Graduate Study at Cambridge

Anthropology is one of the most exciting subjects to study at university today, and Cambridge is unmatched as a place to study, as a place to undertake research, and just as somewhere to be. We are a vibrant and friendly division, innovative and intellectually inspiring. The colleges offer first-rate student support to undergraduates and postgraduates and the university has some of the best intellectual resources in the world, from people to libraries. Everyone is part of a community that extends well beyond the department.

MPhil in Social Anthropology

The Cambridge MPhil in Social Anthropology is an intensive 11-month graduate degree programme intended as a conversion course for students with little or no previous training in anthropological methods and perspectives. It provides a wide yet thorough grounding in the theoretical and ethnographic dimensions of the field. The degree can be taken as a freestanding qualification or as a route to the original research involved in a PhD, or a means to acquire knowledge of anthropology for use in other fields and professional contexts.

MPhil in Health, Medicine and Society

The new MPhil in Health, Medicine and Society is jointly run by the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Division of Social Anthropology and Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. In addition to history, sociology and social anthropology, the course also includes ethics and philosophy, thus offering an unparalleled educational experience. It is designed to provide students with combined advanced skills in the social and historical analysis of health and medicine. The course will offer a high-level interdisciplinary approach to theory and methodology, build confidence in conceptual and empirical analysis, and ensure familiarity with key scholarly literatures. Research training is a core component of the course, which will enable students to design individual projects, collect and analyse data, and develop substantial arguments based on original research. 

MRes and PhD 

Students who already have a substantial background in social anthropology (normally a good UK honours or master’s degree in the subject) will be admitted directly to the postgraduate research programme that leads to the PhD. You may take the MRes in Social Anthropology first, or apply directly to the PhD programme.