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Politics, Violence and Crime MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This programme provides students with the analytical and methodological skills to develop, pursue and analyse research questions as well as materials and projects tied to politics, violence and crime across different spatio-temporal contexts. It uniquely enables students to develop their independent research skills and utilise anthropology as a tool to critically examine a wide range of questions tied to topics such as the state, law, democracy, conflict, revolution, terror, criminality or carceral systems.

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2023/24)

£18,000

£9,000

Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)

£29,000

£14,500

Duration

1 academic year

2 academic years

Programme starts

September 2023

Applications accepted

All applicants: 17 Oct 2022 – 30 Jun 2023

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

Normally an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

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. International Preparation Courses

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

Students gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of major theoretical, ethnographic and methodological debates in the anthropology of politics, violence and crime. They also develop their independent research skills through practical instruction in methods and a final dissertation project.

This is the first programme to centre, and directly build, specialist anthropological training upon these interrelated thematics topics. Its rigorous critical pursuit of reflexive ethnographic approaches distinguishes this degree from others in Security, Peace and Development Studies.

Who this course is for

The programme is suitable for graduates in anthropology and related disciplines within the social and historical sciences, the humanities, as well as suitably qualified or experienced applicants who wish to develop their ethnographic research skills to further careers in research, teaching, development, public service, journalism and many other fields.

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

What this course will give you

The MSc in Politics, Violence and Crime draws on the exceptional range and depth of ethnographic and theoretical expertise at UCL Anthropology. Our faculty have conducted extensive fieldwork on topics such as communal violence and organized crime in South Asia, ongoing revolutions in South America and the Middle East, genocides and wars in Central Africa, anti-racist activism in east London, terrorism and conspiracy theories in Pakistan, and democracy and law in India and Venezuela. The MSc builds upon the department's involvement with the Sigrid Rausing Trust, which supports cutting-edge research in the global field of human rights, transparency and accountability, conflict, litigation, and gender.

UCL Anthropology ranks fourth in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, making it the top ranked institution in London for the subject. The department boasts exceptional breadth and was the first in the UK to integrate both biological and social anthropology, and later it came to include material and visual culture, followed by medical and public anthropology, as it continually works to reshape the discipline.

Students are also encouraged to take full advantage of the wider anthropological community throughout London and the department's strong links with European universities and international institutions.

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

The foundation of your career

This programme furnishes students with rigorous training in qualitative research and other transferrable skills demanded a wide range of professions, particularly within the NGO and intergovernmental sector. Such applied work includes the specialist domains of: legal aid and development; human trafficking and migration; law and governance; (il)licit economies, money laundering, counterfeiting; electoral monitoring; gender-based violence prevention; anti-racist work and decolonial strategies; people intelligence consultancy; drugs and organized crime; and political risk analysis for impact investing and social enterprises.

Employability

The Politics, Violence and Crime MSc programme is designed to provide students with: critical understanding of a broad range of socio-political theories and literatures; highly developed, practice-based research skills in qualitative methods, analysis and writing; evaluative knowledge of leading ethnographic approaches to a wide range of topics dealing with politics, the state, law, revolution, democracy, violence, identity, criminality and terror across different times and places.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, small group presentations and discussion, tutorials, practical exercises, independent, directed reading, interactive teamwork as well as video, film and web-based courses. It includes a research seminar series with invited speakers from across the globe.

Depending on the modules chosen, assessment may be through practical exercises, presentations, and essays, as well as a research-based dissertation.

The two compulsory modules typically involve around 72 contact hours (a mix of 2h & 3h classes). The three optional modules (15 credit) usually amount to 54 contact hours (assuming 2 hour weekly seminar) but will vary depending on the choice of modules. Estimated time in dissertation supervision is around 2 hours.

Modules

Students take a two-term compulsory module, a one-term compulsory ethnographic methods module, and also choose three additional optional modules. Together these provide the rigorous training required to enable students to successfully pursue their independent ethnographic research projects.

In Term 1, the compulsory module’s lectures and tutorials provide a broad foundation in social anthropology, examining fundamental debates and key analytical frameworks structuring the discipline.

In Term 2, the compulsory module’s interactive seminar discussions critically examine major questions in political anthropology and social theory centred directly on the thematics of 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 specialised 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 remaining optional module(s) and complete the dissertation.

Compulsory modules

Anthropology of Politics, Violence and Crime

Method in Ethnography

Social Anthropology Dissertation

Optional modules

Anthropology of Crime

The Anthropology of Nationalism, Ethnicity and Race

Anthropology of Capitalisms

The Anthropology of Violent Aftermaths

Practical Documentary Filmmaking

Anthropology of Religion

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

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.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

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Programme Introduction to Politics, Violence and Crime MSc

This is the programme introduction video for Politics, Violence and Crime MSc. This programme offers intensive training in the anthropology of politics, violence and crime. It provides a solid foundation in ethnographic theory, analysis and method.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2023/24)	£18,000	£9,000
Tuition fees (2023/24)	£29,000	£14,500

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

If a student decides to undertake field research (optional), the cost is normally covered by the student.

In recent years our students have received fieldwork funding from the department’s Turing Scheme and the Anna Sturm Law Travel Prize.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

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 (1yr)

Criteria Based on financial need

Eligibility: UK

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 29 June 2023

Value: Tuition fees plus £15,000 stipend ()

Criteria Based on financial need

Eligibility: UK

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

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

why you want to undertake the Politics, Violence and Crime MSc
what kinds of research questions and ethnographic contexts you are interested in
how your academic and professional background ensures you will be able to meet the demands of a challenging master's programme
where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Alongside the essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to demonstrate how your experience and wider trajectory fit with the programme’s vision and design.

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.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.