedded College on our University campus and delivered by Oxford International Education Group.
Careers
There has never been more demand for a workforce that can use Welsh at senior professional levels. The goal is clear, it has been set by the Welsh Government: a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and a truly bilingual Wales.Ìý
In pursuit of this goal there will be a considerable demand for confident Welsh speaking graduates. A degree in Welsh and Philosophy, Ethics and Religion, will provide you with an excellent qualification, combining two areas that offer great potential. Employability statistics show, year on year, that graduates from the School of Welsh succeed exceptionally well in finding suitable employment - indeed they are more successful than the graduates of some other subject. "The ability to communicate effectively in spoken and written Welsh is an essential skill in an ever-increasing number of jobs, and studying for a degree Ìý- or the majority of a degree - through the medium of Welsh does not close any doors on international employment either." The opposite is true.
The remarkable professional success of our students in employment - and their varied careers - already proves how entirely relevant this course is to the requirements of contemporary Wales. A proportion of graduates go into education, to be primary and secondary teachers, headteachers, education officers and directors of education. Others go into further education and others become university lecturers. Teaching Welsh for adults is also a key area. Television and digital and print media - including the BBC centre in Bangor - offer a cross-section of interesting jobs and have led other alumni into book publishing, creative writing and television scripting, public relations and marketing. There is also continuing demand for bilingual administrators and local government officers. Graduates in Philosophy, Ethics and Religion also look to social work, religious service, counselling, librarianship etc.
Opportunities at Bangor
The University’s Careers and Employability Service provides a wide range of resources to help you achieve your graduate ambitions.Ìý
Internships
Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå°æ runs a paid internship scheme within the university’s academic and service departments.
Student Volunteering
Volunteering widens your experience and improves your employability. Find out more about volunteering on the .
Foundation Year
A 'with Foundation Year' option is available for this course. Apply forÌýWelsh for BeginnersÌýorÌýHistory (with Foundation Year).
What is a Foundation Year course?
If you don’t have the required qualifications for the degree-level course or are looking to re-enter education after time away from study, then a Foundation Year Programme might be the right choice for you.
The Foundation Year is an excellent introduction to studying this subject at university and will provide you with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to go on to study this course at degree-level.
When you have successfully completed the Foundation Year, you can progress on to the first year of this degree-level course.