The DPhil in Anthropology is the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography’s advanced research degree, and is awarded to candidates who have completed a substantial original piece of research in the field.

The DPhil in Anthropology is the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography’s advanced research degree, and is awarded to candidates who have completed a substantial original piece of research in the field. Anthropology - the study of humans - is a very diverse field and a wide range of research foci are reflected within the activities and structure of the department (see the description of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography and its constituent units). DPhil students in the department research topics across this wide range of research foci, including migration and migrant populations, social and cultural influences on medical practice and health, material culture and its representation in museums, human cooperation and pro-social behaviour, the evolution of human behaviour, human adaptations and interactions with the environment and technology, and the huge range of topics that fall under the social anthropological concerns of learning about different populations’ versions of the world and relating them to each other.

The programme provides training and practice in developing research skills, especially through fieldwork with human subjects, though this is not compulsory. It also offers practice in analysing, interpreting and writing up research-related materials, and in presenting such materials in seminar-type formats. Upon successful completion of the course students will have developed the skills and a body of work that qualifies them to work as researchers within their chosen area.

Course outline

Most applicants are admitted as Probationer Research Students (PRS) and are expected to complete the degree in 3-4 years (6-8 years part-time). In the first year students attend weekly PRS seminars which provide training in research and writing as well as research presentation and critique; during this period you will develop and begin work on your thesis topic.

Assessment

You will be admitted to the course as a Probationer Research Student (PRS), unless you already hold an Oxford MPhil degree in anthropology and are continuing research in the area of your MPhil thesis. Oxford MPhil students may be admitted directly with full DPhil student status.

If you are admitted with PRS status, you will have to apply to transfer to full DPhil student status by the end of the first year for full-time students or the end of the second year for part-time students. Students who are successful at transfer will also be expected to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status, to show that your work continues to be on track. Both milestones will involve submission of a c.20,000-word document and an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide important experience for the final oral examination. This will normally occur by the 9th term of full-time students and by the 18th term for part-time students.

Graduate destinations

Many graduates from the course enter teaching and research. Others go on to work in government, policy-making, public bodies, larger private companies, development agencies, NGOs and other organisations.