MA Social Anthropology and Intensive Language

Overview

Our MA Social Anthropology programme is designed on a modular basis offering different pathways to suit three categories of students:

• students with a degree in social anthropology wishing to pursue more specialist topics and/or more regional and language-based study
• students with little or no previous knowledge of social anthropology wishing to acquire a broad knowledge of the discipline
• students with little or no previous knowledge of social anthropology wishing to take the degree as a conversion course before proceeding to a research degree in anthropology

This two-year intensive language pathway is directed at students who wish to combine knowledge of the anthropology of development, with expertise in a regional language. It prepares students to apply their anthropological knowledge in a developing country context by achieving proficiency in a language.

Why study MA Social Anthropology at SOAS

• our Anthropology Department is ranked 5th in the UK and 13th in the world in the 2020 QS World University Rankings
• we draw on the exceptional regional expertise of our academics in Asian, African, and Middle Eastern languages and politics, many of whom have joined us with a practical working knowledge of their disciplines
• you will be joining our thriving community of alumni and academics who have an impact on the world outside of academia
• you will be able to flexibly structure your programme using our optional modules and/or the optional modules from other departments, including the opportunity to learn a regional language
• we are specialists in the delivery of languages. Your command of a language at SOAS will set you apart from graduates of other universities

Teaching & Learning

The academic staff in the Department of Anthropology 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: nearly every day of the week, the SOAS Anthropology Department has a public lecture series running, including series in the general Social Anthropology, Anthropology of Food, Migration and Diaspora Studies, and Anthropology of Tourism and Travel.

In addition to these formal settings for learning, our students also learn from one another. Hailing from around the globe and bringing diverse life experiences to bear on their studies, all MA students in the Department of Anthropology can take courses together, making it a rich environment for intellectual exchange. Students also benefit from campus-wide programmes, clubs, study groups, and performances.

Employment

A Masters in Social Anthropology helps you to understand the world, other peoples’ ways of life and how society is organised.

This programme has a first-rate graduate employability record. Our alumni include everyone from dance therapists and film editors, to teachers, gender violence outreach workers, television and radio producers, international development workers, journalists, analysts, web developers, and more. Students with a SOAS degree in Anthropology are regularly employed by NGOs, charitable organisations, media companies, and voluntary sector organisations. Recent graduates have found jobs at Action on Hearing Loss, British Council, Deloitte, Hackney Migrant Centre, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), The New York Times, and the Social Mobility Foundation. Many of our graduates have their own successful start-ups, and others go on to research degreees and lectureships/professorships around the world.