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BA

Anthropology BA (Hons)

Social anthropology is the study of the people of the world and how they live. Understanding our social and cultural diversity helps us address major issues affecting our existence today.

How to apply Apply via UCAS

Course details

Start date

Degree Type

BA

UCAS Code

L602

Course length

3 years full-time

Typical offer

AAB

Tuition Fees

  • Home (Full-time): £ per year
  • Overseas (Full-time): £ per year

Overview

Our BA Anthropology degree focuses on social anthropology in the context of a broad approach to the subject, including elements of biological anthropology as well as interdisciplinary perspectives on health. Studying social anthropology allows you to investigate pressing questions about humanity, including how communities are responding to current challenges such as economic crises and climate change. Social anthropology is an extremely broad subject overlapping with many others including sociology, politics, history, economics and social geography. An anthropology degree equips you with many transferable skills including designing research projects, handling data ethically and communicating sensitively across language and cultural barriers. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four and expanding your experience to complement your anthropological training.

Course details

Start date

Degree Type

BA

UCAS Code

L602

Course length

3 years full-time

Typical offer

AAB

Tuition Fees

  • Home (Full-time): £ per year
  • Overseas (Full-time): £ per year

What you'll study

In the first year, we will provide a fundamental grounding in anthropology including introductory modules in social anthropology, biological anthropology and the anthropology of health. In the second year, you will begin to specialise in social anthropology while choosing optional modules from other areas including biological, medical and environmental anthropology. You will also gain 'hands-on' experience of conducting research through a series of local field trips and activities. In your final year, you will design and carry out your own piece of anthropological research for your dissertation and take part in our residential Field Course module, an intensive 7-day experience at one of several European destinations, or online as part of our Virtual Field Course.

Core modules

  • Being Human: An Introduction to the History and Practice of Anthropology

    provides an overview of the history of anthropology, including the major theoretical developments and debates, and how these affect the practice of anthropology today.

  • Doing Anthropological Research

    provides hands-on training in anthropological research methods, both quantitative and qualitative. This module will prepare you for future research projects and allow you to develop highly transferable research skills.

  • Health, Illness and Society

    introduces the anthropological study of health and illness, giving insight into how social, cultural, biological and evolutionary factors interact in the study of health and disease.

  • Human Evolution and Diversity

    introduces how humans evolved over the past 7 million years to become the unique species we are today, rich in biological and cultural diversity.

  • People and Cultures

    provides an introduction to the people and cultures of the world from a social anthropological perspective.

Optional modules

  • Choice of level 1 open modules offered by other departments, including language modules offered by the Centre for Foreign Language Study.

Core modules

  • Anthropological Research Methods in Action

    provides opportunities to develop and apply research skills relevant to the different areas of anthropology beyond the classroom, including field-based research.

  • Biology, Culture & Society

    introduces students to debates and controversies across the traditional boundary between social and biological anthropology.

  • Markets and Exchange

    will develop your knowledge and ability to think critically about the anthropology of economics across diverse cultures and societies.

  • Power and Inequality

    allows you to develop your knowledge and ability to think critically about the anthropology of politics, power and inequality across diverse cultures and societies.

  • Relations and Belonging

    provides a cross-cultural overview of the anthropological study of kinship and relatedness.

  • Research Project Design

    builds upon previous methods training by providing the skills necessary to develop independent research projects, helping to plan ahead for the final year dissertation.

  • Ritual, Religion and Belief

    provides a cross-cultural overview of the anthropological study of religion.

Optional modules

  • In recent years optional modules have included: Critical Global HealthSex, Reproduction and HealthHealth and InequalityAnthropology of the BodyPalaeoanthropology: The Story of Human EvolutionMind and CulturePrimate SocietiesReading the SkeletonSustainability and the EnvironmentThe Anthropocene and Multispecies Anthropology

Core modules

  • Anthropology Field Course

    You will also take part in our Anthropology Field Course module, an intensive 7-day fieldwork experience at one of the department’s residential field schools, or online as a Virtual Field Course.

  • Dissertation

    In your final year, you will design and carry out your own on a topic of your choice, which will develop your independent research and project management skills.

