Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Arts (MA)
- Duration
- 1 year
- Entry requirements
-
Minimum UK 2:1 (or overseas equivalent) in social anthropology or in a degree where social anthropology formed a major component.
When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
- How to apply
- Apply online
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Y | Y | N | N |
Course overview
- Acquire research skills in both anthropology and ethnography.
- Gain the necessary skills to move on to doctoral and research degree programmes.
- Benefit from a course that is part of the North West Doctoral Training Centre (NWDTC).
Open days
On this day, you will find out more about the School, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.
See open days and visits for more information.
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MA (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £17,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £30,000 -
MA (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £8,750
International, including EU, students (per annum): £15,000
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
For information on funding opportunities, see fees and funding or search the University's postgraduate funding database .
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Social Sciences
- Contact name
- School of Social Sciences Admissions Office
- Telephone
- +44 (0) 161 306 5500
- pg-soss@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/social-anthropology/
- School/Faculty
-
See: School Subjects
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
Minimum UK 2:1 (or overseas equivalent) in social anthropology or in a degree where social anthropology formed a major component.
When assessing your academic record we consider your degree subject, grades you have achieved and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
English language
Applicants whose first language is not English should meet the following language requirements:
- IELTS Academic test score of 7 overall, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5
- TOEFL IBT 100 with 25 in writing and no further score below 22 in each section. TOEFL code for Manchester is 0757
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 76 overall, with 76 in writing and no further score below 70
Priority will be given to applicants who have provided evidence of meeting these scores when making offers.
Further information on accepted language requirements can be found here .
Pre-Sessional English Courses
We will consider applicants who do not meet these scores but you will be required to complete a pre-sessional English language course at the University of Manchester prior to the start of the course.
To be considered for a pre-sessional English language course for this programme we require the following minimum IELTS (Academic) scores:
6 Week Pre-Sessional Course : IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no more than one sub-skill of 6.0.
10 Week Pre-sessional Course : IELTS 6.0 overall with 6.0 or above in each sub-skill
If you have not yet completed your current academic study and are interested in studying a pre-sessional course, you must hold an IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test certificate to ensure that you are eligible for a separate visa for the English language course.
English language test validity
Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.
Applicants from Majority English-speaking countries
If you are a national of a majority English-speaking country (or have studied for a full bachelor's degree or higher from one of these countries) you may be exempt from submitting further evidence of English language proficiency.
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from across the globe. To help international students, the university provides specific information for many individual countries. Please see our country-specific information page for guidance on the academic and English language qualifications which may be accepted from your country.
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
Please note, due to the high volume of applications we receive the course may close before the advertised deadline and as such, early application is advised.
If you meet our entry requirements but we are unable to make you an offer you may be placed on a waiting list. Candidates on a waiting list will receive an offer only if places become available.
Research proposals
If you wish to do a PhD after your course, you are usually expected to have an idea of the topic or project they are thinking of doing at PhD level. An outline allows us to judge whether the appropriate supervision is likely to be available and to assign supervisors who are interested in seeing the project through.
The structure of the course is based on the principle that students have a specific interest or set of interests that they wish to develop. You are welcome to contact individual members of staff who you think might be potential supervisors or you can contact the director of the course for advice. In any case, it is useful to have a written outline of your intended research.
If you intend to take the course as a stand-alone degree, it is not necessary to have a research proposal, but it is useful for us to have an indication of your general areas of interest in social anthropology.
Re-applications
Course details
Course description
The MA Anthropological Research course is designed to prepare you to carry out doctoral level research in social anthropology. It provides training in a wide range of research methods and teaches you how to develop a substantive research project in a theoretically and methodologically informed way.
Note that although the MAAR is listed as a taught MA, it is in actuality like a first year PhD programme. This means that MAAR students take classes with first year PhD students. MAAR students should also have a fairly clear idea of their dissertation topic by the time they arrive, although this can change in the course of the programme. Normally, there are only two or three MAAR students per year so you will have a small cohort.
Although, primarily intended as preliminary to doctoral research, the course is also available as a stand-alone taught master's degree to improve your social research skills and gain an in-depth understanding of ethnographic methods and approaches.
You will work closely with an expert supervisor in social anthropology, with further guidance from a second supervisor. All students attend the following core course units:
- Issues in Ethnographic Research I andII;
- Postgraduate ResearchSeminar;
- Independent Theoretical and Ethnographic Analysis I; and
- Introduction to Quantitative Methods.
In consultation with your supervisor, you will also select threeshort, five credit units in qualitative or quantitative research methods. Computer training is also available.
You may then select two specialist course units, of which one must be within social anthropology (options vary from year to year) and one may be elsewhere in the University.
Teaching and learning
You must first check the schedule of the compulsory course units and then select your optional units to suit your requirements.
Updated timetable information will be available from mid-August and you will have the opportunity to discuss your unit choices during induction week with your Course Director.
Coursework and assessment
Under the guidance of your supervisors, you are required to complete eight course units and a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation which is, in effect, a doctoral fieldwork research proposal.
This is prepared over the summer period and presented in September. Most course units, including the postgraduate research seminar, are assessed by essays of up to 4,000 words. Some units also involve assessment of presentations and practical work.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Theoretical & Ethnographic Analysis I | SOAN60771 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Issues in Ethnographic Research I | SOAN70641 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Issues in Ethnographic Research II | SOAN70652 | 15 | Mandatory |
| PG Research Seminar | SOAN70940 | 15 | Mandatory |
| MAAR Dissertation | SOAN72000 | 60 | Mandatory |
| Qualitative Research Methods | SOCS60230 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Quantitative Methods | SOST70511 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Anthropology of Development and Humanitarianism | SOAN60112 | 15 | Optional |
| Migrants, Borders and Im/mobilities | SOAN60252 | 15 | Optional |
| Urban Anthropology in Britain | SOAN60382 | 15 | Optional |
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Scholarships and bursaries
The School offers a number of awards for students applying for master's study.
To find our more, please visit our master's funding opportunity search page.
Facilities
Social Anthropology, and the School of Social Sciences of which it is part, are based in a modern building with 24/7 access.
There is shared workspace available for research students within social anthropology, including networked computers and printing facilities. There are also work areas elsewhere in the building and in the University which are available.
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
As a student at the University, and for two years after you graduate, you will have full access to the University’s dedicated Careers Service. You will also have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .
In keeping with the main purpose of the MA in Anthropological Research as a research-training masters, many graduates successfully proceed to PhD studies.
The course is also excellent for acquiring skills in social research methods, especially the ethnographic methods that are fast becoming popular in the business, voluntary and educational sectors as a way of finding out how people engage with their everyday worlds.
You will also have access to a wide range of careers support tailored to your career or further study.
For more information, see careers and employability .