Program Overview

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Key Information

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Start Date

• September

Duration

• 3 years

Attendance Mode

• Full-time

Location

• On Campus

Fees

• Home: £9,535
• International: £22,870

Course Code

• L600

Entry Requirements

• ABB

Contextualised Offer

• BBB

International Entry Requirements

• Austria: Reifeprufungszeugnis / Maturazeugnis: four subjects at 1, 2, 2, 2
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Belgium: Diploma van Secundair Onderwijs: 75% (7.5/10, 15/20) overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Bulgaria: Diploma za Zavarsheno Sredno Obrazovanie: 5.3 and 5.0 in two State Maturity Exams
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Canada: High School Diploma: 80% with 5 acceptable Grade 12 subjects (most territories). British Columbia: AABBB in Grade 12 courses.
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• China: Senior Secondary Graduation Certificate + Gaokao: 78% overall in Gaokao PLUS 85% overall in Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate (year 11 and 12)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Croatia: Matura Certificate: 4.5 overall with 5 in 1 Higher level subject
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Czech Republic: Matura Certificate: 1, 2, 2, 2
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Denmark: Studentereksamen; Hojere Forberedelseseksamen; Hojere Handelseksamen; Hojere Teknisk Eksamen: 7 plus 10, 7, 7 in three Level A subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Estonia: Gümnaasiumi lõputunnistus with the Riigieksamitunnistus: 4.0 with 85%, 80%, and 80% in 3 state exams
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Finland: Ylioppilastukint / Studentexamen: four subjects at 6, 5, 5, 5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• France: French Baccalaureat or Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB): 13/20
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Germany: Abitur: 1.8
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Greece: Apolytirion of Geniko Lykeio with Pan Hellenic exams: 18/20
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Hong Kong: Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education: 544 in two electives and one core (all other subjects grade 3)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Hungary: Matura (Erettségi): 4.5 overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Iceland: Stúdentspróf: 7.5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• India: Standard XII: 75% (CBSE, CISCE, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & West Bengal boards), 80% (all other state boards)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Ireland: Irish Leaving Certificate: H1, H2, H2, H3, H3
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Israel: Bagrut: Overall grade of 7, 80% with 3 subjects at 5-unit level
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Italy: Diploma Consequito con L’Esame di Stato: 80% overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Latvia: Certificate of General Secondary Education: 88% in four State subject exams
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Lithuania: Brandos Atestatas: 8.5/10 and 90%, 85%, 85% in three State Exam
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Malta: Advanced Matriculation Certificate: AB (Advanced) + BBB (Intermediate)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Netherlands: Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs: 7.5 overall with 8, 8, 7, 7 in four subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Norway: Vitnemål vidergaende opplaering: 4.3 overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Poland: New Polish Matura: 75% in three Advanced Level subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Portugal: Diploma de Ensino Secundario: overall 17.5/20
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Romania: Diploma de Bacalaureat: 8.5 overall
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Singapore: Polytechnic Diploma (Nanyang, Ngee Ann, Singapore, Temasek and Republic Polytechnic): GPA 3.3
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Slovakia: Maturitná skúška / Maturita / Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške: four subjects at 1, 2, 2, 2
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• South Africa: National Senior Certificate: 77666
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Spain: Curso de Orientación Universitaria / Título de Bachillerato: 7.5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Sweden: Slutbetyg / Examensbevis från Gymnasieskolan: A in 1200 credits and no grades below D / 18 / mainly B overall (MVG/VG)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Switzerland: Federal Maturity Certificate: 4.5
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Tanzania: Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education: ACSE with BBB in 3 principle subjects
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Trinidad and Tobago: CAPE: Six CAPE units with grade 2 (+two double-unit courses)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• Turkey: Lise Diplomasi: 78-83% (depending on high school)
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB
• USA: High School Diploma plus ACT, SAT, or AP exams:
  • High School Diploma GPA 3.0 + SAT 1280 or ACT 27 and 2 AP's at 4,4 or
  • High School Diploma GPA of 3.2 + 2 AP's at 4,4 or
  • High School Diploma GPA 3.4 + SAT 1300 or ACT 29 or
  • 2-year Associate degree GPA 3.1
• A Level equivalent: ABB
• Contextualised offer: BBB

Course Overview

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The BA Social Anthropology degree explores what it is to be human in a complex and changing world.

