Imagine(ing) Migration: The Aesthetics of Borders and Resistance
Overview and entry requirements
Our MA Migration and Diaspora Studies is a broad-based degree for students who want to receive research training in migration and diaspora, as well as humanitarian and refugee studies, including a relevant language as part of the specialisation. The degree prepares you to proceed to advanced postgraduate research or to work as practitioners in fields related to migration, refugees and humanitarian relief.
The MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies is a highly interdisciplinary program, taught from a Global South perspective and uniquely committed to anthropology and other disciplines' accountability towards the subjects they study.
The MA programme is engaged and practice oriented and offers the possibility of creative assignments along with conventional assessment forms. It is enthused by the belief that knowledge and practice produced by diaspora and migrants' grassroots organisations, activists, practitioners and artists should be intertwined with academic knowledge, and validated as part of a real decolonising effort.
Students enrolled in the MA programme have the unique chance to carry out internships while studying through the module From Theory to Practice and Back: Work-placements in Migration Research. The internships aim to bridge theory and practice in the fields of migration, diaspora and humanitarian practice.
The course is available exclusively to students enrolled in the MA Migration and Diaspora Studies. The course is organised in the form of internships and independent study projects, along with some class seminars in collaboration with the organisations, with whom we partner. Students have the opportunity to work with a broad range of organisations operating in areas as varied as migrants' support and refugees’ legal protection, activist and political campaigns and networks, as well as galleries and art collectives promoting diaspora and BAME cultures, identities, and arts. You may also be interested in this degree if you come from other disciplines, such as Law or Politics, and now wish to incorporate an anthropological perspective on issues of migration and diaspora.
Why study Migration and Diaspora Studies at SOAS
SOAS in ranked 5th the UK in the 2022 QS World University Rankings for Anthropology, and 10h worldwide
the Department of Anthropology and Sociology has been ranked 4th overall in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, with 42.4% of our research output rated at 4* (world-leading)
the MA Migration and Diaspora Studies programme has a first-rate graduate employability record
increase your knowledge of the transnational nature of the modern world
engage with critical theories to understand the management of mobility and the impact of humanitarian relief
understand the role of migration in the major political and cultural processes of the contemporary world
unique opportunity of internships to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
The degree offers students a chance to pursue their specific areas of interest by selecting from optional modules:
a broad-based perspective enhancing your knowledge in light of continuing contemporary research
a specific area, allowing you to study diaspora and migration issues in depth in relation to a particular discipline or region
The MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies is considerably enriched by the SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, which runs seminars, films and public lectures and also hosts a number of international scholars. The Centre is also a part of a migration research network of London colleges including LSE and UCL. Students on the programme therefore have unparalleled access to a critical body of scholars and scholarship on migration and diaspora related issues.
Prospective students are encouraged to contact the Programme Convenor, Dr Ruba Salih (ruba.salih@soas.ac.uk), at an early stage of their application to seek advice on the most appropriate options for study.
"My time in the Migration and Diaspora Studies MA programme at SOAS helped me expand my intellectual and creative horizons in very exciting ways. The programme’s interdisciplinary structure allows students to pick up many skills along the way and facilitates access to opportunities to engage in extracurricular projects, such as the London in Motion Documentary Film Workshop. The programme is headed by a compelling group of scholar-teachers. These foster an approach to the study of mobility and migration that is unique among Anthropology departments: you will read Paul Gilroy, Avtar Brah and Didier Fassin in the same module! In addition to pursuing exciting coursework in Anthropology, I took a rigorous full-year course in Modern Standard Arabic and also joined a module in Postcolonial thought with a phenomenal professor in the Law department. Professionally, the MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies is highly regarded in the academy, in the UK and transnationally. I am set to start a PhD in Anthropology in my top school in the U.S. this fall, which would have been unthinkable without this enriching intellectual experience. SOAS itself is an incredibly dynamic institution because of the global composition of its study body and the inherently political ethos of the school. Finally, the dissertation component of the MA trains you to be an independent researcher while giving you room to explore. I would definitely recommend this department to prospective students, particularly if you hope to continue on to a PhD".
Jorge Rodriguez Solorzano, PhD student Columbia University
Start of programme: September only
Mode of Attendance: Full-time or Part-time
Entry requirements
We will consider all applications with a 2:2 (or international equivalent) or higher in social science of humanities subject. In addition to degree classification we take into account other elements of the application such as supporting statement. References are optional, but can help build a stronger application if you fall below the 2:2 requirement or have non-traditional qualifications.
One calendar year (Full-Time)
Two or three years (Part-Time, daytime only)
The expectation in the UK is of continuous study across the year, with break periods used to read and to prepare coursework.
We recommend that part-time students have between two and a half and three days free in the week to pursue their course of study.
Fees 2022/23
Home students fees:
£11,980
Overseas students fees:
£23,400
Fees for 2022/23 entrants. This is a Band 1 fee. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year.Further details can be found on the Postgraduate tuition fees page
Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.
Structure
The programme consists of 180 credits in total: 120 credits of modules and a dissertation of 10,000 words at 60 credits.
Students are expected to take all core and compulsory modules listed below, and 30 credits from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology list below. The remaining credits can be selected from the relevant lists in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology or relevant options from other departments or a language module.
Programme
Compulsory Modules
All students take 30 credits in the compulsory modules:
The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching & Learning
SOAS has a large range of options on migration and diaspora related issues across the school. Teaching methods and assessment vary across these options, and their availability will depend on appropriate staff being available in the relevant academic year.
In addition, students are required to attend the weekly seminars held by the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, where they will hear international scholars give papers on a variety of migration and diaspora related topics. The seminars provide an invaluable backdrop for the transdisciplinary approach of the programme overall. Students are also encouraged to apply to the biennial Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival, which in March 2021 included the exhibition 'Imagine(ing) migration.The aesthetics of borders and resistance', curated by SOAS MA Migration and Diaspora staff and students.
The student learning experience is also be enhanced by the public lectures, films and workshops the Centre organises.
Modules
During the academic year, modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials and/or seminars. Students can expect an average of two hours of classroom time per week for each module. Outside of the classroom, students explore topics of the module through independent study and through personal exchanges with teachers and fellow students. In some cases, modules are taught by several teachers within the department to provide students with an array of perpsectives on the subject. All modules involve the active participation of students in the discussion of ideas, viewpoints and readings.
Dissertation
The MA Migration and Diaspora culminates in a 10,000-word dissertation, based on original research on a topic of the student's own choosing and developed in discussion with a supervisor.
SOAS Library
SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for 2022/23 entrants, per academic year (Band 1 tuition fee)
Full-time
Part-time 2 Years
Part-time 3 Years
Home Students
Overseas Students
Home Students
Overseas Students
Home Students
Overseas Students
£11,980
£23,400
£5,990
£11,700
£3,955
£7,725
Fees go up each year, therefore, your tuition fee in your second and subsequent years of study will be higher.
Our continuing students, on the same degree programme, are protected from annual increases higher than 5%.
Students from SOAS’ Department of Anthropology and Sociology develop an in-depth understanding of the world. Employers value our graduates’ cultural awareness and global perspective, as well as their skills in analysis, data interpretation and problem-solving.
Recent Department of Anthropology and Sociology graduates have been hired by:
Allen & Overy
BBC
British Council
Deloitte
Hackney Migrant Centre
IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
During the MA, I had the opportunity to supplement the food courses with fantastic modules on migration studies, which provided a human and historical context for my dissertation and appreciation for the SOASian spirit.
