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Medical Anthropology MSc

Key Information

Start date

September

Subject area

Anthropology

Mode of study

1 year full-time

2 or 2.5 years part-time

Fees

2025/26

UK £12,125

International £22,320

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Entry requirements

2:2

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Overview

If you work in medicine or allied fields and want to learn more about how illness and wellness are considered in difference cultures, anthropology is an ideal route to greater understanding.

Medical anthropology is the study of cultural beliefs and practices associated with the origin, recognition and management of health and illness in different social and cultural groups.

Brunel was the first university in Europe to establish a master's degree in medical anthropology and since then has continued to develop the course to reflect the changing world in which we live.

The Medical Anthropology MSc will equip you with a broad, general understanding of anthropology and how it might be applied to medical and health-related problems.

You will develop a deeper understanding of how people’s ideas about the world, as well as the structural constraints within which they find themselves, have an impact on their understanding and experience of health, sickness and disease.

You’ll achieve this through close study of key texts in medical anthropology, the original fieldwork experiences of your lecturers, and through designing and undertaking your own research project.

The course will address questions such as:

  • How does poverty contribute to the profiles of diseases such as diabetes and tuberculosis?
  • Why are some diseases, such as leprosy or AIDS/HIV, feared and stigmatized?
  • Why do some biomedical interventions seeking to control infectious and non-infectious diseases work, and others fail?
  • What might stop some patients seeking conventional treatments for cancers and other conditions – even when they are offered for free – despite the apparent efficacy of the medicines available?

Students take the opportunity of fieldwork to travel to a wide variety of locations across the world that have included India, Mexico, Bolivia, Papua New Guinea, China, Nepal, Peru, Morocco, and New Zealand as well as in the UK and the rest of Europe.

In additional, Brunel offers an exclusive scholarship to help fund a student’s medical anthropology fieldwork in memory of pioneering Brunel Medical Anthropologist, Professor Cecil Helman (1944-2009).

A 30 month part-time option of the course is also available. If you wish to be considered for the part-time 30 month version, please make your application for the 24 month part-time route and then contact the Admissions team to request the change to the 30 month duration.

Course content

The main objectives of the course are to provide a rigorous grounding in key topics and perspectives in medical anthropology, and to equip you with a range of research skills to enable you to complete your research successfully.

Compulsory

  • SA5622 - Anthropology and Global Health
    A theoretical introduction to the anthropological study of global health which includes a comparative understanding of the methods employed by biomedical scientists, epidemiologists, biosocial anthropologists, clinically applied and critical medical anthropologists in the study of global health.
  • SA5513 - Dissertation in Medical Anthropology
    In this key module you will carry out a major research project on a subject of your choice within medical anthropology using the application of appropriate research methods.
  • SA5603 - Ethnographic Research Methods
    This module will introduce you to the methods employed by anthropologists when undertaking ethnographic research in preparation for your own fieldwork research on which your dissertation will be based.
  • SA5602 - Medical Anthropology in Clinical and Community Settings
    Delve into the contemporary texts that have contributed to the development of medical anthropology as you consider its innovations and how the application of anthropological research in the subject can contribute to improving medical practices.

Optional

  • SA5523 - Anthropology of the Body
    Explore key theories of ‘the body’ in anthropology and other cognate discipline through the work of scholars such as Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault and Thomas Csordas. You will also be exposed to contemporary approaches to the study of subjectivity, personhood and experience across societies and cultures.
  • SA5527 - Anthropology of the Person
    Anthropological approaches to understanding ‘the person’ are discussed through the work of theorists such as Mauss and Hacking including contemporary approaches to the study of subjectivity, personhood and experience in formal and informal environments.
  • SA2705 - Anthropological Perspectives on War and Humanitarianism
    In this subject you will analyse the social and economic consequences of contemporary warfare and the rebuilding war-torn societies from an anthropological perspective and by doing so, understand the different ways anthropological research can enhance the understanding of contemporary warfare.
  • SA5601 - Ethnicity, Identity and Culture
    Learn about the range of key concepts, theories and controversies in the anthropology of ethnicity, culture, nationhood and identity. Drawing on case studies from within and beyond Britain, it will encourage you to consider how identities are created, deployed and contested.
  • SA5540 - Kinship, Sex and Gender
    An introduction to some of the key social anthropological literature on kinship, gender and sexuality including universalities and particularities in the construction of gender roles and different theoretical paradigms on gender and sexuality.
  • SA5604 - Thinking Anthropologically
    To introduce you to the discipline of anthropology, and to offer you a grounding in its key theories and methods. By the end of the module, you will be able to draw connections between the materials studied your own degree specialism.

This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel

Careers and your future

Hundreds of students – doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and other medical professionals among them – can testify to the quality of our programme, having used it either to enhance their professional practice, to change career or to develop their research interests for future studies.

Students will acquire analytical and research skills that can be used in a wide range of careers. In particular the course is ideal for enhancing professional development in fields such as midwifery, general practice, sexual health, psychiatry, nutrition, psychotherapy, public health, non-governmental agencies and international development.

Some of our graduates also go on to do further research for a PhD in medical anthropology.

UK entry requirements

  • A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree, or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification in a Humanities, Social Science or Health-related Science with a personal statement demonstrating knowledge of interest in the subject area .
  • Applicants with other degrees will be considered on an individual basis.

EU and International entry requirements

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

2025/26 entry

UK

£12,125 full-time

£6,060 part-time

International

£22,320 full-time

£11,160 part-time

N.B. UK and EU applicants: the 30 month part-time course will not be eligible for a Postgraduate Loan. If you wish to be considered for the part-time 30 month version, please make your application for the 24 month part-time route and then contact the Admissions team to request the change to the 30 month duration.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase. 

See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

Teaching and learning

You'll be taught by world leading experts in your field of study, and have the opportunity to interact with fellow students at London’s leading campus University.

Your programme will consist of various learning and studying activities, including lectures, seminars and discussions. On each taught module, students will have in person lectures, seminars or workshops for two-to-three hours per week on average during the teaching terms. There will also be supervision sessions for the dissertation, as well as regular opportunities to seek guidance during module lecturers’ feedback and consultation hours. Additionally, students can seek support in individual meetings with their personal tutors, both on campus and online. There will also be regular cohort meetings and student society events, at both programme and departmental levels. Field trips and excursions to support students’ learning will be organised throughout the year.

All lectures, seminars, cohort meetings and other social activities will occur in person on the Brunel campus. Students are expected to regularly attend these events, as sustained engagement with a learning community is a central dimension of the Brunel experience. Online provision of some activities will be made available when it is appropriate to the learning outcomes of your programme.

Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.

We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.

The course is taught by a team of Brunel experts who have worked in many countries across the globe, including South, West and East Africa, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, as well as Britain.

Find out more about their particular research interests by following the links:

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment is typically by essay or practical assignments (for example, analysis of a short field exercise), and a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words based upon your own fieldwork experience. There are no examinations.