The Spanish and Portuguese Section offers undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan. It is unique in its commitment to exploring the trans-historical and cross-cultural interrelations between all these language areas and their corresponding cultural formations. The research interests of its academic staff thus span a wide range of areas including Medieval and Golden Age Spanish cultures and their consolidation in dialogue with the diverse cultures and faith systems of Africa and the 'New World'; the literature, art and cinema of Portugal, Brazil and Lusophone Africa; the literature of modern Spain and its relationship with the Enlightenment, colonialism, and modernity; the cinema of the Ibero-American world from early silent film through to its avant-garde, indigenous, popular, and transnational dimensions today; and the culture of Catalonia from its rebirth in the Renaixença, through its resistance to Franquismo in literature and film, to its vibrant contemporary artistic, architectural and cinematographic expressions.

The Section also has one of the largest contingents of Latin American specialists in the United Kingdom, whose interests span the poetry, chronicles, and indigenous cultural production of the colonial period; the formation of national cultures in post-independence Spanish America and Brazil; the experimental literatures of the Spanish American 'Boom'; and the literature, cinema, and visual art produced in the interlocking contexts of post-dictatorship, mass urbanisation, narcotráfico and neo-liberal globalisation. The intellectual vitality of the Section is further evidenced by a dynamic research culture of public lectures, section seminars, postgraduate workshops and conferences, all of which add to a close-knit system of graduate supervision and mentoring that encourages both individual and collective endeavour within the Section.

In British universities, the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) is traditionally awarded solely on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing in English that reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three to four years, and most funding is based on this assumption. It's also possible to take a part-time route through research degrees, and the expected timeframe would be four to seven years.

During your research, the student will have the opportunity to work closely with a Supervisor who is a specialist in the candidate's research area. In addition to the Supervisor, the candidate will normally also be able to draw on the help and support of one further academic advisor and consult other academics working in related fields. The student might reasonably expect to see their Supervisor fortnightly or at least three times per term.

In addition to providing specialist supervision, the Faculty runs a programme of professional training for the benefit of all research students. The programme includes seminars and workshops on library resources, giving conference papers, publishing, applications and interviews, teaching skills, specialist linguistics training, and film-making. The School of Arts and Humanities runs a central programme covering a range of topics from PhD skills training, to language training and writing and editing skills. If you wish, you are likely to be given the opportunity to gain experience in small-group teaching from Colleges. There may also be opportunities to gain some experience in language teaching in the Faculty.

The Spanish and Portuguese Section and the Centre of Latin American Studies are pleased to share the details of a Consortium in Latin American Cultural Studies for PhD students. This new flexible arrangement will foster a greater exchange of ideas between students and scholars in the Section and the Centre and provide more opportunities for them to access relevant training, funding and other resources. For further information, please visit the Latin American Cultural Studies Consortium page on the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages website.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge is a world-class centre for teaching and research in Sociology. It has a proud tradition of research grounded in engagement with contemporary real-world issues.

Our Department is ranked first for Sociology in the Complete University Guide League Table 2025 with a 100% score, and second for Sociology in the Guardian's Best Universities league table 2025.

The Times Higher Education World University ranking 2025 rates our department second overall in the UK for the Social Sciences. The QS World University rankings list our department as sixth of 375 sociology departments across the world in 2025.  

The MPhil in Sociology of Media and Culture pathway provides students with the opportunity to study the nature and transformation of media, culture and technology at an advanced level. The programme gives students a firm grounding in the theoretical and empirical analysis of media, culture and technology, and enables them to study particular media, culture and technology in-depth, examining their transformations over time and their impact on other aspects of social and political life.

There are four elements to the pathway:

