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Human Evolution and Behaviour MSc

London, Bloomsbury

How has evolutionary theory altered our understanding of human life? Join UCL’s internationally respected Evolutionary Anthropology Group for a hands-on exploration of the evolution  of humans and non-human primates. During your time with us, you’ll build a potent scientific enquiry skillset – with opportunities to work on active field projects internationally. Excellent preparation for work in health services, NGOs, science journalism and academia.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
£8,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
£16,500
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 31 Aug 2025

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in an anthropology- or evolution-related discipline, including from social and life sciences, from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. These disciplines include, but are not restricted to, Anthropology, Archaeology, Human Sciences, Biology, Zoology, Genetics and Natural Sciences. We welcome applicants who have studied other subjects, including Psychology and Economics, and have a strong interest in evolutionary theory.

The English language level for this programme 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 Human Evolution and Behaviour MSc will teach you the research and analytical skills essential to understanding human and primate evolution, behaviour, ecology and social systems, evolutionary medicine and public health and primate conservation.

You will join a world-leading research community and benefit from research-embedded teaching in human and primate behavioural ecology, primatology and palaeoanthropology, graduating equipped with the latest knowledge and insights in evolutionary anthropology.

You will specialise in the elements of evolutionary anthropology that interest you most, choosing from a range of optional modules to enhance your learning experience. Designed to enhance your professional profile, you will develop highly sought after transferable skills (such as data analysis and interpretation and the communication of complex ideas) and subject-specific skills (such as measuring skeletal material and generating human and non-human primate behavioural data through observation). These will also prepare you for PhD level study should you wish to pursue it.

You will study at the top university in London, and 4th in the world, for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024) and The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2024.

You will study in a warm and welcoming department that is also one of the largest and most comprehensive anthropology departments in the UK, and which continually works to expand and reshape the discipline.

Who this course is for

The Human Evolution and Behaviour MSc is best suited to students looking to gain a qualification and training in evolutionary anthropology as a foundation for professional practice or doctoral research, or for graduates from other fields or careers looking to supplement their existing knowledge and experience.

The degree is well suited to working professionals who wish to study part-time over two years.

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 scientific inquiry, including independent research design and implementation; ethics; practical approaches to quantitative and qualitative data synthesis, collection and analysis (such as comparative anatomical studies, behavioural observation techniques in humans and non-human primates, and statistics); critical evaluation; interpreting and presenting complex data; and academic writing, including project proposals.

You will also develop demonstrable practical competencies transferable to any profession, including complex problem solving and creative initiative; effective written and oral communication; independent and team working; and time and project management.

"I've got to learn how to use 3D scanners, 3D printers and different softwares specific to paleoanthropology, and being in the lab with PhD students and members of staff has been a really great learning opportunity."

Amy Drennan, Human Evolution and Behaviour MSc, 2021-22

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

The foundation of your career

Graduates of the Human Evolution and Behaviour MSc will be equipped to pursue careers in fields including:

  • Policy and advocacy in governmental, non-governmental (NGOs) and intergovernmental (IGOs) organisations
  • Project management and research facilitation in universities, research centres and funding bodies
  • Academic publishing
  • Scientific media and journalism, including TV, radio and publishing
  • Collection management and coordination of research in museums and zoos
  • Social and market research
  • Consultancy

A number of our graduates choose to progress to PhD-level study (Graduate Outcomes survey 2017-2022).

Employability

There is growing demand in diverse professional fields for rigorously trained anthropologists with advanced research skills that can be translated into non-academic contexts.

You will graduate an expert in applying evolutionary anthropological and wider scientific approaches to real-world challenges, fully equipped to pursue a successful career in fields related to human behavioural ecology, primatology, palaeoanthropology, evolutionary medicine and public health, or any profession requiring strong project management, problem-solving and communication skills.

Networking

• You will become part of the department's Evolutionary Anthropology group, learning from and networking with leading internal and external researchers through a weekly research seminar series.

• In addition to attending seminars in evolutionary anthropology, you will be encouraged to attend complementary departmental seminars given by active researchers and expert creative practitioners in environmental, medical, public and social anthropology and material, visual and digital culture throughout your studies.

• You will benefit from established links with institutions including the Zoological Society of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

• 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.

• You will be encouraged to take advantage of the broader evolutionary anthropology 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.

• 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.

While researching and writing your dissertation, you will benefit from one-to-one academic supervision.

You will be assessed through a series of formative (exercises for which you will receive feedback but that do not count toward the degree) and summative exercises (exercises for which you will receive feedback and that do count toward the degree), including essays, lab books, practical tests, presentations, take-home exercises and your dissertation.

The two compulsory modules typically amount to 18 contact hours (weekly 2 hour seminars and practical sessions). The optional 15 credit modules typically amount to 18-36 contact hours (which include 2 hour seminars and, in some modules, lectures or practical sessions), but will vary according to module selection. Dissertation supervision typically amounts to 20 hours, including group sessions.

Modules

For full-time students, the degree will comprise:

• a compulsory module in Research Methods in Evolutionary Anthropology
• a compulsory module in Advanced Methods in Evolutionary Anthropology
• a compulsory dissertation
• four optional modules from the indicative list below (including at least three options from list A)
• attendance at the research seminars in evolutionary anthropology

List A modules:

  • Palaeoanthropology.
  • Primate Anatomy, Evolution and Environments.
  • Human Behavioural Ecology.
  • Primate Behaviour and Ecology.
  • Evolutionary Medicine.
  • Primate Conservation.
  • Skills in Field Primatology.

If you are a part-time student, the Research Methods in Evolutionary Anthropology and Advanced Research Methods in Evolutionary Anthropology modules are provided in year 1, while the dissertation is written in year 2. Other modules are distributed across both years. Attendance at the research seminars in evolutionary anthropology is compulsory in both years.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules






Primate Conservation








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 MSc in Human Evolution and Behaviour.

Fieldwork

You will spend the summer term researching and writing your dissertation, for which you can choose to conduct field-, museum-, lab-, or desk-based, original research, with some students 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. Faculty have active field projects and may be able to facilitate research opportunities in local and global field sites including Namibia, Tanzania, Congo and Japan.

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.

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Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000 £8,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000 £16,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme 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

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Students can choose to conduct field-, museum-, lab-, or desk-based research for their final dissertation projects, with some 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 programme 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.

There are a number of small to moderate competitive grants available from funding organisations both within UCL and further afield that can help cover these costs. In recent years, some of our students have received fieldwork funding from the department’s Turing Scheme.

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 £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. 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

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.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

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

• why you want to study Human Evolution and Behaviour at graduate level
• why you want to study Human Evolution and Behaviour at UCL
• how your personal, academic and professional skills and experience inform your interest in, and will enable you to succeed on, this MSc programme
• where you would like to go professionally with your degree

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

Got questions? Get in touch

Anthropology
Anthropology

anthro-masters@ucl.ac.uk

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