MA Migration Studies

Start date
September
Duration
1 year full time; 2 years part time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Taught
Fees

2024- 2025
£10,530 F/T (UK students)
£5,265 P/T (UK students)
£23,310 F/T (International students)
More Fees and funding details.

Find out more about our MA in Migration Studies

Our Master's degree in Migration Studies will introduce you to the main challenges and opportunities associated with the advent of new migration and super-diversity and equip you with the skills and knowledge you will need to address those challenges.

As a result of globalisation, many countries have entered an era of superdiversity with societies more diverse in terms of ethnicity, and immigration status, than ever before. The major policy issue is not whether we should be tough on migration, but how we can better integrate new migrants and long established communities into their chosen societies, in a way that promotes social solidarity and inclusion.

Our Master's degree in Migration Studies will examine the social, economic and political impacts of international migration and examine current, proposed and ideal approaches to welfare provision in the era of superdiversity. Migration Studies is unique in bringing together theory and practice with cutting-edge research and research methods to enable you to develop applied knowledge in a rapidly evolving field. It will explore data to help map superdiverse populations and examine the rights and entitlements of migrants in different societies. On the Migration Studies course you will have the opportunity to apply to undertake a work-based internship in a migration related organisation, as part of the optional Migration and Superdiversity Placement module.  

This Migration Studies degree is the first of its kind to focus on superdiversity. You will be taught by academics from the Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS). IRiS is the world’s first research centre to focus on superdiversity and is at the forefront of international migration research. It will offer you a unique opportunity to meet scholars from a wide range of disciplines engaged in research and policy work in migration and superdiversity. 

Modules

Unless indicated otherwise the modules listed for this programme are for students starting in 2024.

Core modules

  • Migration, Superdiversity, Policy and Practice (20 credits)
  • Globalisation, International Migration and Citizenship (20 credits)
  • Dissertation (60 credits) 

Optional Modules* (80 credits from the list below)*

  • Migration and Superdiversity Placement (20 credits)
  • Sociology of Race and Racism (20 credits)
  • Third Sector in Social Policy  (20 credits)
  • Policy Futures: Theories and Concepts in International Policymaking (20 credits)
  • Poverty, Wealth and Inequality (20 credits)
  • Crime and Social Harm (20 credits)
  • Climate Justice and Social Policy (20 credits)
  • Crime and Justice in a Globalised World (20 credits)
  • Applied Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis (20 credits)
  • Global Policy Institutions & Networks (20 credits)
  • Policy Evaluation (20 credits)
  • Philosophies of Welfare: creating new societies? (20 credits)
  • Transforming Identities (20 credits)
  • Transforming Societies (20 credits)

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. On rare occasions, we may need to make unexpected changes to compulsory modules; in this event we will contact offer holders as soon as possible to inform or consult them as appropriate.

Fees

Fees for 2024 - 2025

UK

Code: 963D full-time £10,530 (MA)
Code: 967D part-time £5,265 (MA)
Code: 970D full-time £7,020 (PG Dip)
Code: 972D part-time £3,510 (PG Dip)
Code: 975D full-time £3,510 (PGCert)
Code: 977D part-time £3,510 (PGCert)

International

Code: 963D full-time MA £23,310
Code: 970D full time PG Dip £15,540
Code: 975D full time PG Cert £7,770

Learn more about fees

Postgraduate Loans for Masters students

A postgraduate loans system for Masters degrees in the UK will provide up to £12,167 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas for UK and EU students (with settled or pre-settled status) starting after August 2023. 

Scholarships and funding opportunities

Explore our funding database to find a scholarship or funding opportunity that's right for you.

For further information contact the Department directly or contact the Student Funding Office via the online enquiries system.

How To Apply

30 June 2024 is the application deadline for international students applying through the student route who wish to study in the United Kingdom. We are not able to consider applications for 2024 made after this date. The deadline for Home students is 30 August 2024.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the taught programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

For entry onto this programme you will normally have an undergraduate degree of at least a 2:1. Applicants with a 2:2 degree classification will be considered on a case by case basis, if you have extensive related work experience. International applicants will be required to hold an IELTs 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in each band or equivalent qualification.

 

Learn more about entry requirements.

English language requirements

You can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

  • by holding an English language qualification to the right level
  • by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

International Requirements


The Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology is based in the School of Social Policy and Society. Our mission is not just to ‘understand the world’, but to also ‘change it.’

Our achievements

In turning this mission into practice, we are proud of our many achievements.  Our academics are recognised leaders in their field, working alongside UK government departments and supra-national organisations, such as the European Commission and United Nations to bring about positive social change.  Research in the School of Social Policy and Society was ranked in the top 10 in terms of its rigour, significance and originality in REF 2021, and we have extensive international links with like-minded partners at Harvard, Melbourne, Peking University, Vancouver, Seoul and beyond.

Why choose to study in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology?

  • Our postgraduate degrees are delivered by experts in each field and offer students a wide range of optional modules, so that you can personalise your degree to your needs and interests.
  • The Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology at the University of Birmingham is an internationally leading centre of research drawing together academic expertise in theory, empirical research and policy.

The Department has over 50 academic staff who contribute to a vibrant research culture. We have experts across 6 departmental research themes:

  • Civil Society and Volunteering
  • Crime & Social Harm
  • Poverty, Wealth & Inequality
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Social Theory and Transformation
  • Migration, Diversity and Religion

The Department also hosts three leading research centres: 

You will be part of a dynamic academic department that hosts a range of external speakers and lunchtime seminars and will have access to a dedicated study space located in the department working alongside the academics who teach you.

In the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, we believe that our research should inform the delivery of our teaching. This means that you will be taught by those who are involved in cutting-edge research and who write the publications that you will study. You will primarily be taught by academics from the Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRIS). IRiS is the world’s first research centre to focus on superdiversity and is at the forefront of international migration research. IRiS offers a unique opportunity for you to work alongside scholars from a wide range of disciplines engaged in migration research, as well as to participate in a programme of related research events. 

Teaching and learning takes place across a variety of forms, including traditional lecture, interactive lectures, small group seminars, and computer lab based sessions. We also believe that our teaching should be delivered not only through the classroom but through the social world itself. Being located in the city of Birmingham, one of the most diverse cities in the UK and the youngest city in Europe (largest percentage of the population under 24), the MA Migration Studies offers access to a ‘social laboratory’ that brings the issues that you to life.  We offer extra-curricular field trips to Birmingham City Council and the Houses of Parliament. 

Your degree will predominantly be assessed through a range of coursework, such as traditional essay, policy reports and dissertation; currently two of our modules utilise written examination as a mode of assessment.  Students are offered the opportunity across core modules to complete formative assessments that provide the opportunity to receive supportive feedback that can be used to develop their writing style, structuring and critical reasoning, without the mark carrying into their degree classification.

The MA Migration Studies will be of interest to professionals working in diverse or migration related settings, as well as recent graduates looking to pursue a career in this area,  and to those considering undertaking a PhD in related fields. Students on the programme will have the opportunity to apply to undertake a work-based internship in a migration related organisation, as part of our optional Migration and Superdiversity Placement module. 

Find out what career support we can offer you.