TEF Gold Undergraduate course

BA (Hons)

Anthropology

Explore diverse cultures locally and globally to deepen your understanding of the world. Learn by doing – gather refugee stories, study community engagement with sport, and investigate the sea’s role in coastal life, all from our unique location.

Our typical offer

104 UCAS points

100% coursework-based

You will be evaluated entirely through coursework designed to reflect professional anthropological practice – no exams, just meaningful, inclusive assessments that build career-ready skills.

Immersive fieldwork with funded trips

Engage with anthropology first-hand through immersive field trips, including international fieldwork outside the UK where you'll apply essential research skills in real-world settings. 

Student-led, research-driven curriculum

Learn from leading anthropologists actively publishing cutting-edge research, while shaping your own education by proposing topics – from marine ethnography to crime control – making the curriculum as diverse as your interests.
BA (Hons) Anthropology

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About

This anthropology course offers a dynamic, inclusive, and hands-on learning experience, with all modules assessed through coursework that mirrors real-world professional conditions. 
Immerse yourself in practical research from the start, guided by research-active anthropologists whose work shapes the cutting-edge curriculum. Join exciting fieldtrips to explore ethnographic museums in London and Oxford, and another international trip for a varied perspective.
You will play a key role in shaping the curriculum, proposing unique topics such as marine ethnography, humour and laughter, and conspiracy theory, ensuring the content remains fresh, relevant and reflective of diverse interests.
Anthropology field trip London 2020
 
 

This course is for you if...

you are interested in the many ways people live – how we grow, speak, build cultures and leave traces behind
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you are eager to deepen your understanding by actively participating in hands-on research and fieldwork
Magnifying glass looking at earth
you aim to develop strong communication, analytical and critical-thinking abilities that are employers value
Ticklist depicting goal setting for graduates
you are looking for the freedom to explore a wide range of career paths
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Details

Year 1

In your first year, we introduce you to the core of the discipline. You will learn how to think like an anthropologist, comparing data from across the worlds to make solid statements about human behaviour. You will also have the chance to start actually doing your own ethnographic fieldwork, not just reading about it!
Anthropology trip to London 2020

Core modules

ANT4001
Introduction to Anthropology 20 credits

This introductory module provides students new to anthropology to the core topics, goals, theories, and methods of the discipline. Students will learn foundational skills related to how to understand and analyse forms of human life socially, culturally, and morally different from their own. They will also learn how to compare different societies in order to produce solid arguments about the human condition.

100% Coursework

ANT4004
Fieldwork and Ethnography 20 credits

In this module, students will learn how to conduct an ethnographic project from inception to completion. We will focus on training methodological skills, familiarising ourselves with anthropological ethics, and producing anthropological arguments using the ethnographic evidence we ourselves collect.

100% Coursework

SOC4002
Social Identities and Inequalities 20 credits

This module explores how and why social inequalities influence lived experience and social identities. It focuses on a range of substantive issues, such as poverty, social class and hierarchies, health, gender and sexuality, family and kinship, neo-colonialism and 'race', and violence and ethnicity. This module explores how these influence culture, social identities and lived experience throughout the life-course.

100% Coursework

SOC4003IE
Body Relatedness and Identity 20 credits

This module draws on a range of sociological and anthropological sources to examine how societies across the world perceive, transform, control and use the human body. The module's themes are designed to help students appreciate the body as central to the way humans experience the world. Seminars explore the disciplining and surveillance of bodies, the development of "habitus", bodily adornment and transformation, gender and sexuality, biopolitics, the commercialisation of the human body, and the body as a window on wider symbolic-cultural orders. In discussing these topics, first-year students will learn important social science skills, namely the ability to compare different socio-cultural contexts and engage in productive, multidisciplinary discussions.

