The MA (Hons) Social Anthropology at St Andrews explores the huge diversity of contemporary human experience, analysing what makes us similar and different from each other.

The course teaches you to take a comparative and global view of human individuality, society and culture, studying how people make meaningful lives in extremely diverse settings across Europe, the Pacific, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

You will examine topics as diverse as belief, politics, gender, illness, art, migration, colonialism and postcolonialism, or our relationship with the environment. You will question taken-for-granted ideas and learn to understand how others see the world.

Course details

The MA (Hons) in Social Anthropology is a four-year course run by the Department of Social Anthropology. The course explores the diversity of human experience from a standpoint that is reflexive and critically aware. You will learn to study the lives of others while examining your own position in the world.

In the first two years, you will be introduced to the wide variety of issues that anthropologists study, to their methods, and to some key theoretical approaches. This is a good opportunity to explore different anthropological topics and find out where your interests lie.

Alongside social anthropology, in the first year of your studies you will be required to study two additional subjects. In the second year you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.

During your final two years (Honours), you will build on what you have already learned and be able to advance into more specialised topics that suit your individual interests. Specialist subject areas may include:

how and why people move and migrate across the world

capitalism, colonialism and postcolonialism, and their impact on local lives

how justice and ethics are conceptualised and implemented by different groups

how humans make and understand art and material culture

how people across the globe understand and deal with illness

how different groups view and deal with the body, sex and gender

how the past is understood, represented and mobilised

how war and conflict are experienced at local level

how resource extraction and energy issues shape local and global relations

theoretical and methodological approaches such as historical, medical, visual or feminist anthropology

Modules in anthropological theory and research methods will prepare you to undertake a 10,000-word dissertation in your final year on a topic of interest chosen in consultation with your supervisor.

There is a strong emphasis on employability within the degree, and employability skills are built into all our modules. Graduates in social anthropology from St Andrews will gain key practical skills in analysing social and cultural dynamics and how they shape relations, attitudes and experiences. They will learn how to communicate cross-culturally and to examine problems reflexively and holistically, revealing and questioning taken-for-granted assumptions. These skills are transferable to many different careers, and are particularly sought after in development, the non-profit sector, the civil service, human resources, museums and curation, business, and education.

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits.

Ask a student

If you are interested in learning what it's like to be a student at St Andrews you can speak to one of our student ambassadors. They'll let you know about their top tips, best study spots, favourite traditions and more.

“Social Anthropology is a subject that has not only supplemented but encouraged my personal development, offering me a means through which I can understand and decode the world I live in rather than a rigid understanding of a specific issue or subject.

- West Lothian, Scotland

How it's taught

Teaching

Social anthropology sub-honours modules are primarily delivered through formal lectures (100 to 350 students) complemented by small group tutorials (10 students), workshops and ethnographic film screenings.

At Honours level, instruction is predominately through lectures, seminars and workshops (maximum 27 students) which combine films, presentations and discussions.

When not attending lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:

working on individual and group projects

undertaking research in the library

preparing coursework assignments and presentations

preparing for examinations

Open all

Assessment

Modules in social anthropology are assessed either by coursework or by a combination of coursework (at least 40%) and written or online exams.

Coursework includes:

presentations

group and individual projects

student diaries and learning journals

blogs, op eds, concept notes

creative writing

tutorial participation

Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.

The Department aims to provide feedback on every assessment within three weeks to help you improve on future assessments.

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.

You will be taught by a research-led teaching team with expertise and knowledge of social anthropology. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials under the supervision of the module leader.

Course conveners have weekly contact hours when you can receive one-to-one advice or have discussions about the progress of your work. If you choose to write a dissertation, you will be allocated an individual supervisor who will support you from planning to submission

You can find contact information for all social anthropology staff on the Department of Social Anthropology website.

The University's services and support teams can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities, as well as many other difficulties and challenges students might face while studying.

In the first two years of your degree, known as sub-honours, you will take the required modules in social anthropology alongside modules in one or two other subjects.

Typically, you will take one social anthropology module per semester during your first two years, and one or two modules per semester during your third and fourth year, known as Honours, depending on whether you are studying anthropology as a single or joint Honours student.

Joint and single Honours students will take the compulsory first-year module, Ways of Thinking. Single Honours students also take Anthropology in the World, which is optional but strongly recommended.

Course information may change. Module information and course content, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at the University of St Andrews. We display the most up-to-date information possible, but this could be from a previous academic year. For the latest module information, see the module catalogue.

First year

Anthropology in the World: provides an introduction to some of the key issues and debates in social anthropology and what it means to be human in the 21st century.

Ways of Thinking: concentrates on the ways in which human beings think about their worlds and on the different modes of thought and systems of belief that are manifest in societies across the world. Covering a range of ethnographic areas of study, both classical and contemporary, the module aims to stimulate new ways of thinking anthropologically about human being and becoming.

Second year

Ethnographic Encounters: The module teaches students about the centrality of fieldwork to social anthropology by guiding them through the preparation and implementation of their own mini-fieldwork project.

