MA Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,320 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas student fees | home student fees: GBP 12,220 per year
Introduction
In the MA Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability we tackle the most urgent challenges of our times, offering students the opportunity to explore, communicate and address them as engaged global citizens.
We ask fundamental questions about what it is to be human in a complex and ever-changing world, critically questioning existing assumptions and knowledge, and productively thinking about how to create a more just and sustainable world. The programme equips students with the theoretical and methodological tools to understand crises of climate change, sustainability, and global inequalities, as well as the experience, skills, and hands-on opportunities to influence policy and practice and to live prosperously in an unprecedented future.
Why study MA Global Futures and Sustainability at SOAS?
- We are ranked 5th in the UK and 12th in the world for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings 2023)
- We are ranked 6th in the UK for employability (QS World University Rankings 2023).
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
The programme consists of 180 credits in total: 120 credits of modules and a dissertation of 10,000 words at 60 credits.
This programme is designed to give students practical knowledge and tools for tackling climate change and helping to create a sustainable future. A mix of seminars, lectures, workshops and practical sessions will form the teaching of the programme. Assessment will be conducted through a combination of essays, reflective pieces, practical exercises (such as methodological experiments), presentations in writing and other media and reports.
There are five core elements
Sustainability
The big challenges in development and future thinking (environmental movements, humanitarianism, economic alternatives, refugees, racism, pandemics).
Climate Change
A focused examination of theory, institutions and knowledge.
Ethnographic Research Methods
The theory and practice of excellent anthropological research.
How to Change Things
How to present and target research in the world. You will also receive direct instruction from experts, including engaged anthropologists, activists and artists, on our flagship engaged anthropology module. This includes practical training in how to lobby governments for change, how to produce media for a range of audiences, how to engage with and advocate for communities, and how to effect positive change towards the ends of social justice.
Dissertation
Opportunity to research, produce and present an original project based on the themes of the programme.
Modules
Along with the programmeโs core modules, students will also be able to choose other modules offered in the department, such as Anthropology of Food and Migration and Diaspora, among many others. In addition, module options from departments across SOAS, including a range of languages and other disciplines, will be available, allowing students to tailor their MA to their skills and interests.
Compulsory Modules
- Ethnographic Research Methods
- Anthropology and Climate Change
- Anthropology of Sustainability: Global Challenges and Alternative Futures
- How to Change Things
- Contemporary Anthropological Theory
Guided options
- Directed Practical Study: Placements in the Field
- Ethnographic Locations: East Asia
- Ethnographic Locations: Sub-Saharan Africa
- Migration, Borders and Space: Decolonial Approaches
- Medical Anthropology: Global Perspectives
- Diet, Society and Environment
- Cities and Development
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Students from SOASโ Department of Anthropology and Sociology develop an in-depth understanding of the world. Employers value our graduatesโ cultural awareness and global perspective, as well as their skills in analysis, data interpretation and problem-solving.
Recent Department of Anthropology and Sociology graduates have been hired by:
- Allen & Overy
- BBC
- British Council
- Deloitte
- Hackney Migrant Centre
- IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
- IOM- UN Migration
- Media 52
- New York Times
- Social Mobility Foundation
- The Week
- UNICEF
- United Nations Development Programme
- World Bank Group
Program Leaders
Student Testimonials
Program Admission Requirements
Show your commitment and readiness for Grad school by taking the GRE - the most broadly accepted exam for graduate programs internationally.