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Anthropology BSc

Course code

L601

L602, L603 with placement

Start date

September

Placement available

Mode of study

3 years full-time

4 years full-time with placement

Fees

2024/25

UK £9,250

International £19,430

Entry requirements

2024/25

ABB - BBC (A-level)

DMM (BTEC)

29 (IB)

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Overview

Studying anthropology at Brunel gives you the opportunity to do fully funded fieldwork placements anywhere in the world according to your anthropological interests.

Anthropology offers a unique and powerful means for understanding cultural and social diversity in the modern world. It considers issues which can lead to mind blowing revelations about how individuals and cultures experience life differently.

Anthropology is concerned with contemporary issues such as multiculturalism, identity politics, racism and ethnic nationalism, changing forms of the family, religious conflict, gender, and the political role of culture. It also addresses perennial questions about human nature, such as: ‘What do we have in common with each other cross-culturally?’ and ‘What makes us different?’.

If you are intrigued by these questions and want to study a discipline that will enrich your everyday life as well as equip you for a great variety of occupations, anthropology is the right course for you.

Fieldwork is excellent preparation for work and a chance to make useful contacts and will help to add greater meaning to academic studies. Around half of Brunel’s anthropology students carry out a placement or fieldwork abroad, in places as wide ranging as India, Nepal, Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea and Jamaica. Additionally with the fieldwork now funded as part of your degree, you can concentrate on your research rather than financial obstacles. Recent UK placement destinations include the Royal Anthropological Institute, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, Amnesty International and the Department of Health.

Examples of dissertation titles based on fieldwork findings have included work in a Nepalese monastery, a South African women’s refuge, the Police Complaints Authority (on the Stephen Lawrence case), as well as in schools and charities.

Outside of classes, you can look forward to a one of the most cultural diverse campuses in the UK with opportunity to meet people from all over the world.Additionally, Brunel’s anthropological student society arrange class trips to places like the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford, and the campus’s London location makes it ideal for exploring places like the British Museum in Central London.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

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Course content

Through a set of compulsory modules in your first year, you will gain a firm foundation in the central themes and debates in anthropology as you are introduced to the international work carried out by the teaching staff that explores the practicalities of undertaking anthropological funded fieldwork. 

In years two and three, you will follow a pre-set group of compulsory modules according,  plus optional modules choices according to your interests.  Below is a list of the variety of modules typically taught within the subject. 

This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

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Careers and your future

As a graduate of a three year anthropology degree, your research and fieldwork experience, which forms such a major part of our degree course, will help to set you apart from other graduates. 

These placements build up fantastic experience and can connect you with organisations and people who will be invaluable when it comes to progressing your career.

Brunel anthropology graduates have gone on to work at the World Bank, UNICEF, the NHS, NGOs and charities such as Oxfam and Save the Children, as well as local government, legal sectors and the media. 

Graduates have also gone on to work as teachers, journalists and research officers in the health and social sectors, and in other professions requiring knowledge of social and cultural processes.

Others go on to pursue further research degrees in anthropology and become academic anthropologists.

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UK entry requirements

2024/25 entry

  • GCSE A-level ABB-BBC.
  • BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDM in any subject.
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM in any subject AND an A-Level at grade B.
  • BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D in any subject AND A-Levels grade BC.
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma 30 points.
  • Obtain a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points in the  Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3
  • T levels : Merit overall

A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 and GCSE English Language grade C or grade 4 or GCSE English Literature grade B or grade 5.

Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

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EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)  

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.

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Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£9,250 full-time

£1,385 placement year

International

£19,430 full-time

£1,385 placement year

Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

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

Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.

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Teaching and Learning

How your course will be delivered 

Required equipment

How you'll learn on your course

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Assessment and feedback

There are no examinations for our anthropology degree. Assessment is typically by essay or practical assignments (for example, analysis of a short field exercise), and a dissertation of approximately 10,000 to 15,000 words based upon your own fieldwork experience anywhere in the world.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

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