100% Coursework

ANT4007
Becoming Human

This module introduces students to interdisciplinary approaches concerned with ‘how we became human’. The module examines the unique characteristics of Homo Sapiens, focusing on evolutionary changes, tool use, mythology, social organisation, equality and inequality, intersubjectivity and symbolic culture (art, ritual, language and myth). Students will be introduced to key theories on human evolution, the evolution of language and its relationship with symbolic thought, while investigating social structures, behaviour, and gender dynamics. Practically, the students will be taught key study skills in bibliographic research, interdisciplinary methods, academic research, writing and presentations.

SOC4004
Introduction to Social Theory 20 credits

This module introduces students to key features of classical social theory. These features are placed within the context of the Enlightenment, Modernity, the emergence of modern science and social science, and their use for contemporary social analyses.

100% Coursework

Year 2

In your second year, you will further develop your social scientific research skills, and get to practice more advanced ethnographic fieldwork techniques (such as multi-species and multi-sensory ethnography, and participant observation of digital worlds). You will be also able to explore many specialist subjects, and start to identify the topic you’d like to explore for your dissertation.
Anthropology VR exercises

Core modules

ANT5003
Applying Anthropology 20 credits

In this module, students are acquainted with advanced ethnographic research techniques, including reflexivity, netnography, multi-species relations, narrative analysis and multi-sensory ethnography. They also explore the interplay between methods and writing. Building on their existing skills, students develop a research project that applies these advanced concepts and methods.

100% Coursework

ARH5001
Collecting and Exhibiting Cultures in the 19th and 20th Centuries 20 credits

This module examines historical and contemporary cultures of collection, exhibition, and display. Drawing on interdisciplinary debates, students will learn to discuss and analyse the politics and ethics of art ownership, theft, looting, and repatriation.

100% Coursework

SOC5009
Contemporary Theories of Society and Culture

The module introduces contemporary theoretical disputes framed within the context of classical and early modern theories of society and culture. These debates are linked to historical events and social and cultural research that reciprocally influenced contemporary theoretical change. Foundational disciplinary questions are broached, and formative critical workshops assist in developing theoretical argument, analysis and evaluation.

Optional modules

HIS5005
Research Methods in Visual, Material and Oral History 20 credits

This module investigates the use of oral, material & visual sources as a means of investigating the past. Also, the contextualisation of historical sources and questions in the wider historiographical literature.

Explore this module

100% Coursework

SSC500
Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and Identifying Opportunities 0 credits

This module is for students in the School of Society and Culture who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs , portfolios, and cover letters).

ANT5008MX
Brave New Worlds: Ethnography of/on Online and Digital Worlds 20 credits

This module teaches students how to use ethnographic methods to make sense of the internet, which we now increasingly inhabit. Students learn how to navigate and analyse platforms such as Facebook or TikTok. They study how these technologies transform our relationships, identities, and ideas of truth. The module also examines the socio-cultural and ethical aspects of digital worlds (e.g. Second life).

100% Coursework

SOC5006
Gender, Sex and Sexuality

This module introduces students to the sociology of gender, sex and sexuality. It interrogates these concepts with particular reference to identity, activism, social justice and social change. It develops an understanding of the similarities, differences and intersections between gender, sex, sexuality and other social signifiers of difference/diversity including ‘race’, ethnicity, dis/ability, class and age.

SOC5007
Race, Nation, Empire: Understanding Identity and Belonging

This module explores how intersecting ideologies of racism, nationalism, and imperialism relate to contemporary struggles over identity and belonging. In doing so, the module seeks to provide students with a critical understanding of the ideological bases of some of the most urgent issues facing contemporary societies, including: the fracturing of nation states after loss of empire; the racist backlash against postcolonial migration; and the rise of neo-nationalism.

ANT5001
Different Ways of Knowing: The Anthropology of truth, post-truth and conspiracy

This module explores the nature of knowledge and truth from a cross-cultural perspective. How do ideas of truth differ culturally, and change over time? How do people produce, guard, and destroy knowledge? After an introduction to phenomenology and ontology, students will be able to engage with different systems of truth and knowledge - from oral history, to scientific debate, to prophecy and conspiracy.

