PhD in Social Anthropology

The Cambridge PhD in Social Anthropology is available on a full or part time basis and is intended for students who already have full training at undergraduate and/or Master's level in the methods and perspectives of Social/Cultural Anthropology. A first-class Honours degree or a Merit in a Master's degree in Social Anthropology is normally a pre-requisite for this course. The course includes intensive fieldwork training in the first year, a research period of 12 to 15 months, and a further year for writing the thesis (a maximum of four years is allowed in total). The part-time course proceeds in a similar sequence but over a longer duration, with a maximum allowed length of seven years. Students work under the guidance of a Principal Supervisor and a Faculty Advisor, and are supported by a general research training curriculum and extensive programme of department seminars and workshops. Students can expect to leave for field research at the end of their third term (June-July). Part-time students can expect to leave for field research at the end of their second year.