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Culture, Diaspora, Ethnicity

MA, PG Cert, PG Dip

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Key information

Key information for 2026-27

Start date:

October 2026

Study route:

MA, PG Dip

  • One year full-time, on campus
  • One year full-time, online
  • One year full-time, flexible learning
  • Two years part-time, on campus
  • Two years part-time, online
  • Two years part-time, flexible learning

PG Cert

  • One year part-time, on campus
  • One year part-time, online
  • One year part-time, flexible learning
Status:
Fully approved
Location:
Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | Flexible learning | On campus | Online

Course overview

This innovative, interdisciplinary postgraduate culture, diaspora and ethnicity course stretches across the arts and humanities and social sciences. It offers you the opportunity to explore important subjects in this broad field of study, such as histories of ‘race’ and racism; the connections between transcontinental histories of colonisation and contemporary social formations and inequalities; postcolonial political communities, social identities and cultures and how local debates on inequality are shaped by the global geopolitics of the twenty-first century.

  • Why choose this course?
    • Birkbeck is a global centre for research and teaching on ‘race’ and racism and histories and legacies of empire. You will join a multidisciplinary community of scholars, students and research centres committed to the study of this subject area.
    • This course is taught by award-winning teachers and research-active scholars and consistently achieves very high levels of student satisfaction.
    • You will be able to pursue your own interests and develop knowledge on this course that will enable you to address the most urgent questions of our time and make an important impact. 

  • What will I learn?

    The course examines the connections between intertwined colonial histories and our ordinary, local, everyday life.

    We focus on a broad range of subjects such as modern colonial statecraft and histories of ‘race’ and other systems of categorisation; colonial cultures and nationalisms; histories of anticolonial, antifascist and antiracist resistance; migration and diaspora; theorising community and postcolonial belonging; histories of state and corporate negligence and violence; contemporary racial nationalisms and religious authoritarian movements; and race, gender, sexuality and desire.

  • How will I learn?

    This course is available to study full- or part-time, with all classes taking place in the evening. Teaching involves a combination of interactive lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. You will choose from a broad, exciting array of specialist subject option modules as you are guided through the course by a personal tutor and expert in this subject area.

    If you choose to study the MA, you will undertake an empirical or theoretical dissertation, or a practice-based dissertation such as a film or an exhibition.

    If you choose to study the Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate, you will study fewer modules and will not complete a dissertation. On completion of the Diploma you can progress to the MA, while completion of the Certificate allows you to progress either to the Diploma or the MA.

  • How often will I attend classes?

    Full-time: Two evenings a week, October to July

    Part-time: One evening a week, October to July

  • Flexible Master's

    This course is part of our Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning, which combines both.

    If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you will only be able to apply for the on-campus study option for this course. Online and flexible options will not be available to you because they may affect the conditions of your visa.

  • Course disclaimer

    Birkbeck makes all reasonable efforts to deliver educational services, modules and programmes of study as described on our website. In the event that there are material changes to our offering (for example, due to matters beyond our control), we will update applicant and student facing information as quickly as possible and offer alternatives to applicants, offer-holders and current students.

    Most of our courses are taught in the evenings, however some of our courses offer a daytime timetable. Where there is an option to attend daytime teaching sessions, this is stated in the How will I learn? section.

More highlights

  • This course consistently achieves very high levels of satisfaction from Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey respondents. In 2019 and 2020, the student satisfaction rate was 100%; in 2021 the rate was 95%; in 2022 it was 85%; and in the most recent report, generated in 2023, it was 100%.
  • Birkbeck is the first higher education institution in London to receive the title University of Sanctuary.
  • On studying this course you will join a vibrant, stimulating and highly diverse intellectual environment and have access to affiliated groups and research centres such as the Race Forum at Birkbeck, the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities and the Birkbeck Institute on Gender and Sexuality.
  • You will also be able to join specialist student reading groups that focus on particular subject areas such as postcolonial theory, medicine, ‘race’ and empire and psychoanalysis and colonialism, and attend talks across Birkbeck and the University of London that illuminate the importance of histories of ‘race’ and racism across different historical, social and geopolitical contexts.
  • Birkbeck Library has an extensive teaching collection of books, journals and learning resources in relevant disciplines. You will also be able to use the rich research resources nearby including Senate House Library, the British Library of Political and Economic Science (the LSE Library), the SOAS Library and the British Library.
  • If you are taking this course part-time, you may be eligible for a Bonnart Trust Master’s Studentship which will cover the cost of your tuition fees. You may also be eligible for a Birkbeck Access to Postgraduate Study Scholarship or an Aziz Foundation Scholarship.