CRM5004
Critical Perspectives on Crime Control 20 credits

This module examines a range of critical social scientific perspectives which have sought to make sense of crime control within its wider social context and in terms of its wider social significance. It considers the contributions of key social science theorists such as Stanley Cohen, David Garland, and Loic Wacquant and others whose work has focused upon crime control, and it seeks to apply their core ideas in order to illuminate our understanding of contemporary features of policy and practice.

100% Coursework

Optional placement year

Gain valuable on-the-job experience through our optional placement year. We will support you in your second year in deciding whether to take this opportunity, and assist you in finding a placement and being prepared for it.
Archeologist reading old book working late night in office and studying amphora. Getty 1737472849.

Core modules

SSC601
School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Placement Year

Students have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. Students will have the option to undertake their placement year abroad. This year allows them to apply and hone the knowledge and skills acquired from the previous years of their programme in the real world.

Final year

In your final year, you will work closely with your personal supervisor and use all the skills you’ve learned to produce an anthropological dissertation on a topic of your choice. At the same time, you will also take on the role of live consultant to apply anthropology to solve a particular problem, ideally in an area in which you wish to work or pursue further study.
Male student in headphones and laptop for classroom education. Getty 1969854518

Core modules

ANT6006
Anthropology on the Ground 20 credits

In this module students take on the role of a live consultant in a professional setting. Working with partners in industry, governance, or civil society, students will apply anthropology to solve a particular problem, ideally in an area in which they wish to work or pursue further study.

70% Practicals

30% Coursework

SOC6005
Dissertation

This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake their own sociological, criminological or anthropological research project, working independently but under the supervision of an academic member of staff.

Optional modules

SOC6001
Media, State and Society 20 credits

The media occupy key arenas whereby various social groups compete with one another to set public, political, commercial and cultural agendas. This module examines the relationship between media, state and society. It covers a number of substantive topic areas such as environmental issues, terrorism, war reporting, gender, crime and violence.

100% Coursework

SOC6002
Food, Culture and Society 20 credits

This module aims to provide a critical understanding of sociological issues relating to food and foodways, (the beliefs and behaviours surrounding the production, distribution and consumption of food both on an individual and collective level). The module encourages critical reflection and practical experience of research in the area of food and foodways, with a focus on lived experience.

100% Coursework

ANT6008MX
Coastal Cultures: Marine Anthropology in the age of climate change and mass extinction. 20 credits

Using ethnography, we analyse how coastal communities use the sea – not only as a source of livelihood, but as a key ingredient in the construction of their identity and place in world. Drawing on a range of cases from across the world – from Polynesian sorcerers, to Japanese whale mourners, to Cornish surfers – we study how coastal communities are responding to climate change, sea level rise, pollution, and extinction.

100% Coursework

ANT6002
Different Ways of Knowing: The Anthropology of truth, post-truth and conspiracy 20 credits

This module explores the nature of knowledge and truth from a cross-cultural perspective. How do ideas of truth differ culturally, and change over time? How do people produce, guard, and destroy knowledge? After an introduction to phenomenology and ontology, students will be able to engage with different systems of truth and knowledge - from oral history, to scientific debate, to prophecy and conspiracy.

60% Coursework

40% Practicals

CRM6015
Global Conflict, Genocide and Crimes of the State

This module explores the issue of global (in)security in the context of state and non-state conflict. Theoretical and conceptual understandings of crime, violence, victimisation and justice will be used to interrogate acts such as war crimes and terrorism. The module will address the history of such crimes and will critically explore State and international responses.

SOC6003
The Politics of Wasted Lives 20 credits

The module explores contemporary theories of the emergence of surplus populations and how aspects of Modernity actively ‘wastes’ or makes superfluous the lives of outcast communities (eg. refugees, slum communities, segregated, concentrated and incarcerated peoples). Students critically reflect upon the political and ethical dimensions of social science for its part in Modernity’s processes and the wider impact social researchers have upon individuals and populations.