1. A core course of eight 2-3 hour sessions in the first term (Michaelmas) and a one-hour Field Review Essay preparation session in the second (Lent), covering some of the major theoretical contributions to the study of the media and culture and some key substantive topics. Part time students must attend these sessions in their first year of study but may wish to attend additional sessions in their second year. There are also substantive topics which vary from year to year depending on the availability of academic staff.
2. Students will receive training in the craft of sociology and in research skills, including sessions on: research ethics, turning a literature review into research questions, critical reading and academic writing, and Talking History. Students will also have the opportunity to take courses and attend lectures on many other aspects of research method and design. They will then select these courses in discussion with their Supervisor.
3. Eight to ten hours of optional seminars during the second term (Lent). Part-time students can attend these sessions in either their first or second year of study.
4. Dissertation: all students will write a dissertation on a topic of their choice that allows for theoretically informed empirical analysis of some aspect of media, culture and technology and their impact. The choice of dissertation topic is made in consultation with your Supervisor, who can advise you on the suitability and feasibility of your proposed research and on research design. A dissertation workshop provides the opportunity to present aspects of your dissertation work and to receive constructive feedback from academics and fellow students.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge is a world-class centre for teaching and research in Sociology. It has a proud tradition of research grounded in engagement with contemporary real-world issues.

Our Department is ranked first for Sociology in the Complete University Guide League Table 2025 with a 100% score, and second for Sociology in the Guardian's Best Universities league table 2025.

The Times Higher Education World University ranking 2025 rates our department second overall in the UK for the Social Sciences. The QS World University rankings list our department as sixth of 375 sociology departments across the world in 2025.  

The MPhil in Sociology provides students with a firm grounding in theoretical and empirical analysis, which are at the core of understanding the workings of social inequality.

The Sociology of Marginality and Exclusion pathway, within the MPhil in Sociology, provides students with the opportunity to study the logics and processes of marginality and exclusion at an advanced level. This pathway aims to integrate the consideration of themes in social theory with the study of substantive topics, as well as give a thorough grounding in research methods.

There are four elements to the pathway:

1. A core course comprising eight 2-3 hour lectures in the first term (Michaelmas) and a one-hour Field Review Essay preparation session in the second (Lent), covering some of the major theoretical contributions to the sociological study of marginality and exclusion and some key substantive topics. Part time students must attend these sessions in their first year of study but may wish to attend additional sessions in their second year. There are also substantive topics which vary from year to year, but will address the dimensions of marginalization in relation to the production and reproduction of social life as well as the exercise of power.
2. Students will receive training in the craft of sociology and in research skills, including sessions on: research ethics, turning a literature review into research questions, critical reading and academic writing, and Talking History. Students will also have the opportunity to take courses and attend lectures on many other aspects of research method and design. They will then select these courses in discussion with their Supervisor.
3. Eight to ten hours of optional seminars during the second term (Lent). Part-time students can attend these sessions in either their first or second year of study.
4. Dissertation: all students will write a dissertation on a topic of their choice that allows for theoretically informed empirical analysis of some aspect of marginality and exclusion in contemporary societies. The choice of dissertation topic is made in consultation with your Supervisor, who can advise you on the suitability and feasibility of your proposed research and on research design. A dissertation workshop provides the opportunity to present aspects of your dissertation work and to receive constructive feedback from academics and fellow students.

Our Department is ranked first for Sociology in the Complete University Guide League Table 2025 with a 100% score, and second for Sociology in the Guardian's Best Universities league table 2025.

The Times Higher Education World University ranking 2025 rates our department second overall in the UK for the Social Sciences. The QS World University rankings list our department as sixth of 375 sociology departments across the world in 2025.  

This pathway provides students with the opportunity to study the major themes and debates of Political and Economic Sociology at an advanced level. This pathway aims to integrate the consideration of political and economic debates with the study of substantive topics, as well as give a thorough grounding in research methods.

There are four elements to the pathway:

1. A core course of eight 2-3 hour sessions in the first term (Michaelmas) and a one-hour Field Review Essay preparation session in the second (Lent), covering some of the major theoretical contributions to the study of political and economic sociology and some key substantive topics. Part time students must attend these sessions in their first year of study but may wish to attend additional sessions in their second year. Both core and optional topics vary from year to year.
2. Students will receive training in the craft of sociology and in research skills, including sessions on: research ethics, turning a literature review into research questions, critical reading and academic writing, and Talking History. Students will also have the opportunity to take courses and attend lectures on many other aspects of research method and design. They will then select these courses in discussion with their Supervisor.
3. Eight to ten hours of optional seminars during the second term (Lent). Part-time students can attend these sessions in either their first or second year of study.
4. Dissertation: all students will write a dissertation on a topic of their choice that allows for theoretically informed empirical analysis of some aspect of political and economic sociology. The choice of dissertation topic is made in consultation with your Supervisor, who can advise you on the suitability and feasibility of your proposed research and on research design. A dissertation workshop provides the opportunity to present aspects of your dissertation work and to receive constructive feedback from academics and fellow students.

The Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge is a world-class centre for teaching and research in Sociology. It has a proud tradition of research grounded in engagement with contemporary real-world issues.

Our Department is ranked first for Sociology in the Complete University Guide League Table 2025 with a 100% score, and second for Sociology in the Guardian's Best Universities league table 2025.

The Times Higher Education World University ranking 2025 rates our department second overall in the UK for the Social Sciences. The QS World University rankings list our department as sixth of 375 sociology departments across the world in 2025.  

Our PhD programme combines taught content in research methods and academic skills with independent study under the supervision of one or more experts in the student's chosen field.

Many who graduate from our PhD programme go on to become professional researchers or academics; others work in national government, international organisations, NGOs, think tanks, and consultancies.

Our PhD programme aims to create an environment which supports our students:

• to think critically
• to undertake state-of-the-art research in their chosen fields
• to engage with the world at the interface between theory, policy and practice
• to develop a full portfolio of research skills
• to produce a scholarly, exciting and socially relevant PhD
• to move on to interesting and fulfilling jobs

The programme aims to produce graduates who:

• have a critical understanding of the different forms of social and organisational change as seen through the lens of sociology, political science and organisational theory;
• are prepared to lead, build and manage collaborative initiatives of the corporate, public and social sectors to tackle the global wicked problems;
• are skilled in the practice of business planning, financial planning and impact measurement principles and can apply these in a global context to create blueprints for social ventures, social change organisations or internal change projects; and
• are equipped with the advanced quantitative and qualitative research skills required to actively contribute to the academic debate on social innovation and to engage with intellectual rigor with individuals and organisations working towards the development of novel solutions to deep-rooted problems of poverty and inequality in both rich and poor countries.

The programme consists of four modules plus a dissertation, which build on each other towards meeting the above educational aims:

• Module 1: Organising for Social Change

This module looks at the theory and history of social change, innovation and ventures. Students learn and critique ideas from sociology, political science and organisational behaviour in order to build a deep knowledge and understanding of different forms of social and organisational change.

• Module 2: Leading Social Innovation

This module focuses on strategies for leading and executing social innovation. Students examine the distinctive leadership challenges inherent in creating social innovation (as social entrepreneurs and social intrapreneurs within large organisations) and discuss opportunities and challenges of cross-sector collaboration for social change.

• Module 3: Social Innovation in Practice

During this module students work towards building their own social innovation project. Students either create a blueprint for a social venture, develop an internal change project or write up a case study, applying the knowledge and skills gained so far. This part of the course will focus on applying the lessons of project creation, business models, financial planning and social impact into practice in order to make a compelling case for implementation.

• Module 4: Social Innovation Research

Students learn and then apply advanced quantitative and qualitative methods in the study of social innovation and ventures in preparation for the dissertation.

• Dissertation

Students write a dissertation based on primary research related to their own work or other context agreed.

The PhD in Social Anthropology 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 strong High Pass in a Master's degree in Social Anthropology is normally required. 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 also by a general research training curriculum and extensive programme of department seminars and workshops. Students beginning their training through the PhD Pre-Fieldwork Course 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.

A Cambridge PhD in Social Anthropology is very highly regarded, both in the UK and overseas. Department alumni have been enormously influential in academic Anthropology globally. A major portion of our PhD graduates go on to jobs in academia, while others build very successful careers in the media, civil service, and the NGO sector, among others. The Cambridge University Department of Social Anthropology is unparalleled as a place to study for a PhD, combining world-class teaching and resources with a friendly but intellectually challenging atmosphere.

The Cambridge MPhil by advanced study in Social Anthropology is an intensive 11-month course (early October to end August). The course is academically challenging and is intended for postgraduate students who are studying the subject for the first time, who have studied Anthropology in the context of a more general degree, and/or for those with little knowledge of the tradition of British Social Anthropology.

The degree can be a free-standing qualification or 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.

This is a demanding course which enables students to reach a fairly high level of specialist knowledge in social anthropology within a relatively short time and, subject to performance in their exams and assessed work, equips them to undertake a research degree. Given that MPhil students are supervised on an individual basis in order to provide a programme of teaching tailored to individual needs, the assignment of supervisors is spread as evenly as possible among the staff attached to the Department.

