MPhil/PhD

The MPhil/PhD programme has been a key element in the life of the Department for many years. We place the highest priority on the field research of our postgraduate students and on their professional development. (For a list of PhD dissertations in the Department, click here.) The programme has a strongly international character, with students from a range of cultural and academic backgrounds.

(Please note that Home/EU students who are eligible for admission to the MPhil/PhD programme and who intend to apply to the ESRC for a studentship will normally be admitted to the MSc Social Anthropology (Research) programme if they are offered a place.  This is to satisfy the requirements of the ESRC about methodological training during the first year of a research degree programme. Nevertheless, all applicants wishing to study for the PhD should apply only for the MPhil/PhD programme. Registration for the MSc Social Anthropology (Research) does not affect any of the coursework requirements for the MPhil/PhD, and will not change the length of time necessary for the completion of the PhD.  Further guidance about the MSc Social Anthropology (Research) and any further issues raised by it will be dealt with as and when they arise for individual students after their applications for MPhil/PhD have been received.)

Admissions requirements

We are especially interested in receiving applications for research in topic areas which reflect the interests and expertise of our members of staff.  (For a list of our departmental research interests, click here.)

In order to be considered for direct admission to the MPhil/PhD programme, you must have gained at least an upper second class honours degree in social anthropology from a British university, or you must have completed an MA or MSc in social anthropology at a British university to a high standard. If you do not have these qualifications, you will be asked to register for one of our MSc programmes first, with specific additional conditions for students on the MSc Anthropology and Development, the MSc Law, Anthropology and Society and the MSc China in Comparative Perspective.  While studying for the MSc, you may apply for admission to the MPhil/PhD programme in the following year, although satisfactory completion of the MSc ("merit" standard in the examination) is required before an offer of admission to MPhil/PhD can be confirmed.

However, if you will be supported by a scholarship which can be held only for a research degree and not for the MSc degree, you should write directly to the Department's Graduate Selectors to discuss the problem in relation to your individual circumstances.

Each year we receive queries from overseas students with considerable experience of anthropology who wish to be admitted directly onto the MPhil/PhD programme.  Please note, however, that UK PhD programmes are normally very different in structure from those in the US and elsewhere - and in most cases they are significantly shorter in duration.  Unlike comparable US doctoral programmes in anthropology, ours does not start with a significant coursework component (typically known in the US as the "qualifying year"), but instead immediately focuses on research preparation.  Taking an MSc programme before you begin this preparation for fieldwork will:  (1) help to ensure that you have a reasonably solid grounding in the basic principles of social anthropology before your fieldwork; and (2) give you time, while in residence in our Department, to clarify your ideas about the research you intend to carry out.

Funding opportunities and application deadlines

Every year we put forward a number of high-calibre applicants to be considered for ESRC 1+3, ORSAS and LSE PhD Scholarships (see the Financial Support Office's web page for Applicants to Research Programmes for more details).

While we do not have an actual fixed deadline for applications to the MPhil/PhD programme, you should apply by the end of January if you wish to be considered for the maximum number of applicable awards for the following academic year.

Pre-fieldwork training and fieldwork

The first year of the programme focuses on research preparation and methodological training.  (As noted above, some Home/EU students will be registered as MSc Social Anthropology  [Research Track] students during this year.)

Students will take courses and seminars based in the Department of Anthropology. Depending on their qualifications and background, students will also be asked to take additional general coursework in social anthropology by attending a lecture course in, for example, Kinship or Religion. Throughout the pre-fieldwork year, the main work of students will be to prepare - in close consultation with their supervisors - a formal research proposal (with a 10,000 word limit).  These are formally examined by the Department. Students are normally upgraded from MPhil to PhD registration if their proposals have been approved, and if they have achieved the required marks on their methodology coursework.  They are then allowed to proceed to fieldwork.  (Note that students registered for the MSc [Research Track] will be upgraded in the same way.)

During fieldwork - depending on the practicalities of communication - students are expected to maintain close contact with their supervisors about the progress of their work.  Most of our students carry out fieldwork of approximately 18 months duration.

Post-fieldwork

After fieldwork, doctoral candidates  begin writing their PhD dissertations under the close supervision of members of staff.  During this period of their studies, they attend weekly thesis-writing seminars, and fortnightly seminars on recent developments in anthropology as well as departmental seminars on anthropological theory.  Most students are able to complete their dissertations about one or two years after their fieldwork has ended.

Please click here for the home page of the online Graduate Prospectus, which contains further information and an application form. Follow this link for the prospectus page about the MPhil/PhD Anthropology

If you have questions beyond those addressed in the Graduate Prospectus, please check the Department's FAQ page before contacting the Department.

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