100% Coursework

 
 
All our degrees have a wide range of optional modules and there is even the opportunity to study modules from any of the subject areas in the  School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences .
You could graduate with one of the following personalised course title combinations:
 
Anthropology with Art History

Modules

    ARH5002MX
    Imagery in Online and Offline Worlds: Film, Television and Video Games 20 credits

    This module provides students with a comprehensive understanding of current approaches towards mass media and visual culture. Particular emphasis will be put on medium-specificity, content analysis and audience studies.

    100% Coursework

    ARH6002MX
    Questions in Contemporary Art 20 credits

    The module introduces and examines selected questions raised in the last three decades in contemporary art. Case studies drawn from art history, critical and cultural theory, and where appropriate related disciplines, will be examined.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with Creative Writing

Modules

    ENG5010MX
    Writing Creative Nonfiction: Autobiography, Travel Writing, Reportage 20 credits

    This module introduces students to the key concepts and issues in contemporary works of creative nonfiction, or 'life writing'. Included in our readings will be works of memoir and autobiography, travel writing, personal essays and reportage. The module is entirely taught in workshops where we experiment with producing our own works of creative nonfiction and learning to refine them, as well as critically evaluate and contextualise them.

    100% Coursework

    ENG6008MX
    Features Journalism Workshop 20 credits

    This module offers students an in-depth experience of professional writing. We will explore technique in features and literary journalism; music reviews, opinion columns and longer immersion features as well as other contemporary works of non-fiction feature writing, both short- and long-form, from sub-genres including profiles and interviews, autobiography and columns, travel writing, and reportage. We will learn to research and produce our own works of professional nonfiction and critically evaluate them.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with English

Modules

    ENG5002MX
    Gothic Fictions: Villains, Virgins and Vampires 20 credits

    This module looks at eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novels to trace the variety and scope of literary contributions to the Gothic. It begins by discussing the origins of the Gothic novel, then moves to the heyday of the genre in the revolutionary 1790s, on to authors writing in the early and mid-nineteenth century, through to the decadence of the 1890s.

    100% Coursework

    ENG6005MX
    American Crime Writing 20 credits

    This module considers the development of twentieth-century American crime fiction from hard-boiled detectives, to myths of the mafia, and postmodern reinventions of the genre. This module will explore the cultural contexts of American crime writing, prevailing conventions of the genre, as well as challenges to those conventions.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with History

Modules

    HIS5009MX
    Middle Kingdoms: Themes in Early Modern Asia 20 credits

    This module introduces the history of early modern Japan (c.16th-19th centuries). At one level, it explores key questions shaping the histories of the late Sengoku (‘Warring States’) and Tokugawa Japan. Building on these questions, it then situates the Japanese experience in a trans-regional perspective with reference to early modern China, Korea, Ryukyu, as well as Europe.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS5014MX
    Dunkirk to D Day: The Second World War in Europe 20 credits

    The module examines the Second World War in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean from 1940 to late 1944.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS6002MX
    Piracy and Privateering, c.1560-1816 20 credits

    This module explores piracy and privateering activity in the seas around the British Isles and further afield from the reign of Queen Elizabeth to the end of the second Barbary War in 1816. This course focuses on the social history of piracy and privateering, the organisation of pirate society, and the economic impact of piracy and privateering.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

    HIS6006MX
    America, the United Nations and International Relations 1945 to the present 20 credits

    This module provides a detailed examination of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Nations in the management of international relations from 1945 to the present.

    Explore this module

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with Criminology

Modules

    CRM5009MX
    Crime, Harm and Culture 20 credits

    The module aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of harm and crime by exploring relevant issues from film, television, music, fiction literature and art. By applying a criminological lens to different forms of popular culture, students will be able to examine a variety of media forms in terms of its content and its contemporary political, social and economic context using different theories and concepts.

    100% Coursework

    CRM6016MX
    Green Criminology: Climate Justice and the Planetary Crisis

    This module will address theoretical perspectives, methodological issues, and empirical research related to the field of green criminology, including applied concerns, such as policy and social/political praxis, through a range of concepts, topics, and themes that are central to green criminology.

