Program Overview

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Introduction to Anthropology and Professional Practice MSc

The Anthropology and Professional Practice MSc is a unique program designed to enhance students' skill sets and professional profiles by providing hands-on, research-led anthropological training. This flexible degree develops students' professional outlook and teaches them to apply anthropological perspectives and insights in diverse professional fields.

About the Degree

The Anthropology and Professional Practice MSc gives students comprehensive training in social and cultural anthropology, with a focus on its relevance to professional practice in contemporary society. Students will explore and demonstrate the relevance of anthropological perspectives and insights to real-world problems and professional challenges. They will join a world-leading research community and benefit from research-embedded teaching, as well as mentorship from industry experts.

Who is the Course For?

The Anthropology and Professional Practice MSc is suited to both those in employment seeking continuing professional development and students who wish to specialize in applying anthropological concepts and skills in professional practice. The degree is well-suited to working professionals who wish to study part-time over two years.

What the Course Will Give You

The Anthropology and Professional Practice MSc is taught by a team of world-leading experts with direct experience of adapting anthropological ways of thinking and problem-solving in diverse professional settings. Students will benefit from unparalleled opportunities to apply their insights and skills in ways that enhance their career goals. They will receive year-long support in developing their own career aspirations and will develop demonstrable practical competencies, including complex problem-solving, creative initiative, and effective communication.

Employability

There is growing demand in diverse professional fields for critically trained anthropologists, with advanced research skills increasingly relevant in non-academic contexts. Graduates will be equipped to pursue successful careers in any professional setting requiring strong project management, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Networking Opportunities

Students will become part of the department's Social Anthropology section, learning from and networking with leading internal and external researchers through a weekly research seminar series. They will also be encouraged to attend events hosted by the broader anthropology, society, and professional communities at UCL and across London.

Teaching and Learning

The degree fosters a strong sense of cohort through tight-knit seminar teaching throughout the year, involving collaborative teamwork and hands-on project design and execution. Teaching involves regular guest lectures by industry experts, who also act as individual student mentors. For the final project, students will receive specialist individual supervision.

Modules

The program consists of three elements:

• Compulsory modules:
  • Thinking Like an Anthropologist
  • Method in Ethnography
  • Theory, Ethnography, and Professional Practice
  • Everyday Ethics in Enterprise
• Optional modules:
  • Informatic Cultures: The Anthropology of Data, Algorithms, and Computation
  • Anthropology of Crime
  • The Anthropology of Social Media
  • The Anthropology of Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Race
  • Design Anthropology
  • Art in the Public Sphere
  • Documentary Radio - A Practice-Based Introduction
  • Introduction to Statistics for Social Research
  • The Anthropology of Fashion
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Feature Writing in a Multi-Media World: Journalistic Skills for the Digital Age
  • Visualizing Others: Colonial and Postcolonial Visual Culture
  • Multimodal Anthropology
  • Anthropology and Policy
• Final project: Students will develop their own desk- or fieldwork-based project in Term 3.

Fieldwork

Students will spend the summer term researching and producing their final project, for which they may choose to conduct self-funded ethnographic fieldwork in a professional organization in the UK or abroad.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and Funding

• UK students: ｣19,300 (full-time), ｣9,650 (part-time)
• International students: ｣35,400 (full-time), ｣17,700 (part-time)
• Additional costs: Students may need to fund their own travel between campuses, and those choosing to conduct fieldwork may incur additional costs for travel, accommodation, and living expenses.
• Funding opportunities: UCL East Scholarship, Julia Scott Memorial Bursary, and other scholarships relevant to the department.

Entry Requirements

• An upper second-class Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.
• Applicants with a lower second-class Bachelor's degree and a minimum of two years' work experience may also be considered.
• English language requirements: Level 4.
• Equivalent qualifications: Country-specific information can be obtained from the International Students website.