Artificial Intelligence, Society, and Global Challenges

MA

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Full time 1 year, Part time 2 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • Hone your research skills via a group project

  • 96% Satisfaction with Learning Resources Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023

  • Engage with leading, socially-engaged academics

The School of Global Affairs offers four master’s degrees that share a common ethos and course structure. Each provides distinctive yet interconnected opportunities to develop the skills, knowledge, relationships and partnerships needed to meet the global challenges of our time.

Why Lancaster?

  • Study AI from a unique interdisciplinary perspective that lies at the intersection of technology and humanities
  • Develop the skills, knowledge and experience to understand, communicate and react to AI’s global impact
  • Study for a career in a fast-paced industry, where new roles are constantly being created
  • Work collaboratively with students across our suite of master’s courses to build your own interdisciplinary professional network
  • Acquire practical, hands-on-skills to use and work with cutting-edge AI technologies
  • Learn global leadership skills that will equip you to make an impact in this field

What does the rapid escalation in AI capabilities and implementation mean to society? What are the major concerns at local, national and global level? What are the current and potential future benefits? Lancaster’s MA in Artificial Intelligence, Society and Global Challenges will equip you to engage with these questions and prepare you for a wide variety of roles in this rapidly expanding sector.

A multi-disciplinary approach to AI innovation

This course bridges technological advancement in AI and the impact it is having on the world around us.

The acceleration of AI innovation across the globe has triggered fears of loss of control, privacy, and human value. How valid are these fears? How may they be countered? What sectors are being impacted? And what ethical considerations should we take into account when evaluating the use of AI in society?

By exploring humanity’s enduring fascination with creating intelligence machines and examining the latest applications across sectors, you’ll gain the skills to tackle AI’s challenges while critically assessing its benefits. Knowledge of critical concepts, theories and practices drawn from across the arts, humanities, and social sciences, will help you to understand the views of different stakeholders and unravel the complexities at the intersection of AI and society.

Collaboration in practice

This master’s course is one of a series of four interconnected courses that have a common ethos and structure.

You’ll take part in subject-specific modules designed to build in-depth knowledge of AI technology, society and global challenges. You’ll assess, engage in and create responses to real-world issues.

In studio modules you’ll work collaboratively with other course participants on live briefs. You’ll develop practical, hands-on-skills to use and work with cutting-edge AI technologies, assess ethical dimensions, and unpack the societal costs and benefits.

For some modules, you’ll join with students from other master’s cohorts on projects that will develop your leadership skills by using generative, collaborative thinking to create innovative solutions that are relevant to diverse external stakeholders.

Working with students from our other cohorts will bring you into contact with those specialising in global affairs, sustainability and the environment, and health and medical humanities . You’ll experience the benefits that harnessing skills and knowledge from diverse groups and subjects can bring.

You’ll have the opportunity to tailor your final project to draw on your academic, personal or professional experience. A range of innovative assessment types will give you the freedom to represent your chosen topic creatively and persuasively.

A new type of leader

With its dedicated leadership module, this course prepares you for a future as a collaborative change-maker. The course challenges traditional views of leadership. It adopts an understanding of inclusive leadership that is grounded in critical, creative and collaborative skills. This reflects the School of Global Affairs’ holistic and humanistic way of thinking.

By taking this interdisciplinary approach and engaging in the discourses of leadership ethics in relation to AI innovation, you’ll be equipped to perform a wide array of roles in this rapidly evolving domain.

You’ll benefit from Lancaster’s rich, collaborative academic environment, being able to participate actively in research events and opportunities provided by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Flexible study options

Study while continuing your career by taking this course on a part-time basis. Running over two years, you would take the following core modules each year:

  • Year 1: Navigating, Applied Learning Studio 1, and Global Leadership
  • Year 2: Applied Learning Studio 2 and MA Project

We would liaise with you over your choice of optional modules and your schedule, so that you can successfully balance your work and other commitments alongside the master’s programme.

Careers

Graduate opportunities in the AI field are plentiful and new roles are constantly evolving. With a higher-level qualification in AI, you can expect to find exciting prospects for your future career. Your future job role may not even exist yet.

Through studying Artificial intelligence, Society and Global Challenges, you will gain a clear understanding of how AI is affecting society. You will develop critical thinking skills and the ability to understand the important role humanities has to play in the development and use of AI globally.

It is likely that many roles across different sectors will, in the future, require an understanding of AI. However, AI specialists may be in particular demand as:

  • Human-AI Interaction Specialists
  • AI Diversity and Inclusion Advocates
  • AI Compliance Managers
  • AI Innovation Strategists
  • Digital Humanities Consultants
  • Global AI Governance Advisors
  • Ethics Consultants
  • Creativity Managers/Producers
  • Inclusion Specialists
  • Policy Analysts

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in any subject, or 2:2 with professional experience relevant to the programme (please give further detail of your experience in your personal statement).

The personal statement should be a 300-500 word reflection on your interest in the programme, the relevance of your experience and what you hope to gain from the programme.

The department plan to interview all eligible applicants.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

core modules accordion

Optional

optional modules accordion

Fees and funding

Location Full Time (per year) Part Time (per year)
Home £11,960 £5,980
International £24,830 £12,415

General fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

Scheme Based on Amount
Based on {{item.eligibility_basis}} Amount {{item.amount}}

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Postgraduate digital open event - 6 November

Join us online and let us tell you about postgraduate study at Lancaster and how to apply.

Book our online event
 A student sitting in a library using their laptop

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.