The Master's

The Master of Social and Cultural Anthropology is a two year programme. In the first year, you are confronted with general questions such as “What is culture?” or “What is identity?” You get to study many forms of human agency, and you consider different ways in which people across the world deal with social problems.

At the start of the second year, you will choose one of two available specialisations. The first focuses on anthropological research in Africa, whereas the second specialisation is focused on interculturalism, minorities, and migration. Questions that are raised here concern, for instance, the impact of globalisation on local worlds, or the origin and impact of ethnicity.

My profile

As an anthropologist, you are interested in social, political and historical problems in societies both at home and abroad.

Initially, anthropologists focused primarily on distant, ‘exotic’ cultures. They made use of participant observation or fieldwork – the trademarks of anthropology. However, contemporary anthropology has become much more than the study of the exotic ‘Other’. You don’t need to travel to remote places to be an anthropologist. Nowadays, cultures are regarded as always ‘in-between’, as giant melting pots of all sorts of influences. The global has adapted to the local, and, vice versa, the local has incorporated the global. It is this interaction between cultures that contemporary anthropologists focus on. Moreover, they pay special attention to the economic, social and political implications. However, despite this shift in focus, the working methods of qualitative research are still maintained.

As an anthropologist, you study issues such as the impact of colonisation, the formation and loss of identity, the relation between people and their environment, and ethnicity. You do this by taking the perspective of the people involved, placing emphasis on the daily experience of everyday women, men and children. This approach adds a different dimension to issues such as globalisation, ecology or migration. Often it leads to unexpected insights.

What makes anthropology unique is not the subject it studies but the perspective from which and the way in which it approaches the human condition. In this, it focuses on both the differences and the similarities between people across the globe.

Career prospects

The role of culture and anthropology in – for instance – policy, development or management is increasingly recognised, and anthropology graduates find their way into a wide range of professions, from education and the civil service to NGOs, international organisations, development policy, private companies or research. Moreover, graduates praise the Leuven programme because it facilitated a shift of perspective and a radical change in their ways of thinking. The programme offers you a solid foundation for developing your professional ambitions and personal interests in the field of culture.

Application and Admissions

Detailed information on application procedures and admission requirements depends on your preceding qualifications, etc.

• You will find more information on application matters here.

Social and Cultural Anthropology - Impressionen vom Masterstudium

Übersicht der Masterstudiengänge - KU Leuven

• Adapted Physical Activity
• Advanced Business Studies
• Advanced Medical Imaging
• Advanced Studies in Economics
• Advanced Studies in Linguistics
• Advanced Studies in Theology and Religion
• American Studies
• Archeology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Bioethics
• Bioinformatics
• Biology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biomedical Sciences
• Business Economics
• Canon Law
• Chemical Technology
• Chemical Technology (Engineering Rheology)
• Chemistry
• Conservation of Monuments and Sites
• Criminology
• Cultural Studies
• Cultures and Development Studies (CADES)
• Earth Observation
• Economics
• Economics and Management of Network Industries
• Educational Studies
• EIT-KIC Energy
• Electrical Engineering
• Endodontics
• Energy
• Estudios Ibéricos e Iberoamericanos
• European Social Security
• European Studies:Transnational and Global Perspectives
• Financial and Actuarial Engineering
• Financial Economics
• Food Technology
• Forensic Odontology
• Geography
• Geology
• Human Settlements
• Information Management
• Junior programmes in European Culture and Society (PECS)
• Langue et Littérature françaises
• Law
• Laws (LLM)
• Laws in Energy and Environmental Law (MEEL)
• Laws in European and International Taxation (MEIT)
• Linguistics and Literature: English
• Literary Studies
• Master of European Politics and Policies (MEPP)
• Materials Engineering
• Mathematics
• Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• Molecular and Cellular Biophysics
• Molecular Biology
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Erasmus Mundus)
• Nuclear Engineering
• Oral Health Research
• Orthodontics
• Paediatric Dentistry and Special Dental Care
• Periodontology
• Pharmaceutical Research
• Philosophy
• Philosophy (MPhil)
• Physics
• Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences
• Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy
• Restorative Dentistry
• Safety Engineering
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Social Policy Analysis (IMPALLA)
• Society, Law and Religion
• Space Studies
• Statistics
• Sustainable Territorial Development
• Theology and Religious Studies
• Theoretical Chemistry and Computational Modelling
• Tropical Natural Resources Management
• Urbanism and Strategic Planning
• Water Resources Engineering
• Western Literature