Social Anthropology (MRes) 2025 entry

The MRes in Social Anthropology at St Andrews explores the immense diversity of contemporary human social and cultural experience worldwide. The programme takes a comparative and global view of human individuality, society and culture, studying how people make meaningful lives in extremely diverse settings. Research covers lives in cities and villages in 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.

Start date
September 2025
End date
September 2026
Duration
One year full time
School
School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies

Application deadline

Thursday 7 August 2025

Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships and for international visa purposes.

Entry requirements

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application requirements

  • CV
  • personal statement
  • sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
  • two original signed academic references
  • academic transcripts and degree certificates

For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.

English language proficiency

If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.

Course details

The MRes in Social Anthropology is a full-time taught postgraduate programme run by the Department of Social Anthropology within the School of Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies.

The programme provides a general introduction to social anthropology at the postgraduate level, with an emphasis on bringing interdisciplinary skills to anthropological research. It enhances existing anthropological knowledge and helps develop theory and practice in those coming to anthropology for the first time. The MRes offers a range of social science components, research and methodology training, and core social anthropology teaching.

Highlights

  • The programme combines opportunities for theoretical development and specialist interests with training in research methodologies.
  • Small class sizes encourage student-led seminars and discussion as well as more contact with supervisors.
  • The course introduces cross-disciplinary connections and differences.

Modules

The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your programme. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.

Core social science training modules are listed below (descriptions of these modules are given on the 'Optional' tab). These may be required for recognition of the MRes by the ESRC as a doctoral pathway. They are optional for non-ESRC funded students.

  • Being a Social Scientist
  • Philosophy and Methodology of the Social Sciences
  • Qualitative Methods in Social Research
  • Quantitative Research in Social Science

Non-ESRC funded students may substitute up to 30 credits from undergraduate Honours-level Social Anthropology modules, with the approval of the course coordinator.

Students choose two optional modules, taking one in each semester. For the latest optional module information, see the module catalogue

Here is a sample of optional modules that may be offered.

  • Being a Social Scientist: focuses on how to design and produce a research dissertation and addresses issues of professional development (e.g., ethics, careers, grant writing).
  • Philosophy and Methodology of the Social Sciences: introduces students to the basic theoretical approaches in the social sciences, covering the methodological and epistemological issues involved in conducting social scientific research.
  • Qualitative Methods in Social Research: offers both a theoretical and practical introduction to the collection, analysis and writing of qualitative social science research.
  • Quantitative Research in Social Science: provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of quantitative analysis - underlying principles, research design, sampling strategies, uncertainty and missing data, and some statistical approaches to data analysis.
  • Anthropology, Art and Perception 1 or Anthropology, Art and Perception 2 : draw on themes from across the subject boundaries between art and anthropology to provide training for postgraduate research into the anthropology of human creativity and visual expression.
  • Methodological and Philosophical Issues in Anthropology: is specifically designed for students who have not studied anthropology before. It will outline the key methods, philosophical and theoretical ideas that have shaped the discipline.
  • The Anthropology of Connections: Interdisciplinarity as Methodology: examines the relevance of other disciplines for social anthropology by working with methodologies and concepts drawn from history, social science, philosophy, language and the arts.
  • Research Methods in Social Anthropology: examines the methodology of anthropological research through close attention to the relationship between method and fieldwork experience.

Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University’s position on curriculum development).

Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of not more than 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August. 

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MRes, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MRes. 

Teaching

Over two semesters, students take a combination of compulsory and optional modules depending on their chosen pathway and focus. Teaching methods include formal lectures combined with seminar-style teaching and student-led group work.

Lecture class sizes range from five to ten students and tutorial sizes range from two to six students.

Over the course of the year, with particular focus during the summer months, you will devise a research project culminating in a 15,000-word dissertation.

Compulsory modules are assessed through coursework which includes essays or learning journals, independent research-led assignments, and group-assessed oral presentations.

Every taught postgraduate student is assigned an individual supervisor from among the Social Anthropology staff who will work with them closely to develop a topic and direction for the end of degree dissertation.

The Department of Social Anthropology provides postgraduates with access to a museum collection of ethnographic material and a common room that includes a general anthropological library, providing a space that is shared by both staff and postgraduates. The departmental libraries, together with the main University library which holds a fine anthropology collection, include resources covering nearly all regions of the world.

Events

The Scottish Training in Anthropological Research (STAR) consortium brings together social anthropologists from the universities of St Andrews, Aberdeen and Edinburgh to support innovation in research and teaching. 

In addition to co-hosting international conferences and workshops, the consortium runs two free week-long residential training courses each year in anthropology for postgraduate students and early career researchers. The first course is for students at the pre-fieldwork level and the second is for those at an advanced stage of research writing.

Fees

Home
Tuition fees have yet to be set.

Overseas
£25,900

Application fee

Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.

15% Recent Graduate Discount

If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.

Taught postgraduate scholarships    Postgraduate loans

After your degree

Careers

Graduates in social anthropology from St Andrews will gain key practical skills in analysing social and cultural dynamics and how these 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, environmental conservation, business, and education.

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

Further study

Many graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere. The Department of Social Anthropology offers PhD supervision across a diverse range of theoretical interests and topics.

Postgraduate research

What to do next

Information sessions

Meet our staff, learn more, and ask questions about how our courses can work for you.

Contact us

Phone
+44 (0)1334 46 2977
Email
[email protected]
Address
Department of Social Anthropology
71 North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9AL

Department of Social Anthropology website