Social Anthropology and Data Analytics

Social anthropology and data analytics is an unusual but forward-looking combination, joining a discipline that has traditionally relied on qualitative and ethnographic methods with the quantitative and computational tools that are transforming how social phenomena are studied. Social anthropology asks how cultures and societies are structured, how meaning is produced and sustained, and how people live and think across an extraordinary range of human contexts. Data analytics provides the methods to work with large, structured datasets, to identify patterns, and to draw statistically grounded conclusions.

Together, they give you both interpretive depth and quantitative fluency.

At the University of Manchester, this three-year, full-time degree reflects Manchester's strengths in both social anthropology and data science, and its commitment to innovative interdisciplinary programmes. You will study ethnographic methods and anthropological theory, developing the ability to engage with cultural life in a richly contextual way, while also learning to work with data, code in relevant programming languages, apply statistical methods, and communicate data-driven findings clearly. The combination is particularly powerful for addressing questions about social inequality, health, digital culture, and globalisation, where the most compelling analyses combine the precision of data with the interpretive richness of anthropological understanding.

A typical entry tariff of 152 UCAS points reflects the academic level expected at Manchester.

The degree develops both qualitative and quantitative research skills, and the capacity to move between them makes graduates unusually versatile.

Graduates work in data science and analytics, social research, public health, international development, NGOs, government research, human-centred technology design, and the charitable sector. Many proceed to postgraduate study in social data science, anthropology, or public health. The combination is particularly suited to roles where understanding people at scale, without losing sight of the individual, is what matters.