Anthropology MA

The Anthropology MA is designed to provide students with a strong grounding in the principles and methods of Anthropology. It offers the opportunity to study innovative modules taught by leading experts in key anthropological fields, including Conflict and Borders, Religion, Cognition and Culture, Anthropology of Europe, Material Culture and Art, Migration and Diasporas, Anthropology of Ireland, Human-Animal relations and the cross-cultural study of Emotions. Anthropology at Queen’s also has a distinguished history in Ethnomusicology, the cross-cultural study of music.

The MA teaching is research-led and draws on our staff’s theoretical work in these areas, as well as regional expertise, including research in India, Pakistan, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Japan, the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Romania, Finland, the UK, and the island of Ireland. Anthropology at QUB is ranked 2nd in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2021). Our MA in Anthropology explores current debates in the study of cultures and societies and offers specialised knowledge and advanced skills for a range of competitive careers or further study at PhD level.

Studying anthropology at postgraduate level combines an in-depth understanding of human diversity and critical social theory, with hands-on training in carrying out grounded ethnographic research. Studying Anthropology at Queen’s gives you the opportunity to design and carry out field research anywhere in the world. Under the guidance of experienced supervisors, students develop original projects among diverse groups of people across the globe.

Doing ethnographic fieldwork will give you real-world skills that are uniquely valued among employers and offer you unforgettable cultural and social experiences. At the same time, Belfast and the island of Ireland, more broadly, offer unique sites to conduct research locally on most topics of anthropological interest, including conflict transformation and peacebuilding, religion, borders, arts and creativity, identity, ethnicity and nationalism, material culture, and policy-engaged anthropology. Studying anthropology is a great way to get involved in contemporary issues and gain a wide range of critical and applied skills highly relevant in a globally interconnected world.

MA students in our programme learn how to discover and understand human societies and cultures, and to work in collaboration with people in their places and communities. This programme provides students with the opportunity to work in the centre for anthropological study and research in Northern Ireland. Our staff and programmes have long-standing connections with a number of local and international organisations, NGOs, and community groups.

Anthropology postgraduate life centres around the weekly Anthropology Postgraduate Seminar, and regular Anthropology Research Seminars, as well as regular events in the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, the Institute for Cognition and Culture and the Institute of Irish Studies. We also have collaboration with University College Cork and Dublin City University and students have the opportunity to partake in a three-day workshop in Dingle (Republic of Ireland), called Atlantic Anthropological, where participants engage in contemporary theory and method with research-active scholars. The thematic content of that workshop varies from year to year to reflect new trends and practices in anthropological research.