MS Applied Anthropology

An MS in Applied Anthropology is a two-year postgraduate degree directing anthropological method at practical problems — development programmes, health interventions, social policy and organisational research.

What You’ll Study

Coursework covers applied anthropological theory, ethnographic and qualitative research methods, development anthropology, medical anthropology, participatory approaches, monitoring and evaluation, and research design, with fieldwork and a thesis.

MS, MPhil or MSc?

Pakistani universities use several titles for the two-year postgraduate degree that follows a four-year bachelor’s, and HEC treats them as equivalent 18-year qualifications. What matters practically is whether the programme is thesis-based, since that governs readiness for doctoral study.

Career Scope in Pakistan

The development sector is the primary employer, and applied anthropologists are specifically valued where programmes fail for social rather than technical reasons — understanding why is the discipline’s distinctive contribution.

Graduates work in development organisations and donor agencies, monitoring and evaluation and impact assessment, social safeguards and resettlement work on infrastructure projects, health and nutrition programme design, market and consumer research, and academia.

Admission Requirements

A relevant 16-year degree, plus the university’s postgraduate admission test and interview. Several programmes run in evening or weekend formats suited to working professionals — check the specific programme page.