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

As a conversion or top-up degree, the one-year MPhil in Social Anthropology is aimed at graduate students with little or no previous training in social anthropology. It has four options: General Anthropology; Social Anthropology and Development; Social Anthropology and Museums; Medical Anthropology. It provides an intensive but thorough grounding in both theory and ethnography either as a route to the PhD or for those who wish to use a knowledge of social anthropology in relation to other work.

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.