PhD

A Cambridge PhD is very highly regarded in the field of Anthropology, both in the UK and overseas, and we have some extremely distinguished alumni who have been enormously influential in academic anthropology globally. The majority of our PhD graduates go on to jobs in academia, while the rest build very successful careers in the media, civil service, and the development sector, among others. We have the largest cohort of postgraduate anthropology students in the UK. Social Anthropology Cambridge is unparalleled as a place to study for a PhD, combining world class teaching and resources with a friendly but intellectually challenging atmosphere.

The PhD course consists in the first place of a period of training in research issues and methods culminating in the preparation of a research proposal. This training can either be undertaken through the nine-month (three-term) Pre-Fieldwork Course or through the one-year MRes in Social Anthropology. Students then usually undertake 12-18 months of ethnographic fieldwork. On return to Cambridge, they devote the remainder of their research time to writing their PhD dissertation in close consultation with their supervisor.

If you do the Pre-Fieldwork Course, you can expect to leave for field research at the end of your third term (June-July). If you do the MRes course, you can expect to leave for fieldwork in your fourth term (October-December). You will also gain a formally recognised research qualification along the way.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirements for both routes to the PhD are the same. You must have good English, and the normal academic requirement is (in the British system) a first-class honours degree in social anthropology or a high pass in a Masters degree in social anthropology, or (for overseas applicants) an equivalent academic qualification. A good upper second degree (or equivalent) might be acceptable in special circumstances.

If you do not have these qualifications, you may apply first to enter our Master’s degree programme. A High Pass in this course is a good academic qualification for entry to the PhD programme.

If you are a UK or EU student, you should note that, in order to be eligible for an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) award, you must do a one-year research training Master’s degree at a recognised outlet. Our MRes has ESRC recognition and is equivalent to the MSc by Research or MRes degrees awarded by other UK universities. These qualifications are transferable: if you already have an ESRC-recognised research training masters degree from another university, you can normally expect to begin the fieldwork for your Cambridge PhD without further training, following our normal fieldwork clearance procedure. Further details are available on the ESRC website and from our Graduate Administrator, Rosie Bell (rab202 [at] cam.ac.uk).