Anthropology with International Relations

Modules

    PIR6009MX
    Mao to Now: the Politics of Modern China

    This module introduces students to politics in China. It provides them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking in particular at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China’s involvement in international affairs.

    PIR6007MX
    Global Environmental Politics 20 credits

    This module examines the problem of environmental degradation and its implications for our global political economy. It discusses the major debates in political thought around the primary causes of environmental degradation. The module outlines the major attempts to build international regimes for global environmental governance, and the difficulties and obstacles that such attempts have encountered. A range of ideas, critiques, policy proposals, innovations in governance, and templates for political activism within the environmental movement are critically evaluated.

    100% Coursework

    PIR5009MX
    Refugee Studies 20 credits

    This module focuses on the political, economic and social context of forced migration and considers the complex and varied nature of global refugee populations. It analyses responses at international, national and regional level and engages with a range of challenging questions around international co-operation, the framework of international protection, humanitarianism and the causes of displacement.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with Politics

Modules

    PIR6009MX
    Mao to Now: the Politics of Modern China

    This module introduces students to politics in China. It provides them with the analytical skills and historical understanding to examine the structure of the contemporary Chinese state, looking in particular at Maoist legacies, nationalism and ideology, the relationships between party, law, state and market, and China’s involvement in international affairs.

    PIR5013MX
    Politics Beyond Parliaments 20 credits

    This module analyses the role of civil society and the public sphere in democratic governance and in democratization from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with Sociology

Modules

    SOC5005MX
    Globalisation and Social Justice 20 credits

    This module investigates the key debates of globalisation and critically evaluates, in terms of its economic, political, socio-cultural and legal dimensions, the causes and consequences of a globalising world. It furthermore explores a range of international social justice issues to examine the relationships (causative and ameliorative) between policies and (in)justice

    60% Coursework

    40% Practicals

    SOC6004MX
    Health, Medical Power and Social Justice 20 credits

    This module considers a range of issues concerning health, illness and medical power in contemporary society. The module seeks to develop an understanding of the impact of ‘medicalisation’ on everyday life, as well as the importance of social divisions, such as age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status. There will be a focus on a range of sociological perspectives on health with an opportunity to focus upon areas of particular interest.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with Law

Modules

    LAW5009MX
    Environmental Law 20 credits

    The module provides an examination of key themes in environmental law, with a focus on the generation, application and enforcement of this law within a critical and applied context.

    100% Coursework

    LAW5011MX
    Intellectual Property Law

    This module focuses on the law and concepts of intellectual property, examining in addition related legal themes of information access, dissemination and control.

    LAW6012MX
    Public International Law 20 credits

    A module that focuses on the primary legal principles of the public international legal order, before exploring a range of substantive areas, such as, for example, the use of force, the law regulating the conduct of war, International Human Rights, International Criminal Law and International Environmental Law.

    100% Coursework

Anthropology with Policing and Security Management

Modules

    CRM6011MX
    Security Management 20 credits

    This module provides students with a critical insight into the professional domain of security management. It provides an overview of the theories, policies, procedures and practices that underpin the work of the security manager, and focuses upon a career-relevant knowledge and understanding of this significant area of expertise.

    70% Coursework

    30% Tests

    CRM5009MX
    Crime, Harm and Culture 20 credits

    The module aims to provide students with a critical appreciation of harm and crime by exploring relevant issues from film, television, music, fiction literature and art. By applying a criminological lens to different forms of popular culture, students will be able to examine a variety of media forms in terms of its content and its contemporary political, social and economic context using different theories and concepts.

    100% Coursework

    CRM5003MX
    Harm in the 21st Century 20 credits

    This module explores the global challenges of harmful behaviours and activities in contemporary society by considering specific areas of concern for criminologists. By drawing on real-world examples in everyday life, the module examines how social problems and issues have arisen due to processes of globalisation that have changed the social, political and economic landscape of the 21st century.

