Digital Anthropology MSc

UCL (University College London)

The MSc in Digital Anthropology equips students with the skills to analyse and critique the social and cultural dimensions of digital phenomena: from social media, to data, digital infrastructures, 3D printing, algorithms, and online politics. Combining technical understanding of digital systems with anthropological research methods, the MSc prepares students to practice as digital anthropologists in policy, industry, government and academia. Students study core anthropological theories (including kinship, materiality/immateriality and embodiment) with emphasis on their relevance for understanding digital culture; gain skills training in digital ethnography, social media analytics, social data analysis, mapping, digital design, user research methodologies and applied digital anthropology; and develop an understanding of the causes and consequences of digital culture through the ethnographic study of its social and regional impact in a global and comparative context.

The Digital Anthropology MSc prepares students for careers in government, industry, the not-for-profit sector and academia. We have strong links with non-academic partner organisations including the UK Government Digital Service, the Open Data Institute, NESTA, Facebook/Deepmind, The Ada Lovelace Institute, Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, Inventi V, Stripe Partners, Human City and BMB Agency. Our former students have gone on to work for organisations such as NESTA, Open Knowledge Foundation, DELL, Big Fish Games, UK Home Office and New York City Council; have set up their own successful digital consultancies; and have gone on to study PhDs at universities such as UCL, University of Oxford, and the University of California (Careers data from Destination of Leavers in Higher Education Survey).

Digital Anthropology provides an important skillset for employers in the technology industries and government and is frequently listed as a desirable qualification in user research and digital design job specifications. The ability to understand technology use in context, delve behind data, understand the biases of technical systems, grapple with ethical questions raised by new technologies, and introduce a comparative understanding of how digital objects are used by people around the world, are uniquely provided by training in digital anthropology. Moreover the MSc programme also provides a strong theoretical grounding for those interested in continuing to a PhD.