Brunel was the first university in Europe to establish a Master's degree in Medical Anthropology. Since then we have continued to develop our programme to reflect the changing world in which we live.

In short, Medical Anthropology can be described as the study of cultural beliefs and practices associated with the origin, recognition and management of health and illness in different social and cultural groups.

Literally 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.

Anthropology at Brunel is well-known for its focus on ethnographic fieldwork: as well as undertaking rigorous intellectual training, all our students are expected to get out of the library and undertake their own, original research – whether in the UK or overseas – and to present their findings in a dissertation. Students take this opportunity to travel to a wide variety of locations across the world – see “Special Features” for more details.

Students will acquire analytical and research skills that can be used in a wide range of careers. For instance, graduates will find that the degree enhances 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.

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


The MSc consists of both compulsory and optional modules, a typical selection can be found below. Modules can vary from year to year, but these offer a good idea of what we teach.

Full-time

Compulsory

Compulsory Reading Module: Political and Economic Issues in Anthropology

Compulsory Reading Module: Contemporary Anthropological Theory

Dissertation in Medical Anthropology

Ethnographic Research Methods 1

Ethnographic Research Methods 2

The Anthropology of Global Health

Applied Medical Anthropology in the Arena of Global Health

Medical Anthropology in Clinical and Community Settings

Optional

The Anthropology of the Body

Anthropology of the Person

Kinship, Sex and Gender

Anthropological Perspectives of Humanitarian Assistance

Anthropological Perspectives of War

Ethnicity, Culture and Identity

Part-time

Year 1

Medical Anthropology in Clinical and Community Settings

Compulsory Reading Module: Political and Economic Issues in Anthropology

Compulsory Reading Module: Contemporary Anthropological Theory

The Anthropology of Global Health

Applied Medical Anthropology in the Arena of Global Health

Year 2

Dissertation in Medical Anthropology

Ethnographic Research Methods 1

Ethnographic Research Methods 2

and optional modules

• A minimum score of 55% - 65% or 2.75/4 - 3.25/4. Offers within the grade range are determined by the higher education institution attended.
• IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
• Pearson: 58 (51 in all subscores)
• BrunELT: 65% (min 60% in all areas)