About this degree
The degree introduces students to key themes in biosocial medical anthropology, including evolutionary medicine, disease ecology, 'multi-species' ethnography, biocultural approaches, developmental plasticity, biosocial difference and embodied inequalities. It provides training in quantitative and qualitative methods (including statistical analysis). Practical class-based exercises enable critical engagement with biosocial approaches that address public and global health challenges, including epidemics, chronic disease and the environmental health effects of the Anthropocene.
Who this course is for
The programme is aimed at those seeking to apply biosocial approaches to address health care challenges and interventions in their professional work or for those wishing to gain appropriate bio-social training that might lead to a PhD in medical anthropology and/or biological anthropology.
What this course will give you
UCL Anthropology is the first department in the UK to provide a cross-disciplinary Master's degree in Biosocial Medical Anthropology drawing on expertise in medical anthropology, human ecology and biological anthropology. It provides a unique blend of social and biological anthropological training in examining biosocial aspects of health and disease, including mental health, chronic and infectious disease. It provides students with the skills to address contemporary and urgent health care challenges on a global level, engaging with issues such as climate change and the Anthropocene, epidemics such as Covid-19 and health inequalities from a biosocial perspective.
UCL Anthropology ranks fourth in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023, making it the top ranked institution in London, and third in the UK and Europe for the subject. The degree is taught by those with expertise in biological anthropology, including evolutionary medicine and human ecology as well as medical anthropology. This provides a solid cross-disciplinary foundation for engaging with and developing biosocial research in addressing health care challenges.
Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the wider anthropological community in London, European Universities and International Institutes. The department also has strong links with other departments at UCL including Global Health, the Medical School and Medical Sciences.