You will study the great variety of beliefs and practices that exist around the world, from remote communities to global cities. You will learn theoretical frameworks and question your own assumptions, helping you to think creatively about how to address global problems.

Bridging the humanities and social sciences, anthropology offers a unique approach grounded in real-world research allowing for a greater understanding in cultural differences, political dynamics, social conflict, and human creativity.

Studying at SOAS is unique as it draws from the regional expertise of our academics in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern languages and societies. If you are passionate about understanding human society and behaviour, and want to learn to think critically about the world around you, then this Anthropology course is for you.

Why Study Social Anthropology at SOAS?

• We are ranked 6th in the UK and 18th in the world for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• 3rd in the UK for Employer Reputation (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• 5th in the UK for Academic Reputation (QS World University Rankings 2025)
• 12th in the UK (Times/Sunday Times League Table 2025)

Structure

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Students take 120 credits per year composed of compulsory and optional modules.

All students are expected to complete all compulsory modules.

Students are entitled to select up to 30 credits of Open Option modules per year. These modules can be in anthropology or based in other departments within the School, either in another subject or a language option.

Year 1 - Core and Compulsory

• 101A Anthropology in and of the World: An Introduction (A) - 15 credits Open
• 201 World Social Theory: Imagining Society from 500BCE to 1900 - 15 credits Open
• 202 Social Theory, Reform and Revolution in an Age of Extremes - 15 credits Open
• 101B Anthropology in and of the World: An Introduction (B) - 15 credits Open
• 102A SOAS Anthropology Now (A) - 15 credits Open
• 102B SOAS Anthropology Now (B) - 15 credits Open

Year 1 - Guided Options

Up to 30 credits in the combinations of Guided Option + Languages/ Languages only / Guided Options only

• Languages of the World - 15 credits Open
• Decolonising Pop: K-Pop and Beyond - 15 credits Open
• Mind at University - 15 credits Open
• Year 1 Seminar: Explorations in Anthropology - 15 credits Open

Year 2 - Core and Compulsory

• 213 Ethnography in Practice - 15 credits Open
• 211 Anthropology Through History - 15 credits Open
• 212 Theory in Anthropology - 15 credits Open
• 301 Regional Perspectives in Anthropology (I) - 15 credits Open
• 302 Regional Perspectives in Anthropology (II) - 15 credits Open

Year 2 - Guided Options - List B

• 351 Migration and Diaspora: Decolonial Approaches - 15 credits Open
• 352 Anthropology of 'Race', Gender and Sexuality - 15 credits Open
• Language, Society and Communication - 15 credits Open
• Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire - 15 credits Open
• 251 Anthropology of Economic Life - 15 credits Open

Year 3 - Core and Compulsory

• 401A Concepts in Anthropology (A) - 15 credits Open
• 401B Concepts in Anthropology (B) - 15 credits Open

Year 3 - Guided Options - List A

• Issues in Gender and Development - 15 credits Open
• 453 Mind, Culture and Psychiatry - 15 credits Open
• 499 Independent Study Project in Anthropology - 30 credits Open

Year 3 - Guided Options - List B

• 351 Migration and Diaspora: Decolonial Approaches - 15 credits Open
• 352 Anthropology of 'Race', Gender and Sexuality - 15 credits Open
• Language, Society and Communication - 15 credits Open
• Literatures of Love, Loss and Desire - 15 credits Open
• 251 Anthropology of Economic Life - 15 credits Open

Teaching and Learning

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The academic staff in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology are dynamic, experienced teachers who are widely recognised for their expertise and enjoy working directly with students. Renowned scholars from other institutions also come to share their knowledge. The SOAS Anthropology Department sponsors several lecture series that are open to students, including the weekly Departmental Research Seminar, the Food Studies Centre's Food Forum and the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies' Seminar Series.

