BSc (Hons) Social Anthropology Bachelor's degree at The London School of Economics and Political Science
BSc (Hons) Social Anthropology at LSEPS. Studying anthropology within a department that has focused solely on the discipline for decades gives this LSE course a particular character: the promise, as the university puts it, is to "explore what makes us human," and the whole three…
About this course
BSc Social Anthropology - LSE Skip to main content Undergraduate UCAS code: L603 Department of Anthropology BSc Social Anthropology Explore what makes us human. From the provider’s course page.
BSc (Hons) Social Anthropology is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at LSEPS, based in Houghton Street, London. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Anthropology graduates from this provider, 95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 70% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £33,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Sociology & Social Sciences, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 4 modules
- Being Human: Contemporary Themes in Social AnthropologyCompulsory
- A History of Anthropological TheoryCompulsory
- Anthropology through Mixed MediaCompulsory
- The LSE CourseCompulsory
Year 2 8 modules
- Ethnographic Methods and Skills: Individual Research ProjectCompulsory
- Politics and Power: Debates in AnthropologyCore
- Economic Anthropology (1): Production and ExchangeCore
- Anthropology of Law and Human RightsCore
- Mind and SocietyCore
- Environmental AnthropologyCore
- Gender, Sexuality, and KinshipCore
- Anthropology and ReligionCore
Year 3 1 modules
- Special Essay Paper in Social AnthropologyCompulsory
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
The degree is structured to take students from foundational ideas through to independent research. Core theory introduces the central concepts and debates that anthropologists use to interpret social life, including how societies organise kinship, belief, economy and power. Research & methods builds the practical and analytical skills needed to design and carry out ethnographic enquiry, an area treated as central to the discipline rather than an afterthought. Applied practice gives students the chance to see how anthropological thinking is used outside pure academic debate, connecting theory to real social questions. As students progress, they can choose from specialist options such as topics in political, economic, or medical anthropology, allowing some tailoring of the degree towards particular interests. The Independent project is a significant piece of self-directed research, giving students ownership over a question they have chosen and the experience of carrying a piece of work from design to completion. Running alongside the academic content, Professional skills work helps translate the analytical and communication abilities built through anthropology into skills valued beyond the discipline itself.
Who it's for
This course suits people who are naturally curious about why humans in different places live, believe and organise themselves as they do, and who enjoy questioning assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. If you find yourself drawn to observing social behaviour, asking why customs differ, or wanting to understand conflict, migration or belief systems from the inside rather than at a distance, the subject will feel like a natural fit. It suits students who are comfortable with reading extensively, writing analytically, and sitting with ambiguity, since anthropology rarely offers tidy answers. Because a good portion of the degree involves fieldwork-style thinking and independent research, it also suits someone who is self-motivated and willing to design and follow through on their own investigative questions rather than waiting to be told exactly what to do. Studying in central London means also being open to using the city itself as a live example of the social patterns being studied in seminars. Most entrants arrive having taken A-levels or equivalent, and the typical accepted student has held more than 240 UCAS tariff points, though these reflect the profile of recent cohorts rather than a fixed requirement.
Careers & job market
Across Sociology & Social Sciences courses nationally, 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, and 55% of working graduates are in highly skilled roles or further study, according to Graduate Outcomes data. These are national figures for the subject area rather than statistics specific to this course, but they give a general sense of the destinations open to social science graduates. National earnings data (LEO) show that graduates in this field typically earn between £23,000 and £30,000 fifteen months after graduating, between £20,400 and £28,800 after three years, and between £24,650 and £34,800 after five years, again, national ranges rather than a guaranteed outcome for any individual. Around 89% of students nationally continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed their studies, indicating that most who start this type of degree stay the course. The analytical, research and cross-cultural communication skills built through a social anthropology degree tend to be transferable into a range of sectors that value the ability to interpret complex social situations.
University & format
LSE is a public university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, based at Houghton Street in central London and founded in 1895. It has 9,218 students in total and holds a Silver rating for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. The BSc Social Anthropology (UCAS code L603) is studied full-time over three years, delivered in English, and leads to a Bachelor's degree with honours. As a recognised UK degree-awarding body, LSE's qualifications are nationally recognised.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 100% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code L603). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at LSEPS →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Sociology & Social Sciences graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £33,000 | £29,000 – £35,000 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £29,000 | £23,000 – £34,000 | 30 |
| 5 years after | £39,000 | £25,000 – £56,500 | 30 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in sociology & social sciences · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Sociology & Social Sciences nationally
National figures for Sociology & Social Sciences graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Sociology & Social Sciences courses at the same study level.
Compared with 751 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 30% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Welfare and housing associate professionalsSOC 2020 322 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,937
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 30; response rate: 60%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Sociology & Social Sciences graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Sociology & Social Sciences graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Local authorities
- Charities & NGOs
- Research organisations
- Government & universities
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Sociology & Social Sciences graduates.
Sociology AdjunctCommonwealth Of VirginiaSociology ECT - High-Achieving Secondary School in BrightonMarchant RecruitmentHead of Psychology and SociologyTeacherActiveIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £33,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.1 out of 10: NSS 82.4% · in work or study 95% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
London School of Economics and Political Science
Social sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Houghton Street, London
12,698 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Sociology & Social Sciences right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to LSEPS from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £28,900 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check LSEPS’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with LSEPS and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at LSEPS
Sociology & Social Sciences at other universities
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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