MA Anthropology of the Environment and Sustainability
London, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2027
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,320 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international students | home students: £12,965
Key Summary
About: You'll study MA Anthropology of the Environment and Sustainability at SOAS, exploring what it means to be human amid climate change and global inequality. It gives theoretical and methodological training, including ethnography and qualitative methods, to analyze sustainability and engage with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. SOAS ranks 6th in the UK, 18th in the world for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings 2025).
Career Outcomes: Employers value graduates' cultural awareness, global perspective, analytical, data interpretation and problem-solving skills. Potential roles include policy analyst, sustainability consultant, NGO or international officer, environmental researcher, community development practitioner, and advocacy or public-sector roles.
In the MA Anthropology of the Environment 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 Anthropology of the Environment and Sustainability at SOAS?
- We are ranked 6th in the UK and 18th in the world for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- 3rd in the UK for Employer Reputation (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- 5th in the UK for Academic Reputation (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- 12th in the UK (Times/Sunday Times League Table 2025)
The programme is a key part of the SOAS Department of Anthropology and Sociology's commitment to economic and social justice, environmental equality, and to engage strongly and critically with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations.
Learn a language as part of this programme
Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.
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
As well as the programme’s core modules, students will also be able to choose other modules offered in the department, as well as options from departments across SOAS, including a range of languages and other disciplines, allowing students to tailor their MA to their skills and interests.
Important notice
The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes.
However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change.
Core
- 799A Dissertation (MA) in Anthropology - 60 credits
Compulsory
60 credits compulsory
- 702 Ethnographic Research Methods - 15 credits
- 730 Anthropology and Climate Change - 15 credits
- 729 Anthropology of Sustainability: Global Challenges and Alternative Futures - 15 credits
- 701 Contemporary Anthropological Theory - 15 credits
Guided options
30 credits guided options
- 797A Directed Practical Study: Placements in the Field - 15 credits
- 750B Ethnographic Locations: East Asia - 15 credits
- 750A Ethnographic Locations: Sub-Saharan Africa - 15 credits
- 750D Ethnographic Locations: South Asia - 15 credits
- 752 Anthropology of 'Race', Gender and Sexuality - 15 credits
- 724 Migration, Borders and Space: Decolonial Approaches - 15 credits
- 754 Medical Anthropology: Global Perspectives - 15 credits
- 723 Diet, Society and Environment - 15 credits
- 731 How to Change Things - 15 credits
- 750E Ethnographic Locations: Southeast Asia - 15 credits
- Global Commodity Chains, Production Networks and Informal Work - 15 credits
- Cities and Development - 15 credits
Open options
Students can take up to 30 credits of open options from Departments and Schools across the University - including a wide range of language modules.
This year, more than 350 open options were available across all Departments.
Dissertation
The MA Anthropology of Global Futures and Sustainability culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation, based on original research on a topic of the student's own choosing and developed in discussion with a supervisor.
Students from SOAS’ Department of Anthropology and Sociology develop an in-depth understanding of the world. Employers value our graduates’ cultural awareness and global perspective, as well as their skills in analysis, data interpretation and problem-solving.
During the academic year, modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials and/or seminars.
Contact Hours
Students can expect an average of two hours of classroom time per week for each module. Outside of the classroom, students explore topics of the module through independent study and through personal exchanges with teachers and fellow students.
In some cases, modules are taught by several teachers within the department to provide students with an array of perspectives on the subject. All modules involve the active participation of students in the discussion of ideas, viewpoints and readings.