Principal fields of anthropological analysis are covered in two core seminar courses in 'The Scope of Social Anthropology'. Attendance at these is compulsory for all students. These two courses cover, respectively, 'Production and Reproduction', which includes the fields of economic anthropology and kinship; and 'Systems of Power and Knowledge', which includes political anthropology and the anthropology of religion.

Students also take a non-assessed course in theory and methods and one course in a specialist option subject. Different optional papers are on offer each year. Examples of optional papers include : Ethnography; Gender, Kinship and Care; History, Archive, Time. In addition, for those wishing to specialise in a particular professional field, the Department may also offer options in Social Anthropology and Museums and Medical Anthropology. A provisional list of planned modules can be found on the Department's website.

The MPhil is an academically challenging course that enables students to develop their knowledge of social anthropology to a high level of specialization within a short time. It is a demanding course that enables students to develop their knowledge of social anthropology to a high level of specialization within a short time. It is designed for postgraduate students who have a strong background in Social Anthropology, either on its own or as part of a joint degree; and who want to engage directly and more deeply than before with debates in contemporary social anthropology. The course provides specialist social anthropological training in a dynamic programme of research-led teaching and professional development.

In addition to individual supervision to support their dissertation and essay writing, students attend a core course seminar and seminars on specialist modules. The core course covers contemporary themes and concerns in social anthropology as well as professional and skills development. Specialist modules cover research methods and themes related to staff research interests, with topics that vary each year. A provisional list of planned modules can be found on the Department's website.

Students will develop a critical and well-informed understanding of the discipline of social anthropology that they can use as the foundation for focussed individual research, building their capacity for social anthropological research in academic and other professional contexts. For those who intend to go on to doctoral work the course will help them to acquire the requisite research skills and to prepare a well-planned and focussed PhD proposal.

The Slavonic Studies Section at Cambridge is unique in the United Kingdom for offering postgraduates opportunities in the advanced study of Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, with an emphasis on cultural history from the medieval period to the present day. The intellectual vitality of the Section is evident in its thriving research areas: medieval Rus culture; early-modern Ukrainian culture, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian literary and cultural studies of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries; cinema studies; nationalism studies; memory studies; visual culture; the history of science and medicine; print and media culture; sensory history; and Slavonic linguistics. Students taking the PhD in Slavonic Studies may focus on a single national or linguistic tradition or pursue comparative research across languages and national boundaries. A dynamic research culture of public lectures, seminars and conferences, together with a close-knit system of supervision and mentoring, encourages individual and collective endeavour.

The Slavonic Studies Section is part of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, which has a Postgraduate Centre with computing, study, seminar, and social areas. It maintains extensive library resources, which include the Catherine Cooke Collection of Soviet visual materials. Postgraduate students at Cambridge benefit from a rich, diverse research culture, both within the Slavonic Studies section and across the University as a whole.

The Slavonic Studies Section also works in close collaboration with the Cambridge Committee for Central and European and Eurasian Studies (CamCCEEES) and the Cambridge Centre for Research in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CRASSH).

In British universities, the PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) is traditionally awarded solely on the basis of a thesis, a substantial piece of writing in English that reports original research into a closely defined area of enquiry. The completion of the PhD thesis is generally expected to take three to four years, and most funding is based on this assumption. It's also possible to take a part-time route through research degrees, and the expected timeframe would be four to seven years.

During your research, the student will have the opportunity to work closely with a Supervisor who is a specialist in the candidate's research area. In addition to the Supervisor, the candidate will normally also be able to draw on the help and support of one further academic advisor and consult other academics working in related fields. The student might reasonably expect to see their Supervisor fortnightly or at least three times per term.

In addition to providing specialist supervision, the Faculty runs a programme of professional training for the benefit of all research students. The programme includes seminars and workshops on library resources, giving conference papers, publishing, applications and interviews, teaching skills, specialist linguistics training, and film-making. The School of Arts and Humanities runs a central programme covering a range of topics from PhD skills training to language training and writing and editing skills. If you wish, you are likely to be given the opportunity to gain experience in small-group teaching from Colleges. There may also be opportunities to gain some experience in language teaching in the Faculty.