Programme Structure

The MSc in Anthropology from the University of Copenhagen is a two-year full-time programme, which consists of a number of courses, fieldwork and a master’s thesis.

You can choose between a general profile and specializations. The general anthropological profile looks like this:

Year 1

Semester 1 Semester 2
Analytical Approaches
(15 ECTS credits)
Anthropological Project Design
(15 ECTS credits)
Optional anthropological courses
(2 x 7,5 ECTS credits)
Optional courses
(2 x 7,5 ECTS credits)

Year 2

Semester 3 Semester 4
Fieldwork: Ethnography and Analysis (30 ECTS credits) Master's thesis (30 ECTS credits)

You can read about the contents of the courses in the curriculum found in the right sidebar.

Specialisations

At the Department of Anthropology you can specialise in Business & Organisational Anthropology or Anthropology of Health. Such a specialization will entail focus on the chosen theme in your coursework, fieldwork and thesis. In order to be eligible for the specialisation track, your must do at least one optional Anthropological course of 7,5 ECTS + your fieldwork and master’s thesis within the specialty field. Once you hand in your thesis, you can apply to have the specialisation explicitly stated on your final transcript. 

With a specialisation in Business & Organisational Anthropology, you study business activities and life in organisations using anthropological methods and theory. Often working in collaboration with organisations and companies, students build and analyse their own ethnographic data, thus contributing to a better understanding of the lives, perceptions and needs of clients, end-users and other stakeholders. By deepening understandings of what is often called "the human factor" in business, students contribute to innovation processes and product development in enterprises and organisations.

With a specialisation in Anthropology of Health you study how human beings’ efforts to secure health and treat illness are shaped by and contingent on local, national, and international institutions and political processes. Thereby inequalities in health are created, maintained or challenged. Another important focus is the use of new biomedical technologies that often raise medical, moral and socioeconomic questions. Because of the ethnographic method’s focus on human relations, sense of self, and meaning-making, Anthropology has demonstrated special strengths in studies of how individuals, families and other communities understand, manage, and treat illness and strive for a healthy life.

Fieldwork as Internship

It is possible to do fieldwork in a company or organisation, thereby combining an interest in practical training with fieldwork. This does not change the requirement that thesis data need to be generated through qualitative methods with special emphasis on participant observation and various interview techniques. Therefore, students must ensure that the contract or agreement for the project-oriented work allows time for data collection.

Master's Thesis

The MSc in Anthropology is capped off with the Master’s thesis. Below is an eclectic list of previous thesis topics to help acquaint you with an idea of what’s possible:

  • Creating Consultancy - An Anthropological Analysis of the Need for Process Consultants in the Danish Business World
  • Prosperity for All? Competing Narratives of Change in an Ugandan Oil Field
  • Cleaning in a Gold Cage - Social and Physical (Im)mobility in the Lives of Undocumented Latinas in California
  • Fishing Multiplicities - Ethnographic Moments in the West Fjords of Iceland
  • Being Left in Jerusalem. An anthropological analysis of border-making practices among left-wing Jews in West Jerusalem
  • “I just want my business back”. An anthropological analysis of livelihoods and justice among internally displaced people in Nairobi, Kenya

The MSc in Anthropology is a full-time study programme. Consequently, you cannot complete the programme as part-time study or online by distance education. This is due to the rule about active participation in the master courses.