In addition to these formal settings for learning, our students also learn from one another. Hailing from around the globe, their diverse life experiences make our classes an exciting, rich environment for cultural and intellectual exchange. Students also benefit from campus-wide programmes, clubs, study groups, and performances.

The modules are taught by lectures and group discussions. Students become active in class through their reading and essay-writing as well as their participation in discussion groups. Whatever the topic, modules draw particularly on ethnographic studies of China, Japan, South East Asia, South Asia, the Near and Middle East, West Africa and East Africa, as well as their diasporas.

Independent Study Project (ISP)

The ISP can be taken by final-year students only. This is an opportunity for students to conduct original anthropological research on their own initiative, to engage in in-depth analysis of particular subjects and to undertake ethnographic fieldwork and/or library-based research. It is supported by a bi-weekly seminar on anthropological research and writing and is assessed by a single 10,000-word dissertation (including notes but excluding bibliography).

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Pre-entry Reading

• Eriksen, Thomas H. 2015 Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, Pluto Press.
• Astuti, Rita, et al (eds.) 2007. Questions of Anthropology. Oxford: Berg.
• Engelke, Matthew 2017. Think Like an Anthropologist. Pelican.
• Abu-Lughod, Lila. 2015. Do Muslim Women Need Saving? Harvard University Press.
• Fassin, Didier. 2013. Enforcing Order: An Ethnography of Urban Policing. Polity Press.
• Kate Fox 2014. Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour. Stodder & Houghton.
• Macclancy, J. 2002. Exotic No More: Anthropology on the Front Lines. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Das, V. 2006. Life and Words. Violence and the Descent into the Ordinary. University of California Press.

Fees and Funding

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Fees for 2025/26 entrants per academic year

Programme	Full-time
Home students	Overseas students
BA, BSc, LLB	£9,535	£22,870
BA/BSc Language year abroad	£1,385	£11,430

See undergraduate fees for further details.

Employment

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Students from SOAS' Department of Anthropology and Sociology develop an in-depth understanding of the world. Employers value our graduates' cultural awareness and global perspective, as well as their skills in analysis, data interpretation and problem-solving.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

• Allen & Overy
• BBC
• British Council
• Deloitte
• Hackney Migrant Centre
• IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
• IOM- UN Migration
• Media 52
• New York Times
• Social Mobility Foundation
• The Week
• UNICEF
• United Nations Development Programme
• World Bank Group

Find out about our Careers Service

Key Staff

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Dr Hannah Bennett

Hannah Bennett (she/her) is a Lecturer in Social Anthropology, Anthropology BA Programme Convenor, and the project coordinator for Mursi: Encountering the Other.

Related Courses

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• MA Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability
• MA Global Urban Sociology

Related Blogs

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• Breaking the cycle: Rethinking menstruation and its environmental impact
• Storying Somalia: The transformative power of creativity after war
• Rebranding destruction: Using 'sustainability' to mask harm in the Maldivian tourism industry
• Sparkle-washing: The ugly truth behind sparkly make-up
• Faith in crisis: Water, ritual, and resilience among Iraq's Mandaeans
• Beyond victimhood: How western narratives shape Inuit struggles for environmental justice

Related Research

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• Collaborative Ethnographies of Parliaments
• Supporting research on parliaments in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Myanmar
• Ethnography as an approach for understanding parliament
• Enriching fiction and film: Gambian youth and the Tablighi Jama'at

Contact

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For further information, please contact:

SOAS University of London 10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

Switchboard: +44 (0)

Study Enquiries: +44 (0)

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