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Highest scoring
Master's in Cultural Anthropology
'Keuzegids Masters 2021'
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55%
International students
'Keuzegids Masters 2021'
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2 year
Master's programme

Are you interested in the anthropological study of cultural diversity, power relations and social change in this age of globalisation? In particular, are you keen to learn more about issues of ethnicity and religion in a globalised context, about political conflict and social suffering, social justice and reconstruction, food and the senses? The Master’s programme Cultural Anthropology: Sociocultural Transformation will provide you with the knowledge and skills to address these issues through high-calibre research.

Cultural diversity, power relations and social change

This Master's introduces you to the analysis of the complex interplay of cultural diversity and power throughout the world with a particular emphasis on multi-level analyses ranging from interpersonal relations and local communities to regional, national and global socio-cultural configurations.

The first year consists of a thorough overview of anthropological theories, issues and debates in conjunction with state-of-the-art training in anthropological research methods. You will learn how to integrate theories and methods, which will result in a finished research design by the end of the year. After completing an intensive training in interview techniques, in the second year you will go on to conduct your empirical research abroad.

Programme objective

The Master's Cultural Anthropology: Sociocultural Transformation prepares you for a research career, in academia (including further PhD training), in other research institutes or in private companies. On the foundation of your Bachelor’s degree, this Master’s programme trains you to operate as a qualified cultural anthropologist. As a science practitioner you'll develop the academic skills and knowledge necessary to initiate and develop groundbreaking research on the relationship between cultural diversity and power within the process of sociocultural transformation. Being educated at Utrecht University guarantees that you are equipped with a strong methodological basis.

If you wish to have a career that is less focused on research, then the Master's programme Cultural Anthropoloy: Sustainable Citizenship might interest you. The substantive focus of this programme is on citizenship in relation to a sustainable environment, while the Master's Cultural Anthropology: Sociocultural Transformation focuses on issues of power, (violent) conflict and the state.


How does this Master’s programme differentiate itself from similar programmes at other universities?

  • This is the only two-year Master's programme in Anthropology in the Netherlands.
  • Staff members have strong international reputations and are high standing in the Department of Anthropology and the research school CERES.
  • High quality education: high scoring research master's (Keuzegids Masters, 2021)
  • Small groups of students and personalised supervision of our teaching staff


The Students of Cultural Anthropology Journal (SCAJ)

The Students of Cultural Anthropology Journal (SCAJ) is a platform where students gain experience reviewing and publishing one another's written work. With this, SCAJ connects different years of study and creates an interactive learning environment to which all students are welcome to contribute. 

World-class university in a lively student city

Choosing Utrecht University means choosing one of the best universities in the country with several renowned international rankings  and twelve Nobel Prize laureates

Located in the middle of the Netherlands, Utrecht is a medieval city with a centre small enough to explore on foot, yet large enough to host world-class festivals, fashionable shops, modern architecture and fascinating museums. Find more about what student life is like in Utrecht! 

Key facts

Degree: 
Cultural Anthropology: Sociocultural Transformation (research) (MSc)
Language of instruction: 
English
Mode of study: 
Full-time
Study duration: 
2 years
Start: 
September
Deadline: 

Check the deadline that applies to you

Tuition fees: 
Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2024-2025: € 2,530

Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) 2024-2025: € 20,043

More information about fees
Croho code: 
60378
Accreditation: 
Accredited by the NVAO
Faculty: 
Social and Behavioural Sciences
Graduate school: 
Social and Behavioural Sciences