Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies

KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Shortlist

# =67QS Subject Rankings

12 monthsProgram duration

2,533 EURTuition Fee/year

YesScholarships

Shortlist

Program overview

Main Subject

Sociology

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies

The Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies (CADES) is a unique and international advanced Master programme that provides a broad interdisciplinary platform to address development issues and social transformations from an anthropological perspective. The programme brings together students and professionals from all over the world who are involved or interested in social, educational, emancipatory or policy work in the development, or, more broadly, the social sector.

About the programme

The advanced Master of Cultural Anthropology and development Studies (CADES) draws on anthropology's unique vantage point to enhance students’ intercultural expertise, understanding and skills. Based on cutting-edge research conducted at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, the programme counters the universalising Western master narrative of modernisation and promotes an integrated approach to development issues, transnational solidarity and social change. In taking this tack, rather than offering a ready-made toolkit, CADES explores the bigger questions underlying current development practices.

More specifically, CADES seeks to demonstrate how local actors resist and/or respond to the omnipresent forces of economic globalisation and social change. Only a profound intercultural understanding of, and engagement with, development can open up innovative avenues towards equality. It is for this reason that the programme addresses a wealth of topics ranging from the history of development (theory) to contemporary debates on social exclusion, ecology and climate change in the anthropocene, urbanisation, migration and mobility, social transformation, solidarity, global policy and many others.

The programme will offer you concepts and a theoretical framework embedded in anthropology to acquire a better grasp of the complexity of international development. You will also learn how to translate aspects of this complexity into research questions and appropriate research methods. Designing individual ethnographic field work in combination with in-depth courses is at the core of the programm. Our partners, network and the extended research networks of staff members will provide you with ample opportunities for organising the ethnographic research required for your master thesis.

Anthropology

By focusing on the social dimension, anthropology, more so than any other discipline, intends to uncover the hidden transcripts and power dynamics that lie beneath the surface of many development issues. Knowledge acquired mainly through fieldwork and participant observation enhances our understanding of the rich diversity of knowledge systems, worldviews, and modes of living from within. Anthropologists avoid approaching a given culture in light of their own standards of knowledge, truth, values or technological development.

Development

Development is only sustainable when it fully acknowledges the culture-specific ways in which societies or networks deal with what are often increasingly scarce life resources. Most often, communities view change or development as desirable only when it meaningfully coalesces with the cultural values that inspire their heritages of knowledge, religion and art, networks of communication, deliberation and decision-making, or notions of responsibility, parenthood, nutrition and health. However, rather than view this as an obstacle, it should be understood as the way for any lasting and meaningful change for development to take root. Development is, for that matter, always mediated by a community's common-sense knowledge and pragmatic motives, along with how its members think about and practice kinship, gender, identity, ethics, politics, justice, and so on.

Career perspectives

Holders of a CADES degree have a scientific, critical, reflective and culture-sensitive understanding of development. They are able to relate their field-specific knowledge to the ongoing evolution of development debates, and in organisations that defend, promote or assess collective and cultural interests, expectations, and movements.

Graduates possess the tools to understand development from the viewpoint of local realities and epistemologies and can relate these to anthropological theories and paradigms.

CADES offers students a large international and interdisciplinary background that allows them to approach and interact with development issues from an anthropological perspective. Graduates may obtain access to a variety of jobs in NGOs, international organisations, development cooperation, education, social and medical services, advisory organisations, international relations, enterprises and research.

For the most recent – and only official – information on tuition fees, please check our webpage.

Read less

Program overview

Main Subject

Sociology

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

On Campus

Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies

About the programme

Anthropology

Development

Career perspectives

Graduates possess the tools to understand development from the viewpoint of local realities and epistemologies and can relate these to anthropological theories and paradigms.

For the most recent – and only official – information on tuition fees, please check our webpage.

Read less

Admission Requirements

GPA

Admission criteria

A 4-year University Degree (3-year Bachelor + 1-year Master) or (4-year Bachelors equaling 240 ECTS Credits)
Applicants should have outstanding academic results (cum laude or higher) with relevant professional experience seen as an asset. Applicants should have outstanding academic results (cum laude or higher). Relevant professional experience is considered as an asset.

For the most recent – and only official – information on the admission requirements, please check our webpage.

Student profile

You are an ambitious, and enthusiastically dedicated applicant with an interest in policy, education, consultancy or research in the international and/or intercultural development context. You think out of the box and your personal objective is to obtain an interdisciplinary critical academic understanding of development policies and processes, both in North and South.

Program Duration

1 Year

Starting Month(s)

Sep

Tuition Fee and Scholarships

Domestic Students

Tuition Fee/year

2,533 EUR

Tuition Fee (Out of State)

International Students

Tuition Fee/year

2,533 EUR

Other Expenses

One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

In this guide you will find:

Where to look for scholarship opportunities

How to apply to scholarships relevant to you

A list of available scholarships around the world

A scholarship application checklist

Download Scholarship Guide

QS subject rankings

2013
#101-150
2014
#51-100
2015
#51-100
2016
#51-100
2017
#51-100
2018
#51-100
2019
#=50
2020
#51-100
2021
#65
2022
#=60
2023
#74
2024
#65
2025
#=67

Ranking criteria

Overall

75.7

Academic Reputation

74.6

Citations per Paper

87.3

Employer Reputation

58.2

H-index Citations

88.3

View all rankings data

KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

# =67QS Subject Rankings

12 monthsProgram duration

2,533 EURTuition Fee/year

YesScholarships

Program overview

Main Subject

Degree

Study Level

Study Mode

Program overview

Main Subject

Degree

Study Level

Study Mode

Admission Requirements

Exam Scores

Important Dates

Tuition Fee and Scholarships

Tuition Fee

Domestic Students

International Students

Scholarships

In this guide you will find:

QS WUR Ranking By Subject

QS subject rankings

Subject: Sociology

Ranking criteria

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