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Politics, Violence and Crime MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Examine interconnected topics across the state, law, democracy, violence, identity, conflict, revolution, terror, criminality and carceral systems on this specialist anthropological master’s. You'll level-up your research skillset working with UCL’s internationally renowned academics –  experienced in organised crime, warzones, terrorism and activism. Particularly relevant for work in NGOs and the intergovernmental sector, or for journalism, teaching or further academic study.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£18,400
£9,200
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
£16,500
Duration
1 academic year
2 academic years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

An upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants who do not hold an upper second-class degree (2:1) or have a degree in an unrelated discipline may still be considered if they can demonstrate relevant professional experience.

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 Politics, Violence and Crime MSc will provide you with in-depth knowledge and a critical understanding of social and cultural anthropology, with a specific focus on its relevance to politics, violence and crime.

You will learn to develop, pursue and analyse research questions, materials and projects related to politics, violence and crime across different times and places, and graduate with first-hand experience of developing and completing an independent research project.

You will join a world-leading research community and benefit from:

  • Research-embedded teaching on topics such as violence, revolution, war, genocide, terror, racism, anti-racist activism, conspiracy theories, the law, organized crime, and democracy.
  • Ability to specialize in the elements of political anthropology that interest you most, choosing from a range of optional modules to enhance your learning experience.
  • Studying 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 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 Politics, Violence and Crime MSc is best suited to students looking to gain a qualification and training in integrating anthropological and wider social science approaches to social and political challenges as a foundation for professional practice or doctoral research, or for graduates from other fields or careers looking to enhance 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 socio-political theories and ethnographic approaches to politics, violence and crime, including: independent research design and implementation, research ethics, generating research material, critically informed modes of analysis and evaluation and different genres of academic and professional writing, including writing for grant and project proposals.

You will also develop practical competencies transferable to any profession, including: complex problem solving and creative initiative, communication skills, including the ability to interpret and present complex ideas and research debates 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

Politics, Violence and Crime MSc graduates will be equipped to pursue a range of careers, including:

  • Academic publishing
  • Consultancy 
  • Policy and advocacy in governmental, non-governmental (NGOs) and intergovernmental (IGOs) organisations specialising in legal aid and development, human trafficking and migration, law and governance, (il)licit economies, money laundering, counterfeiting, electoral monitoring, gender-based violence prevention, peacebuilding and conflict mediation, anti-racist work and decolonial strategies, people intelligence consultancy, drugs and organized crime and political risk analysis for impact investing and social enterprises
  • Project management and research facilitation in universities, research centres and funding bodies
  • Social and market research

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

Employability

There is growing demand in a wide range of professions that look for cross-cultural expertise, with advanced research skills increasingly relevant in non-academic contexts.

You will graduate with expertise in applying anthropological and wider social science approaches to pressing socio-political challenges, fully equipped to pursue a successful career related to society, politics or law, or any profession requiring strong project management, problem-solving and communication skills.

Through your independent research project and dissertation, you will develop skills highly sought after by employers, including critical thinking and analysis and effective communication of complex ideas. These will also prepare you for PhD level study should you wish to pursue it.

Networking

You 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.

Students will also be encouraged to attend the following events:

  • Departmental seminars given by active researchers and expert creative practitioners in environmental, evolutionary, medical and public anthropology and material, visual and digital culture
  • Reading and Research Groups (RRGs), open spaces to exchange ideas on themes of mutual interest and welcome staff and student participation from across UCL and our neighbouring institutions
  • Events hosted by the broader anthropology and society communities at UCL, our neighbouring institutions and across London more widely. These will help you establish industry connections and extend your professional networks

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 exercises and independent directed and self-directed reading.

While planning and producing 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 do not count toward the degree) and summative exercises (exercises for which you will receive feedback and do count toward the degree), including essays, practical tests, presentations, take-home exercises and your dissertation.

The compulsory modules typically amount to 72 contact hours (a mix of weekly 2 and 3 hour lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials). The three optional 15 credit modules typically amount to 54 contact hours but will vary according to module selection. Dissertation supervision typically amounts to 2 hours.

Modules

Students take a two-term compulsory (core) module, a one-term compulsory ethnographic methods module and three optional modules. Together, these provide the rigorous training required to enable students to successfully pursue their independent ethnographic research projects that culminate in their dissertation.

The core module’s seminars critically examine major questions in political anthropology and social theory centred on politics, violence and crime. Students receive training in how to undertake ethnographic research as part of the methods module.

Students further develop their particular research interests through their selection of optional modules and in their final dissertation research project.

Students take all their compulsory modules and at least one optional module in the first year. In the second year, they take their (usually two) remaining optional module(s) and complete their dissertation.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules














Migration and Health







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





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 Politics, Violence and Crime.

Fieldwork

You can choose to conduct ethnographic, archival and/or library-based research, with many students choosing to undertake fieldwork-based projects, in the UK or abroad.

The scope and nature of fieldwork is developed in discussion with your dissertation supervisor, and is subject to ethical research approval.

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

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £18,400 £9,200
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 ethnographic, archival and/or library-based research for their final dissertation projects, with many 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.

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.

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

Deadline: 26 June 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

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 Politics, Violence and Crime at graduate level
• why you want to study Politics, Violence and Crime at UCL
• any research questions and ethnographic contexts you are particularly interested in
• how your personal, academic and professional skills and experience inform your interest in, and will enable you to succeed on, this MSc degree
• 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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Anthropology
Anthropology

anthro-masters@ucl.ac.uk

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