Modules and Teaching

School of Social Sciences

The school offers an invigorating and enriching educational experience, and students are taught by internationally renowned researchers with an exciting range of expertise. 

Visit the school

Entry requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above in social sciences or arts and humanities.

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential.

On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve.

Apply now to secure your place. The earlier you apply, the sooner your application can be considered, and you can enrol. You do not need to have completed your current qualification to start your application.

  • What are the English language requirements?

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

    If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

    Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

  • What are the visa and funding requirements?

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

    As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

  • Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

    If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

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Fees

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £5,670 per year
Full-time home students: £11,340 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, online, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £5,670 per year
Full-time home students: £11,340 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, flexible learning, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £5,670 per year
Full-time home students: £11,340 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

PG Cert: One year part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £3,780 per year
Part-time international students: £6,950 per year

PG Cert: One year part-time, online, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £3,780 per year
Part-time international students: £6,950 per year

PG Cert: One year part-time, flexible learning, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £3,780 per year
Part-time international students: £6,950 per year

PG Dip: One year full-time or two years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students, Year 1: £5,670 per year
Part-time home students, Year 2: £1,890 per year
Full-time home students: £7,560 per year
Part-time international students, Year 1: £10,425 per year
Part-time international students, Year 2: £3,475 per year
Full-time international students: £13,900 per year

PG Dip: One year full-time or two years part-time, online, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students, Year 1: £5,670 per year
Part-time home students, Year 2: £1,890 per year
Full-time home students: £7,560 per year
Part-time international students, Year 1: £10,425 per year
Part-time international students, Year 2: £3,475 per year
Full-time international students: £13,900 per year

PG Dip: One year full-time or two years part-time, flexible learning, starting in October 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students, Year 1: £5,670 per year
Part-time home students, Year 2: £1,890 per year
Full-time home students: £7,560 per year
Part-time international students, Year 1: £10,425 per year
Part-time international students, Year 2: £3,475 per year
Full-time international students: £13,900 per year

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing their course may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the Fees Policy.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

Birkbeck's campus is located in the historic and vibrant Bloomsbury area of central London - named one of the best places to live in London 2025 by The Times.

Careers and employability

You will graduate from this culture, diaspora, ethnicity postgraduate course with a portfolio of highly valued, transferable research, communication and engagement skills including:

  • advanced critical writing, analysis and argumentation skills
  • research skills
  • the academic and professional capacity to practically apply your subject expertise to a range of contexts such as research and policy, community engagement and cultural practice
  • communication skills for a wide range of audiences.

This course will appeal to working professionals, recent graduates and international students alike. Graduates have pursued new career paths and progressed into influential roles in local, national and international organisations and charities concerned with:

  • human rights
  • criminalisation and policing
  • sexual violence
  • migration, refugees and asylum
  • homelessness
  • imprisonment
  • addiction
  • youth and community work. 

They have also entered fields such as:

  • journalism
  • IT
  • film, fiction, poetry and music
  • health and social work
  • teaching
  • academic research and policy
  • cultural heritage and curatorship
  • architecture
  • law, advocacy and activism
  • psychoanalysis and psychotherapy
  • postcolonial, cultural and urban studies, history, psychosocial studies and sociology.

There are currently several graduates undertaking doctoral research in this subject area at Birkbeck and also in other universities in the UK and across the world.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Student support

Birkbeck offers study, learning and wellbeing support to undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them succeed.

Our Learning Development Service provides a lively programme of free weekly workshops building essential academic skills - from writing and critical thinking to maths and referencing - offering flexible sessions, practical tips, and online resources to boost your skills and confidence.

Our Disability and Mental Health Service can support you if you have disabilities, specific learning differences, mental health conditions or neurodivergence, by providing practical support to help you achieve your academic potential.

Our Counselling Service aims to support you with any emotional and psychological difficulties that are affecting your experience and engagement with your studies at university. It is a free, non-judgemental and confidential service which consists of a consultation process followed by time limited counselling contact.

Find out more about the full range of student services we offer at Birkbeck.

How to apply

You apply directly to Birkbeck for this course, using the online application link.

You will need to prove your identity when you apply. Find out more about how to apply.

  • When should I apply?

    You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places left, and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

    You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

Related courses

Study routes for Culture, Diaspora, Ethnicity (MA, PG Cert, PG Dip)

Please select a study route below to continue your application.

Please note that international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK can only apply for full-time, on campus routes.

Starting in October 2026

Full-time

Part-time