The Foundations of Social Anthropology: Presents the history of thought in social anthropology, introducing students to key anthropological schools of thought

If you decide to take Social Anthropology in your third and fourth years, you will choose from a wide variety of advanced options that cover a range of ethnographic areas and theoretical concerns. These will include modules that will allow you to explore societies in regions such as Africa, Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

Honours modules which have been offered in previous years include:

Anthropology and Religion

Anthropology of Catastrophe

Planetary Health

Sorcery and Conspiracy: The Anthropology of Alternate Realities

The Anthropology of Borders, Boundaries and Frontiers

Visual Anthropology

Sex and Gender

Technologies of Power and Resistance

Communicating Anthropology

Anthropology of Economic Life

In fourth year, students also undertake a 10,000-word dissertation. This research project enables you to independently explore a theme of your choice, which can include fieldwork in a selected community.

Fees and funding

Scotland: Tuition fees are yet to be confirmed by the Scottish Government.

England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man: £10,050 (yet to be confirmed by the UK Government)

EU and overseas: £34,910

More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about

Standard, Minimum and Gateway entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.

SQA Highers

Standard entry grades:

Minimum entry grades:

Gateway entry grades:

Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

GCE A-Levels

IB points

36 (HL 6,6,5)

36 (HL 6,5,5)

General entry requirements

All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.

SQA qualifications

SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following:

Chemistry

Computing science

Geography

Applications of Mathematics

Mathematics

Psychology.

GCSE qualifications

GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following:

Computing Science

Other qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry on to our programmes. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University's entry requirements web page.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

No previous knowledge of social anthropology is required.

Alternative study options

Study abroad

Social anthropology students can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme. For information about study abroad options, please see the study abroad site.

International applicants

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability.

Joint Honours degrees

You can also take Social Anthropology as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

Course name

Arabic and Social Anthropology (With Integrated Year Abroad)

French and Social Anthropology (With Integrated Year Abroad)

German and Social Anthropology (With Integrated Year Abroad)

Italian and Social Anthropology (With Integrated Year Abroad)

Master of Arts (Honours) Ancient History & Archaeology and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Ancient History and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Arabic and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Art History and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Classical Studies and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Classics and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Comparative Literature and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Economics and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) English and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Film Studies and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) French and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Geography and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) German and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Greek and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) International Relations and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Italian and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Latin and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Medieval History and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Middle East Studies and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Modern History and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Persian and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Philosophy and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Psychology and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Russian and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Scottish History and Social Anthropology

Master of Arts (Honours) Social Anthropology and Spanish

Master of Arts (Honours) Social Anthropology and Sustainable Development

Master of Arts (Honours) Social Anthropology and Theological Studies

Russian and Social Anthropology (With Integrated Year Abroad)

Social Anthropology and Spanish (With Integrated Year Abroad)

It is also possible to combine a degree in Social Anthropology with both Arabic and Russian.

Joint degrees taken with Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and the triple degree with Arabic and Russian are also available 'With Integrated Year Abroad'.

"With" degrees

You can take Social Anthropology as part of a "with" Honours degree in which the majority of the course deals with the first name subject. St Andrews offers the following "with" degrees in Social Anthropology:

Master of Arts (Honours) Economics with Social Anthropology - UCAS code L1L6

Master of Arts (Honours) Geography with Social Anthropology - UCAS code L7L6

Master of Arts (Honours) Social Anthropology with Geography - UCAS code L6L7

Master of Arts (Honours) Social Anthropology with Religion in Society - UCAS code LT30

A degree in social anthropology is important for any career where knowledge of other worldviews and of cross-cultural communication is vital, such as in development, human resources or community relations work. A degree in social anthropology gives you the skills to decode social contexts and cultural scripts, and to reflexively evaluate your own position in society. Graduates from the Social Anthropology MA have entered into a wide range of careers, including the diplomatic service, media, social work, journalism, technology and communications, the voluntary sector, law, museums and business.

Popular career paths for social anthropology graduates include:

advertising and marketing

civil service

education and social work

human rights

humanitarian aid

international or non-profit organisations

media and journalism

museums and curating

human resources

technology

The insight of an anthropologist is valued in any occupation that requires a sensitivity to different ways of life and thought, and that assesses complex human needs. A full understanding of 'the human element' in technological processes is increasingly in demand.

In your degree, you will also gain a number of transferable skills which are highly valued by employers across all sectors. These include the ability to:

understand how human beings are shaped by and interact with social, cultural and physical environments

understand how your own position in society may shape your own perceptions and views of the world

read and interpret texts within their historical, social and theoretical contexts

express ideas in writing, summarise arguments and distinguish between them

use skills in information technology and oral and written communication

recognise the politics of language, indirect forms of communication, forms of power, theoretical statements and claims of authority

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

What to do next

Online information events

Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.

Undergraduate visiting days

We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online or in-person visiting days.

Contact us

+44 (0)1334 46 2486 Address

School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies website

Discover Uni

Discover Uni provides official statistics about higher education courses taken from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges about all their students. You can use this data to compare information for different degree programmes to help you make a decision about what and where to study.

Start your journey

Legal notices

Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy

Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online.

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online.

Page last updated: 28 May 2026

Admissions

St Katharine's West

The Scores

St Andrews

KY16 9AX

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2150

Ask Admissions

Admissions policy

Search for modules

Programme specifications

Programme requirements

© 2026 The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC013532

Cookie preferences

Accessibility statement

Terms and conditions

Website help

英文對照按院校 2025-2026 年度高中英文表；2027 年度未公布，請向院校確認。此途徑另須最後兩年在英文授課中學就讀。

院校未公布 DSE 對應等級，請向院校確認。

成績符合不等於錄取；資料取自院校官方公開頁，取得日期見各課；最終以院校為準。

報告這課資料錯誤