Our master programme

Master in Anthropology and Sociology

Our two-year master’s programme offers rigorous training in anthropology and sociology through a combination of coursework in small class settings, opportunities for independent field research and close mentoring. During the programme, students acquire a breadth and depth of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary knowledge, as well as research skills across a variety of methodological approaches.

We aim to foster in our students the analytical, methodological and conceptual capacities needed to develop nuanced understandings of, and responses to, the transnational and globalised dimensions of many of today’s most urgent social, cultural, political and economic problems. Students that complete our programme are well-prepared for careers in the international, public, private and nonprofit sectors. A number of our master students also go on to pursue PhDs in ANSO or other internationally competitive doctoral programmes.

The master curriculum enables students to combine broad disciplinary training with the development of specialised research interests. Compulsory courses in social theory 1 and research methods, as well as the strongly recommended course in ethnographic writing, give students a solid foundation in anthropology and sociology. Students also have the freedom to pursue their particular interests by choosing from an array of elective disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses within and outside the department.

Making the most of the Graduate Institute’s location, master students may also take up internships in one of Geneva’s many international or nongovernmental organisations. The Graduate Institute also offers opportunities to study abroad for a semester through its numerous exchange programmes.