Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS) is a national qualification subject offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. RMPS is offered at different levels and the course varies at each level.

Higher

Higher RMPS, like all Higher Still courses has 3 units. The first is world Religion; where candidates have the choice of studying one of 6 religions (

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, Islam,

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

and

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

). The second is Morality; which deals with sources of moral guidance (such as

Kantian ethics Kantian ethics refers to a deontological ethical theory developed by German philosopher Immanuel Kant that is based on the notion that: "It is impossible to think of anything at all in the world, or indeed even beyond it, that could be conside ...

, reason and faith, virtue ethics etc.) in addition to one of Gender, Crime and punishment, Medical Ethics or War and Peace.) The third unit is Christianity: Belief and science; which explored the different views science had for creation and origins of the universe ( such as the anthropic principle, teleological argument etc.). Each unit is worth 40 marks in the exam (in the first unit morality is worth 10 and the other choice is worth 30). In 2011 the results of a three-year study were released, in which it was reported that despite many shortcomings in the way RMPS had been taught in Scotland, the subject was seeing "unprecedented interest and optimism"; the number of students sitting for the Higher RMPS increased from 1,323 in 2006 to about 4,100 in 2011.Henry Hepburn
"Religious education makes a comeback"
''

Times Educational Supplement ''Tes'', formerly known as the ''Times Educational Supplement'', is a weekly UK publication aimed at education professionals. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in ''The Times'' newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 19 ...

'', 18 March 2011.

References

External links

''Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies''
2nd ed. (October 2010), Scottish Qualifications Authority Educational qualifications in Scotland School examinations {{reli-philo-stub