    100% Coursework

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

 
 
 

Experience

Hands-on learning

Art History - Collecting and Exhibiting Cultures
Visual literacy
We place a strong focus on teaching you how to professionally work with images and objects. We ask: How and why are objects displayed in the way they are? Should the Elgin Marbles be returned? How are museums dealing with their colonial legacy?
Female intern or student on laptop/computer. student is completing an internship, placement, mentorship or work experience.
Gain valuable work experience
Take on the role of a consultant, and apply your anthropological training to solve a particular problem with our vocational training module. We'll help you identify your strengths, build a professional CV, and find a work-placement with our partners.
Minecraft
Learn digital skills
We are innovative in our use of digital media to teach anthropology and excel in giving students the skills needed to communicate anthropological insight through a range of virtual platforms and technologies. Mastery of digital is key to employability.
 
 
 

Anthropology in action: real-world placements

Anthropology at Plymouth is unique in the UK because it offers you vocational training and professional placements. 
We use our local and global networks to offer you work placements targeted on a topic of their choice. Recently, our students have used their anthropological knowledge to improve the work of many institutions, from a Cornwall-based company developing software for marginalised groups, to NGOs seeking new forms of dementia treatment, to Malaysian NGOs developing eco-tourism and other similar environmental projects.
Woman visitor in the historical museum looking at art object. Getty 2154176237.
 
 
 

Investigate the world through research

Throughout three years studying anthropology, you gain experience engaging in real ethnographic research. Produce exciting analyses of a range of phenomena, with previous examples including person-centred care, gender relations in gyms, religious belief amongst students, migration and integration in Plymouth, political activism, rewilding, marine pollution, extreme sports, and digital worlds such as Minecraft. 
Our course focuses on teaching you the knowledge and skills needed to develop complex and sophisticated anthropological projects, with some of our students now working as researchers for prestigious NGOs and public institutions such as the NHS. 
Young woman reading big old book and making a note while sitting in library in front of bookshelves. Getty 2002793899.
 
 
 

Learn from passionate experts

Our staff are genuinely passionate about teaching anthropology, and our open-door policy means you're never just a number. Over the course of your degree, we’ll get to know you - your interests, your strengths, and what drives your curiosity. The course is designed to give you real agency in shaping what you study, so your academic journey reflects your passions.

Our lecturer has always been on hand both to aid us academically and care for us as individuals.

Gregor
BA (Hons) Anthropology student

 

Meet your lecturers

Dr Brian Campbell Lecturer in Anthropology


Lecturer in Anthropology

Dr Péter Bokody Associate Professor of Art History


Associate Professor of Art History

Dr Darren Aoki Associate Professor of World History and Oral History


Associate Professor of World History and Oral History

Show all
Ivan has conducted long-term ethnographic fieldwork with Batek and Manya’ tropical foragers of Peninsular Malaysia since 2007. His research explores how environmental degradation, socio-political marginalization and relations with outsiders have transformed these indigenous peoples’ religions and lifeways. Ivan has lectured in anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and anthrozoology at universities in France and the UK. He is a member of the executive board of the International Society for Academic Research on Shamanism and their journal Shaman.
Ivan is also a collector of rare soul, jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat and afro-Brazilian music and has run several sound-systems in the UK and France.
Ivan Tacey rechecking data with Batek friends in Kelantan, Malaysia
Brian's primary research looks at the relationship between Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus in Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave-town in North Africa. He is particularly interested in the local concept of “convivencia”, the idea these religious groups should live together in harmony. The opportunities and fears presented by “convivencia” strongly influence Ceutan life and politics. 
Brian also conducts plenty of multidisciplinary research on conservation, focusing on the conflict between bird-hunters and environmental NGOs in Malta, where he is from. Of late, he has become interested in migration issues in the Mediterranean, on right-wing nationalism in Spain and Malta, and the fortification of Europe’s southern borders.
Brian Campbell in Ceuta
 
 
 
 
 

Life in Plymouth

Plymouth's maritime history and coastal location have an undeniable influence on life in the city. The walk from our main campus to the seafront is only about one mile, providing loads of opportunity to relax and unwind during your studies. You don’t need to leave the city to get to the coast!
 

