Masters applications for 2023 entry are now closed.
Applications for September 2024 will open on Monday 25 September. Applications are now open for programmes with a January 2024 start. View our programmes »
Overview
- We’ll prepare you to understand, critically assess and practically engage with foodways and food systems in industrialised and non-industrialised societies
- Our core modules provide interdisciplinary perspectives drawing from fields such as archaeology, classics, history, anthropology, sociology, geography, political economy, business and the life sciences.
- Optional modules allow you to develop focused expertise in areas such as sustainable food production, health and nutrition, community development, education, or business and social enterprise or to prepare for further research by studying theory and methods in a range of disciplines.
- Optional programme pathways will allow you to specialise in either Food, Society and Culture, or Food Systems and Sustainability.
- You can choose to undertake a placement or internship to gain valuable experience and develop professional networks
- Engage with real-world examples, such as the impact of COVID-19, learning about their implications, and rise to the challenges and opportunities they present. Read more here.
82% of our research is internationally excellent
Top 15 in the UK for Anthropology
Internationally recognised for work in philosophical anthropology and the sociology of culture
Optional work placement or internship
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above in any social science, humanities or environmental studies. Applications from candidates with relevant professional experience and evidence of good research and writing skills will also be considered.
Also, as this is a specialist and multi-disciplinary programme, students who do not meet the general admissions requirements but who have substantial professional or personal experience which is directly related to the programme will be considered. Students who wish to be considered on the basis of professional or personal experience should submit a detailed personal statement outlining their relevant experience. Students who do not fulfil the general admissions requirements may also be required to attend an interview and/or complete an assignment in order to assess their academic ability.
Entry requirements for international students
Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.
Read more
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
This programme will prepare you to understand, critically assess, and practically engage with foodways and food systems.
Our core modules provide interdisciplinary perspectives drawing from fields including archaeology, classics, history, anthropology, sociology, geography, and political economy. You will survey the historical development of agriculture and food and develop an understanding of its place in the constitution of social identities and institutions. You will also analyse the workings of mainstream and alternative food systems and food chains as well as studying the challenges and proposed solutions to making foodways and food systems more sustainable.
A wide range of optional modules allows you to develop focused expertise in areas such as sustainable food production, health and nutrition, community development, education, or business and social enterprise.
An optional placement or internship will afford you the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and to develop networks, while the dissertation will provide you with the chance to acquire expertise in a particular area of study and to develop research and writing skills.
The programme is studied over 12 months (full time) or 24 months (part time) and is University-based throughout the period. The programme comprises 180 credits in total: taught modules worth 120 credits in total and a supervised dissertation worth 60 credits. Teaching takes place over two terms (October to May), followed by completion of the dissertation over the summer (June to September). Each taught module spans one term and is normally taught through seminars, underpinned by reading and essay assignments. The taught element consists of core modules, directed options and free options.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
You may choose either the 15 credit or the 30 credit version of each module, you cannot choose both
Compulsory modules
Code | Module |
Credits |
---|
SSIM909 |
Dissertation in Food Studies | 60 |
ANTM004 |
Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective or | 15 |
HISM041 |
Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective | 30 |
ANTM021 |
Food, Body and Society or | 15 |
SOCM022 |
Food, Body and Society | 30 |
POLM016 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption or | 15 |
SOCM021 |
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption | 30 |
SOCM044 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment or | 15 |
SOCM045 |
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment | 30 |
Optional modules
Programme Pathways
Our flexible programme enables you to choose either a specific pathway or a selection of modules, which might be at a much later date than date of entry to the MA Food Studies. All students graduate with a Masters in Food Studies, but if you elect to specialise, you will have one of the following pathways named in your degree title:
Food, Society and Culture (MA)
This pathway allows you to focus study on the social, cultural and historical dimensions of food and foodways. Modules fulfilling compulsory requirements must include: either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective; and either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food, Body and Society. Your dissertation will also focus on a theme in the area of Food, Society and Culture.
ANTM004
|
Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective
|
15
|
|
or
|
|
HISM041
|
Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective
|
30
|
|
|
|
ANTM021
|
Food, Body and Society
|
15
|
|
or
|
|
SOCM022
|
Food, Body and Society
|
30
|
Food Systems and Sustainability (MSc)
This pathway allows you to focus study on food systems, alternative food networks and sustainability. Modules fulfilling compulsory requirements must include: either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food System, Alternative Food Networks and Ethical Consumption; and either the 15 or 30 credit version of Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment. Your dissertation will also focus on a theme in the area of Food Systems and Sustainability.
POLM016
|
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption
|
15
|
|
or
|
|
SOCM021
|
Food Systems, Alternative Food Networks, and Ethical Consumption
|
30
|
|
|
|
SOCM044
|
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment
|
15
|
|
or
|
|
SOCM045
|
Food and Sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment
|
30
|
You may also choose from the following list to satisfy the 60 credit optional module requirement.
