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Anthropology MRes

London, Bloomsbury

Anthropology is the study of humanity in all its diversity, from human behaviour and biology to our cultures, societies and language, both past and present. This one-year Anthropology MRes programme will give you a practical, methodological, and theoretical grounding in a wide range of social science and biological methods and approaches to understanding human beings, societies, and cultures, preparing you for doctoral research or professional practice.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£6,700
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£32,000
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 27 Mar 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants are usually expected to have an academic background in anthropology or a cognate discipline, either at the undergraduate or taught postgraduate level. Applicants should have a well-formed idea for a research project in advance, and are encouraged to contact proposed supervisors prior to applying to secure support for their application. The programme tutor can support applicants in recommending potential supervisors in the department.

The English language level for this course is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The MRes in Anthropology is our specialist research methods Master’s degree, designed to provide a strong theoretical, methodological, and practical foundation in anthropological research. It equips students with advanced training in social science and/or biological approaches to anthropology, with a particular emphasis on ethnographic and other empirical methods. 

The MRes programme provides ideal preparation for doctoral study or research-focused professional careers. From the outset, each student is paired with an academic supervisor—mirroring the PhD model—to support independent research on a chosen anthropological topic. Supervisors will typically be a specialist in the field or area of study chosen by the student. 
 

You will study at the top university in London, and 4th in the world, for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).

You will study in a warm and welcoming department that is also one of the largest and broadest anthropology departments in the UK, which researches and teaches across five sub-sections, and which continually works to expand and reshape the discipline.

Who this course is for

The MRes is particularly suited to students with a strong background in anthropology (either Bachelor’s or Master’s) who seek advanced training for doctoral research or applied practice. It may also be suitable for graduates from related disciplines (e.g., social sciences or humanities) seeking to deepen their understanding of anthropological methods and perspectives, often as a pathway toward future PhD study. In the latter case, applicants are required to liaise with the programme director to discuss their eligibility for the course.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

You will receive advanced academic training in the fundamentals of anthropological inquiry, including independent research design and implementation; ethics; practical approaches to quantitative and qualitative data synthesis, collection and analysis, including ethnographic studies, behavioural observation techniques and statistics; critical evaluation; and different genres of academic and professional writing, including writing for grant and project proposals.

You will also develop demonstrable practical competencies transferable to any profession, including complex problem solving and creative initiative; effective and succinct oral and written communication, including the ability to interpret and present complex data to diverse audiences; independent and team working; leadership; and time and project management.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

There is growing demand in diverse professional fields for critically trained anthropologists, with advanced research skills increasingly relevant in non-academic contexts.

Graduates of this programme will be equipped to pursue a range of careers, including:

  • Consultancy
  • Design
  • Ethnographic and visual research in both academic and commercial settings
  • Marketing and communications
  • Media and journalism, including TV, radio and publishing
  • Policy and advocacy in governmental, non-governmental (NGOs) and intergovernmental (IGOs) organisations.Social and market research.

A number of our MRes graduates choose to progress to PhD-level study (Graduate Outcomes survey 2017–2022). The MRes is our bespoke research methods programme and as such may act as a pathway into the doctorate, qualifying students to apply for funded PhD studentships such as the ESRC and AHRC.

Employability

You will graduate with advanced expertise in anthropological research methods and a deep understanding of human societies and cultures. Through rigorous training, you will learn to apply both anthropological and broader social science and/or biological approaches to real-world challenges. The MRes programme equips you not only for PhD-level study, but also for a successful career in professional contexts that value strong project management, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Networking

As a student in the Department you have access to many opportunities to help further your career:

  • You will be encouraged to attend departmental research seminars, enabling you to learn from and network with leading internal and external researchers and expert creative practitioners in environmental, evolutionary, medical, public and social anthropology and material, visual and digital culture throughout your studies.
  • You will be encouraged to take advantage of the broader anthropology and research communities at UCL, our neighbouring institutions and across London more widely, including attending and participating in seminars, conferences, exhibitions and research partnership opportunities to help you establish industry connections and extend your professional networks.
  • You will be encouraged to engage with the department’s active careers support activities and initiatives, which include regular career development seminars and networking events.

All students are encouraged to host and/or participate in a Reading and Research Group (RRG), which are open spaces to exchange ideas on themes of mutual interest and welcome staff and student participation from across UCL and our neighbouring institutions.