The overall vibe of the city is perfect. You are by the sea so it is still laid back, but you have all the conveniences of living in a city.

Jenna
Current student

Students sitting on the Barbican
Life in the city
Discover what Plymouth and its unique geographical location have to offer
Accommodation halls internal
Explore your accommodation options
Discover our range of student accommodation options and find out how you can get a guaranteed place in halls
Our large student population, active Students' Union, and abundance of student-led clubs and societies blend to create a busy and vibrant student scene

Careers

 

Preparing you for your future

Real-world workplace experience ensures you are career ready upon graduation.
We believe that real-world experience is central to success in today's job market. We focus on embedding experiential learning into our courses through our exciting partnerships with external organisations, offering you the opportunity to undertake internships, placements and volunteering. 
Two young intercultural interns or placement students discussing notes in copybook in and office setting.Shutterstock 2224873497
 
 
 
 
 
Natasha Beadon - BA (Hons) Anthropology student

Having a degree is great, but having experience will put you above other applicants. If you’re unsure of what you want to do after university, then consider applying for an internship to help make that decision easier.

Natasha
BA (Hons) Anthropology student

 
As an anthropologist, you will possess many skills. 
You will learn how to communicate clearly and coherently, and how to work effectively alone or in groups. 
At Plymouth, you will become fluent in qualitative research, able to navigate the practicalities and ethics of data-collection. 
Above all, anthropologists become expert translators, brokers, and negotiators between different cultural groups – be they religions, ethnicities, classes, genders, etc.
  • Ê

    100% of our anthropology graduates feel that staff supported their learning well

  • @

    93% of our anthropology graduates feel that the course gave them knowledge and skills needed for the future

  • ]

    92% of our anthropology graduates go on to work and/or further study

 

Where can anthropology take you?

As an anthropologist, you will possess many skills which will allow you to pursue many different career options.

  • Museum Curation square

    Museum curatorship

    Anthropologists are leaders when it comes to thinking about new forms of curatorship, or navigating restitution issues or colonial legacies. 
  • Hiking in nature square

    Environmental conservation

    Anthropologists tend to be especially good at understanding local approaches to the environment, as well as tricky issues of governance, like poaching. 
  • Development for Anthropology (square)

    Development

    Anthropologists have always been instrumental in showing that effective development is one that “fits” local culture and understands local needs. 
  • Face masks square

    Public health and epidemic

    Anthropologists are key in designing health campaigns that embrace local understandings of health, disease and death. 
  • Protest square

    Advocacy

    Anthropologists represent groups who lack the voice or power to defend themselves. They fight for the weak, the poor, the misunderstood, and have been key players defending indigenous rights.
  • Marketing

    Marketing

    Anthropologists have a strong understanding of how people imbue things with value, and are very important for companies developing and marketing new products. 
  • Inclusivity for Anthropology (square)

    Inclusivity and human resources

    Anthropologists are particularly good in thinking about representation, and in creating inclusive and fair workspaces. 
  • Multiculturalism for anthropology (square)

    Engaging in multiculturalism campaigns

    Anthropologists are excellent at leading projects and policies that promote the strong aspects of multiculturalism without reproducing its pitfalls and failures. 
  • Stack of newspapers square

    Journalism

    Anthropologists’ ability to think critically and write clearly has made them excellent journalists, particularly regarding issues such as capitalism and politics. Anthropologists were key in predicting and describing the financial crash of 2008.
  • Fiction writing for anthropology (square)

    Fiction writers

    With such a sensitive grasp on the way humans behave, anthropologists have produced outstanding fiction and become excellent writers. 
*Data is from the Graduate Outcomes Surveys covering the three years of 2019/20 – 2021/22. Graduates were surveyed 15 months after graduating. Data displayed is for UK-domiciled, first degree, full-time graduates who are working, studying or looking for work.
 

