MA Applied Anthropology & Community & Youth Work

Professionally validated by the National Youth Agency and the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development, this MA brings together youth work and community development theory and practice with the research methods and theoretical preoccupations of anthropology.

• This MA is the first of its kind in the country, combining academic and practice learning with high-level professional qualifications. It is aimed at students who wish to pursue a career in youth and community work and associated sectors, and those who want an MA with additional professional qualifications to enable more senior career progression.

• Taught jointly by the Departments of Anthropology, and Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies (STaCS), the programme reflects the common concerns of lecturers in both disciplines, with a particular focus on social justice, youth work and community development.

• Established in 1992, it is the first of three fieldwork pathway options, with an additional pathway in Community Development launched in 2012 and a Community Arts pathway launched in 2015. Community Development and Community Arts are merged at the point of pathway entry but allow for fieldwork specialism in each distinct area. Explore the MA Applied Anthropology and Community Development/Community Arts page for details on this entry point.

• Fieldwork pathways each have a different placement focus (youth and community work; community development; community arts) but all pathways are taught together, providing many opportunities for the exchange of ideas and collaboration between students as well as interaction with an extensive range of organisations and practitioners.

• You'll learn with leading academics and practitioners in both departments, with Goldsmiths being rated top 10 in the UK for anthropology in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Martin Webb (Anthropology co-convenor) or Louise Doherty (STaCS co-convenor).

You should normally have the following qualifications and experience:

• An undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in the social sciences or another appropriate subject, with some experience of community and youth work.
• One year of full-time, or part-time equivalent, work experience prior to starting the MA. Experience can include paid or unpaid work; voluntary, community and youth work in organisations; and relevant informal work.
• An Enhanced Disclosure Certificate from the DBS. Please note there will be a fee of £56 for all DBS applications; we will send you further information about payment with your offer. Find out more about our fitness to train requirements.

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate study.

Increasing employment prospects are central to this programme.

Our graduates find work directly or indirectly related to the disciplines relatively quickly after graduating, or even while on the programme. The majority of our students gain work in youth work or community work. Examples of recent graduate employment include:

• Full-time health youth worker for a London Borough, leading on LGBTQ awareness and homophobic bullying
• CEO of a charity supporting young people with SEND
• Community centre-based senior youth worker
• Mentoring and Befriending Co-ordinator at a civil society equalities organisation
• Community Development Worker in a social work team in Hong Kong

Some gain work in a wide range of other settings, often shaped by the particular interests that they develop during their time with us, such as working with refugees or with specific or marginalised groups. Others join social enterprises to bid for contracts, join newly developing cooperatives or established NGOs in the UK and abroad.

We also have many alumni who have gone on to teach at university themselves.