Optional modules

  • In recent years optional modules have included: Violence and MemoryAnthropology, Art and ExperiencePoison, Pollution and the Chemical AnthropoceneExhibiting AnthropologyCapitalism in RuinsSocial Anthropology of Hormones

Learning

Your learning will be supported by a variety of teaching formats, including large-group lectures and smaller-group teaching in seminars and practical classes. Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on inquiry-based learning and transferable skills, with a particular focus on designing and carrying out research projects. At the start of your final year, you will visit one of our residential field schools (or a virtual alternative) to put your anthropological training into practice. The Anthropology Department has a skeletal collection, a fossil cast collection, a material culture collection and other practical resources that are used in relevant modules. You may also be able to use these resources independently to supplement your learning or for project work.

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Assessment

We use a wide range of assessments designed to provide training in a variety of anthropological and broader transferable skills, including not only 'traditional' essays and exams but also research projects, popular writing and outreach activities. In your final year you will have the chance to design and carry out your own anthropological research project for your dissertation, with support and guidance from your supervisor.

Entry requirements

Fees & Funding

Choose which fees you want to see:

Home / Island students

£ per year

International / EU Students

£ per year

Home / Island students

Part Time - £ per year

International / EU Students

Part Time - £ per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

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Department Information

  • Join a dynamic and welcoming Department that takes a distinctly broad-based approach to the study of humanity. We are among the largest Anthropology departments in the UK with around 110 students in each year group, and one of the few to combine social, biological and medical aspects of Anthropology. This gives you the chance to explore humanity from multiple perspectives, covering our species' evolution over millions of years up to the present day diversity of human societies. You can choose from one of three single-honours programmes or combine Anthropology with Sociology, Psychology or Archaeology as a joint-honours degree. You can also study Anthropology as part of an even broader degree programme including Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences or Combined Honours in Social Sciences. Since Anthropology is such a broad subject, it works just as well as a single honours programme or combined with other subjects. Our lecturers are passionate, dedicated teachers and researchers, and our modules cover a huge diversity of topics, including culture, environmental issues, evolution, genetics, forensics, literature, health, music, politics, primate behaviour, religion, reproduction, skeletal anatomy and many others still. And with a research-led approach, our teaching is constantly evolving to incorporate the latest findings into the curriculum. Our flexible courses offer the opportunity both to explore the breadth of Anthropology and to specialise in one of our sub-disciplinary areas. For more information see our department pages.

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    Facilities

    We are based in the Dawson Building, conveniently located next to the main library, and close to lots of other departments and university services. We have a common room which students are welcome to use for studying and socialising. The Department’s research facilities include skeletal, fossil cast and material culture collections available for students to use as part of their learning activities and research projects. We also house a number of research centres and laboratories including an Infancy and Sleep Centre, a Physical Activity Lab and an Ecology and Endocrinology Laboratory which is equipped to analyse human samples.

    • Material culture collectionThe department houses an extensive collection of material culture objects from around the world which are actively used in both research and teaching of ethnography.

    • Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre

      The centre is home to a team of researchers who investigate the behaviour and physiology of infant, child and adult sleep, as well as night-time parenting, infant feeding, and other infant and child health issues.

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Career Opportunities

Of those UK/EU students who graduated in 2022/23:

87%

are in paid employment or further study

97%

of those are in highly and medium-skilled employment.

£32,500

is the average salary.

HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk

Employability

With a degree in Anthropology, you will be equipped with a diverse and practical knowledge base, including highly transferable skills in research and communication. Employers worldwide value this skill set, particularly where creativity, curiosity and the ability to understand human diversity are at a premium. Our graduates apply their knowledge directly in fields as diverse as health, community work, conservation, education, international development, culture, and heritage. Many progress into careers that require a broad understanding of human society and behaviour as well as the interpersonal, organisational, problem solving and independent thinking skills that come with the discipline. Such careers include advertising, publishing, journalism, teaching, human resource management, law, consultancy and marketing. A significant number of graduates progress onto higher level study with many pursuing further research in anthropology or other fields.

More Information

With an anthropology degree our students acquire a fascinating and useful knowledge base, as well as an unusual mix of intellectual and practical skills.

What can I do with an Anthropology degree?

Your next steps

Apply via UCAS

  • Institution code: D86

  • UCAS code: L602

Apply now

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