Code | Module |
Credits |
---|
MA Food Studies Option Modules 2024-5 |
ANTM003 |
Theory and Methods of Food Preservation |
15 |
ANTM006 |
Gardening, Wellbeing and Community |
15 |
SSIM908 |
Directed Practical Study: Agriculture and Food |
30 |
ARCM120 |
Themes in Archaeological Theory and Practice |
15 |
ARCM130 |
Discovering the Past with Molecular Science |
15 |
ARCM403 |
Advanced Zooarchaeology |
15 |
ARCM407 |
Zooarchaeology |
15 |
BEMM487 |
Entrepreneurship: Venture Launch |
30 |
BEMM374 |
Tourism and Marketing |
15 |
BIOM568 |
Blue Planet |
15 |
BIOM4040 |
Fisheries Management |
15 |
CTHM007 |
Research Skills in Classics, Ancient History and Theology |
30 |
SOCM052 |
Cultures and Environments of Health |
30 |
GEOM143 |
Global Systems Thinking |
15 |
GEOM145 |
Theory for Sustainable Transitions |
15 |
GEOM407 |
Perspectives on Sustainable Development |
15 |
HISM016 |
Advanced Historical Research Skills |
30 |
HPDM027 |
Contemporary Environment and Human Health |
15 |
HPDM122 |
Planetary Health |
15 |
SOCM019 |
Research Methods in the Social Sciences |
15 |
SOCM023 |
Social Theory |
15 |
SOCM053 |
Making, Using and Contesting Evidence |
30 |
Fees
2025/26 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,500 full-time; £6,250 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,300 full-time; £12,650 part-time
Scholarships
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.
Teaching and research
Core teaching takes place over the first two terms, leaving the third for your dissertation. Research-centred teaching is at the heart of the programme. Teaching is done in small seminar groups, through individual presentations and round table discussions of common readings. Some optional modules include practical work combined with reading.
Students have the opportunity to engage in a substantial piece of research into a topic of their choosing through the dissertation module. You will be assessed through coursework which will vary depending on the modules you choose, as well as the completion of a dissertation.
Professor Harry G West
Programme Director and Professor of Anthropology
Dr Celia Plender
Lecturer (Anthropology)
Professor Matt Lobley
Professor of Rural Resource Management, Director of CRPR
Professor Harry G West
Programme Director and Professor of Anthropology
Harry is a socio-cultural anthropologist with expertise in political anthropology and the anthropology of food, farming and agrarian society. He has conducted research in Africa, as well as in Europe and North America. He is currently working on food, heritage and memory, with a focus on artisan cheesemaking.
He is Co-Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research, and Coordinator of the Exeter Food Network.
Profile page
Dr Celia Plender
Lecturer (Anthropology)
Celia’s work focuses on political-economic change in Britain from the perspective of grassroots, community groups and engages with themes of everyday politics, mutual aid and care. She has conducted long-term ethnographic fieldwork with urban, grassroots food co-ops to explore their everyday practices and responses to the changes taking place around them ranging from neoliberal reform to austerity and covid-19.
Celia is co-convenor of the Association of Social Anthropologists’ Anthropology of Britain Network.
Profile page
Professor Matt Lobley
Professor of Rural Resource Management, Director of CRPR
Matt’s research largely focuses on understanding influences on and impacts of farm household behaviour. In particular, his main interests relate to the role of farm households in the management of the countryside, for example, through exploring the impact of CAP reform; attitudes towards agri-environmental policy; and the environmental and social impacts of agricultural restructuring. Beyond agriculture and the environment, other research interests include the design and impact of rural development initiatives and, more broadly, the social sustainability of rural communities.
He is Editor of the International Journal of Agricultural Management.
Profile page
Careers
Employer valued skills
- Research skills specific to foodways and food systems past and present on an international scale
- Understanding of the economic, political and cultural dynamics of food systems and foodways
- Ability to identify issues and problems faced by a range of stakeholders and the potential consequences of various forms of intervention and transformation
- Researching, analysing and assessing sources of information
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Managing and interpreting information
- Developing ideas and arguments
Career paths
Depending upon your interests and career objectives, you may go on to conduct doctoral research, or you may find employment in:
- food industry or small and medium-sized food businesses and social enterprises;
- government departments and agencies engaging with agriculture, fisheries, food manufacture, food safety, public health, or culture and heritage;
- food-focused print, broadcast and new media;
- or third-sector organisations focused on issues such as environmental sustainability, trade policy, food safety, public health, food poverty, or social isolation.
Career support
The College's Employability Officer works with our central Career Zone team to give you access to a wealth of business contacts, support and training, as well as the opportunity to meet potential employers at our regular Careers Fairs.
Read more