The department's central London location presents a range of opportunities to work, volunteer and carry out fieldwork in major government, business and third sector organisations.

The department also houses London's global non-fiction film festival, Open City Documentary Festival, which all students are invited to volunteer to support to network with non-fiction film industry leading professionals.

Teaching and learning

You will learn through lectures; interactive seminars involving critical discussion; collaborative exercises including group presentations; practical laboratory work; and independent directed and self-directed reading.

MRes students benefit from one-to-one academic supervision throughout the year, including while planning and producing your dissertation.

Assessment methods will depend on the module, and may include essays, reports, presentations, coursework, portfolios, exams, and quizzes. All students on this course will also be assessed through an independent piece of research via the dissertation module.

Typical face-to-face contact hours may vary between 12-20 hours per week, depending on module choice. A further 12-30 hours per week is typically expected to be spent on independent study, which usually includes reading, preparing for class, and project work. Outside of the teaching term, students are expected to spend an equivalent amount of time preparing for and complete their assessments.

Modules

The MRes programme centres on the student’s independent research project. As such, the learning outcomes and individual experience are flexible and tailored to each student’s project. Students engage in regular supervisory meetings and consultations with supervisors and programme leads to develop a personalised learning plan aligned with their research interests. Participation in departmental research events and seminars is also strongly encouraged to enrich students’ academic development beyond formal coursework.

Progress on the independent research project is supported by key compulsory modules that provide essential guidance for research tasks and supervisory discussions. ANTH0124: Ethnographic Area: Bibliographical Survey and Literature Review helps students develop a comprehensive understanding of the existing scholarship related to their topic, while ANTH0104: Research Methods and Skills equips students with the methodological tools and critiques necessary to carry out their MRes research effectively. The assessments for these core modules feed directly into the development and execution of the final MRes dissertation.

In addition, students will select two 15-credit optional modules (list below), one of which may be an elective from another department, allowing them to tailor their learning to best support their research focus and personal academic goals.

Finally, MRes students are expected to attend and participate in the weekly research seminars offered by the department, as well as the PhD Research Design and Presentation seminar. This latter component allows MRes students to integrate into the PhD research culture of the department.
 

Compulsory modules





Optional modules







Current Themes in Material, Visual, Digital and Design Anthropology: Smart Phones











Migration and Health

















Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MRes in Anthropology.

Fieldwork

You will spend the summer term conducting research for your dissertation. For the MRes, students are required to carry out original ethnographic or other empirical research, with many choosing to undertake self-funded fieldwork-based projects in the UK or abroad.

The scope and nature of fieldwork is formulated in discussion with your appointed supervisor, and subject to departmental approval. The original research carried out will inform the final dissertation, which is written over the summer period and submitted at the end of the programme.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £6,700
Tuition fees (2026/27) £32,000

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

You can choose to conduct ethnographic or other empirical research for your final dissertation project, with most students taking the opportunity to do fieldwork-based projects in the UK or abroad. This can entail additional costs, including travel, accommodation and living costs, which students must cover themselves.

As this degree is based at the Bloomsbury campus, students choosing to take an optional module only available at the UCL East campus in Stratford will need to fund their own travel between campuses. Tickets from Zone 1 to Zone 2 costs £8.50 for students or a travel card for Zones 1-4 for £15.90. Optional networking opportunities within London will incur similar travel costs. If students choose to attend networking conferences or other events outside of London, the costs will vary and will need to be covered by the student.
 

There are a number of small to moderate grants available from funding organisations both within UCL and further afield. In recent years, our students have received fieldwork funding from the department’s Turing Scheme, as well as the Anna Sturm Law Travel Prize and Parkes Foundation Grant Fund.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

Students may be eligible to apply for ESRC awards.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (equivalent to 1yr full-time) (1 year)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

UCL East London Scholarship

CLOSED FOR 25/26 ENTRY
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • Why you want to study the MRes in Anthropology at graduate level;
  • Why you want to study Anthropology at UCL;
  • How your personal, academic and professional skills and experience inform your interest in, and will enable you to succeed on, this MRes programme;
  • Where you would like to go academically or professionally with your degree.

We also ask that MRes applicants send a two-page research proposal summarising your dissertation idea, along with suggestion(s) of potential supervisors in the department, to the programme director in advance of submitting your application.
 

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Anthropology
Anthropology

anthro-masters@ucl.ac.uk

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