• Excellent reputation - We are ranked 3rd for Anthropology in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019.
• Outstanding employability - 90% of our Politics students enter work or further study within six months of graduation (DLHE 2017).
• Taught by experts – The staff who teach Anthropology at Birmingham are based in the School of History and Cultures, in the Department of African Studies and Anthropology. These members of staff have lived and taught in countries beyond Western Europe, and have a range of language skills acquired through intensive ethnographic field work. As part of a small cohort of students, you will benefit from being taught by practising anthropologists and learning about their research experiences.  
• Enhancing your student experience - In the Department of Political Science and International Studies, as well as benefiting from our world-leading expertise, you’ll also get the chance to take part in a range of in-house activities that vary by year and are designed to complement your curriculum and enrich your time at Birmingham. 
• Strong student experience - You will benefit from an intellectually challenging and stimulating environment for your undergraduate studies, focused on ensuring you are a fully supported and active learner. Our unique degrees are designed to provide both academic excellence and vocational development; a balance that’s highly sought after by employers in today's intellectual and creative industries.

Open day talks

Two full videos on YouTube of recent open day talks relevant to this course:

• Anthropology at Birmingham, June 2017
• Joint honours at Birmingham, June 2018

In the first year of a Joint Honours degree programme study is split equally between the two disciplines. Following this you have the option to alter the balance of your study, meaning that you could change to a major-minor weighting. In your final year you have the option to maintain your second-year balance, switch your major subject to your other discipline or revert to an equal balance. If you wish, you can maintain an equal balance throughout your degree. This flexibility allows you to tailor the course throughout your degree programme, once you have had the time and experience to consider where your strengths and interests lie. The list of modules below are based on studying half of your modules (60 credits) in Anthropology and half in Political Science (60 credits). 

First year

Anthropology: 
In your first year you take three compulsory modules. Focus on Studying Societies is concerned with core study skills, taking you through all the steps of researching, planning and editing an essay, and enabling you to pursue a group investigation and present your findings orally. Thinking Anthropologically takes a series of core questions (e.g. What is work? What is dirt?) and shows how anthropologists study societies around the world, explaining how people can think very differently about questions that might initially appear simple or obvious.  The Anthropology of Africa module examines the social, economic, and political organisation of a number of African societies and their recent historical transformations.

Compulsory modules:

• Focus on Studying Societies (20 credits)
• Thinking Anthropologically (20 credits)
• Anthropology of Africa (20 credits)
• Detailed first year Anthropology module descriptions

Political Science:
You are provided with the basic knowledge and skills to study politics. You also have the opportunity to take other introductory social science courses.

Compulsory modules include:

• Understanding Politics (20 credits)
• Research Skills and Literacy: Philosophy and Methods (20 credits)
• Detailed first year Political Science module descriptions

Second year

Anthropology: 
In this year you take the compulsory Theory, Ethnography and Research (40 credits).  This module explains the history of anthropology and its major theories. It finishes with an ethnographic project in which students behave like anthropologists, and engage in close observation and analysis of the social behaviour around them. 

In addition, students choose 20 credits of Anthropology optional modules.

Compulsory Anthropology modules:

• Theory, Ethnography and Research (40 credits)

• Detailed second year Anthropology module descriptions

Political Science:
You have the opportunity to develop specialised knowledge in areas that you find of greatest interest, such as political theory and analysis, European integration, British politics, American politics, comparative European politics, and political economy.

Compulsory Political Science module:

• Analysing Political worlds

• Detailed second year Political Science module descriptions

Year abroad

You can apply to study abroad for a year in an approved university around the world. If you achieve a grade of 2.1 or above in your first year then you will be invited to apply for a Year Abroad in your second year. If your application is successful, you will go abroad in your third year and return to us for your final year. Find out more.

Final year

Anthropology: 
In your third year, you either write a Dissertation (10,000 words, 40 credits) or take an Independent Study (5,000 words, 20 credits). However, if you are undertaking independent research on the other side of your degree programme, we allow you to choose mainly taught modules in Anthropology, so as to guarantee a reasonable amount of contact time. 

• Detailed third year Anthropology module descriptions

Political Science:
In addition to choosing modules from a wide range of options (there are no compulsory final year Political Science modules), students undertake an independent research project on a topic of their own choosing.

• Detailed third year Political Science module descriptions

 

Joint Honours Flexibility

Every degree programme at the University is divided into 120 credits of study for each year of the programme. In the first year of a Joint Honours programme, you will study 60 credits in each subject as you learn the core elements of the disciplines. We recognise that students on Joint Honours programmes might come to favour one subject slightly more than another. To account for this, we have added more flexibility into the second and final years of our programmes. In the second year, you can stick with the 60-60 split between the two subjects or shift to a 80-40 credit weighting, effectively a major/ minor combination. You can either go back to 60-60 in the final year, maintain the same 80-40 split or reverse the major and the minor and go to a 40-80 weighting.

For UK students beginning their studies in September 2019, the University of Birmingham will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. The fees for your first year of study will therefore be £9,250. Visit our tuition fees page for more information.

Fees for 2019/20 are as follows:

• Home / EU: £9,250
• Overseas: £17,640

Eligibility for Home/EU or Overseas fees can be verified with Admissions. Learn more about fees for international students.

For further information on tuition fees, living costs and available financial support, please see our pages on undergraduate fees and funding.

Tuition fees when studying abroad

For those spending a whole academic year abroad (where available):

• Students who are classed as home/EU for fees purposes are required to pay 15% of their normal annual tuition fee
• Students who are classed as overseas for fee purposes are required to pay 50% of their normal annual tuition fee

For those studying abroad for just one semester (where available), normal annual tuition fees apply.

Note - Study abroad opportunities vary between courses; please see the course description for details of study abroad options offered.

Number of A levels required:

3

Typical offer:

ABB

General Studies:

Accepted.

Additional information:

IB Diploma:
6,5,5 in Higher level subjects plus 32 points overall.

BTEC qualifications:

• BTEC Extended Diploma: DDD.
• BTEC Diploma: DD, plus B at A-level.
• BTEC Subsidiary Diploma: D, plus AB at A-level.

Other qualifications are considered - learn more about entry requirements.

International students:

We welcome applications from international students and invite you to join our vibrant community of over 4500 international students who represent 150 different countries. We accept a range of qualifications, our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country.

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in one of our foundation pathways, which offer specially structured programmes for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on Birmingham International Academy web pages.

• Apply through UCAS at www.ucas.com.
• Learn more about applying.

Assessments - you will be assessed in a variety of ways to help you transition to a new style of learning. At the beginning of each module, you will be given information on how and when you will be assessed. Assessments methods will vary with each module and could include:

• coursework, such as essays
• group and individual presentations
• and formal exams

Feedback - you will receive feedback on each assessment within four weeks, so you can learn from each assignment. You will also be given feedback on any exams that you take. If you should fail an exam, we will ensure that particularly detailed feedback is provided to help you prepare for future exams.