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

 
 
 
Tuition fees for new full-time students starting in 2025-2026 or
 2026-2027.
Full-time study
£9,535 per year
Part-time study
£795 per 10 credits
Optional placement year completed in the UK
£1,905
 
Optional placement year completed outside the UK
£1,430
 
 
 

Tuition fee price changes
In November 2024, the UK Government announced an increase to tuition fees and maintenance support for 2025/26 academic year, setting the standard tuition fee and student maintenance loan at £9,535 per year and the University’s tuition fees were increased to this rate.
The UK Government has indicated that further fee increases may be announced this year and in subsequent years. If the UK Government does so, the University may increase annual tuition fees in subsequent years, which may include the fees for the 2026/2027 academic year, in line with the Student Contract and all times in line with the maximum tuition fee caps set by the Government. More information about  fees and costs of studying .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tuition fees for full-time international students starting in 2025-2026 academic year.
Full-time study
£17,600 per year
Optional placement year completed in the UK
£1,905
 
Optional placement year completed outside the UK
£1,430
 
 
 
Tuition fees for full-time international students starting in 2026-2027 academic year.
 
Full-time study
£18,150 per year
Optional placement year completed in the UK
To be confirmed
 
Optional placement year completed outside the UK
To be confirmed
 
 
 

Tuition fee price changes
Our fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and costs of studying .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fund your studies

As an undergraduate at Plymouth, there are plenty of funding options available, including tuition fee loans, living cost loans, scholarships, bursaries and support funds.
 

Supporting students with the cost of living

The cost of living in the UK has risen faster than household income, meaning that most people will have less to spend on essential goods and services. This is an ongoing situation that is likely to affect everyone in some way.
The University provides advice and guidance and has a range of services, facilities and offers to help students with rising everyday costs.
 
Careers Hub

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Entry requirements

Our typical offer
104 UCAS points

You may be eligible for a contextual offer

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

GCSE
Mathematics and English language grade C/4. If you meet this criteria, please seek further advice with the Admissions team at admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

A levels
Typical offer will be 104 points from a minimum of 2 A levels, General Studies accepted.

BTEC
Grade DMM.

All Access courses
Pass a named Access to Higher Education Diploma (preferably English, humanities or combined), with at least 33 credits at merit and/or distinction.

T level
Merit in any subject. 

International Baccalaureate
26-28 points.

Other qualifications
4-19 Diplomas are accepted. Other combinations and non-A level qualifications also considered.
Short of the entry requirements for this course? Don’t worry you may be able to engage with an access course to prepare you for possible entry onto this programme for the following year.

Extended entry requirements

To be accepted onto a degree course with us, you must have a suitable English language qualification. 

Ready to apply?

All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS.com. Please refer to the course facts below when completing your application for this course.
 
UCAS course code
L610
Institution code
P60
Duration

3 years
(+ optional placement)
Assessment breakdown
100% coursework
Course type

Full-time
Study location
Plymouth

    • Other routes into this course

    The following courses are available as routes into this programme.

    BA (Hons) Anthropology with Foundation

    Explore diverse cultures from day one of your foundation year. Learn by doing – interview refugees in the region, learn how communities connect through sport and use our coastal location to understand the sea’s role in shaping local life.

     

    Entry requirements

    We welcome applicants with international qualifications and we accept a range of qualifications from across the globe.
     
    Our typical offer
    104 UCAS points
     
     

    BSearch entry requirements for your country

    5

    English language requirements

    To be accepted onto a degree course with us, you must have a suitable English language qualification. 
     

    Ready to apply?

    As an international student, you can apply for this course through UCAS or an agent in your country.
     
  • Find an agent
    • UCAS course code
    L610
    Institution code
    P60
    Duration

    3 years
    (+ optional placement)
    Assessment breakdown
    100% coursework
    Course type

    Full-time
    Study location
    Plymouth
     
     
     

    Visit us at an undergraduate on-campus open day

    Open days are the best way to get a feel for studying an undergraduate degree at the University of Plymouth.
     
    Book your place
    Man sitting outside with surrounded by friends
     
     
     
    The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Graduate Outcomes survey (GO) are made available to prospective students and their advisors through the Discover Uni website.