Anthropology

Anthropology, as a comparative and international discipline, is the most fundamental and encompassing of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Science disciplines. The central premise of our programme is to bring the insights of the anthropological study of culture, society and politics to bear on contemporary global and local challenges. From the richness & diversity of human forms of life both historically and cross-culturally, to the contemporary social, cultural and political problems and issues facing the world.



Our strength rests on two pillars: methods in ethnographic research, and, cultural and social theory. The programme employs research-led classroom pedagogy combined with an exciting offering of intensive summer and winter schools such as the unique Atlantic Anthropological Workshop and with award winning research centres such as MEWSC, the SENSA Lab and the CyberSocial Research Lab and fieldwork placements with our partner institutions in regions aligned with area expertise of our staff such as Ireland, India, Japan, Latin America, Eastern and Southern Europe.



See our website for more information: https://www.ucc.ie/en/anthropology/



We offer our students a unique opportunity to gain intercultural competencies as well as professional and transferable skills. It will appeal to those of you with a strong international and intellectual outlook who seek a deeper understanding of the cultural, political and social challenges of the 21st Century.

Part I (Full-time) (60 credits)



Students complete core modules to the value of 30 credits and select 30 credits from the elective modules. Our students are strongly encouraged to attend one of the Summer/Winter Schools and can take up to 10 credits from those on offer in a given year.



Core Modules

AY6013 Anthropology: Paradigms & Theories (10 credits)

AY6015 Ethnography, Practice and Writing (10 credits)

AY6016 Rereading the Anthropological Classics (10 credits)



Summer School/Winter School Elective Modules

AY6017 Atlantic Anthropological Workshop (10 credits)

AY6012 Anthropology Research Laboratory (5 credits)



Standard Elective Modules

AY3002 Dark Heritage: why we remember contested and difficult pasts (5 credits)

AY3003 Semiotics and Anthropology (5 credits)

AY6018 Anthropology and History: Archives, Materiality and Memory (10 credits)

AY6025 Anthropology and Aesthetics of Performance: Ritual and Theatre (10 credits)

MU6042 Ethnography of Music (10 credits)

MU6043 History and Theory of Ethnomusicology (10 credits)

SC6631 Sociology of Sustainable Development (10 credits)

SC6639 Feminist Epistemologies: Feminisms, Sexuality and Society (10 credits)

SC6642 Social Theory and Climate Justice (10 credits)

SC6644 Im/mobilities: forced migration and belonging (10 credits)

SC6608 Social and Sociological Theory (10 credits)

SC6645 Alcohol and Society: Use, Regulation and Harms (10 credits)



Part II (30 credits)

AY6010 Fieldwork Placement (30 credits) or

AY6003 Dissertation (30 credits)



Part-time Option

Students take 90 credits over two parts: 60 credits in Part I and modules to the value of 30 credits in Part II. See the Academic Programme Catalogue for the current part-time module options.



Fieldwork Placement

The Fieldwork Placement takes place in one of our partner universities and will be jointly supervised by a team of two supervisors, one based at UCC and one in the partner university. The supervisor in the partner university will oversee and facilitate the practical aspects of the fieldwork project.



Students will be exposed to international perspectives and possibilities facilitated in particular through summer, winter-schools and fieldwork placements.



The fieldwork placement will offer a unique opportunity for Irish students to engage in ethnographic practice at a range of institutions in India, Latin America, and Europe, and for international students to conduct ethnographic research in Ireland.



The international local and global experience of transcultural learning and communication offers unique academic think-tank and creative spaces which foster global empathy through local engagement.

Requirements

A candidate for this MA programme must normally hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent, in Anthropology, or a cognate subject in social/cultural sciences (Sociology, Criminology, Management, Development, Political Science, Languages, Social Sciences, Classics, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Study of Religions) or equivalent international qualification.



Candidates who hold a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) may also be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) subject to review by the Board of Studies.



As part of the application process, all applicants will be required to submit:

1. A supporting statement which should outline your intellectual biography and your reasons for pursuing postgraduate studies in Anthropology.



2. Prospective applicants may be required to present themselves for an interview. The interviewing of overseas applicants may be conducted online.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.



- In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.



- Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Closing Date: Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Start Date 7 September 2026

Skills and Careers Information

Anthropologists can be universally employed as intercultural competency, socio-cultural reflexivity and cultural literacy represent key social and educational skills in contemporary societies. Identified career paths are



Research

Education

Higher Education

International and national politics

Journalism

International Organisations (UN, UNESCO etc)

NGO sector