University of Oxford

Research Degrees

The D.Phil. and M.Litt. in Social and Cultural Anthropology aim:

1. To train students in the preparation of independent and original research in Social and Cultural Anthropology
2. To train and guide students in the execution of such research
3. To train and guide students in the scholarly communication of the results of such research
4. To prepare the students for academic employment in social and cultural anthropology or related fields, or in a professional environment where sensitivity to cross-cultural variability is required.

Students will develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of:

• The design of and preparation for an original and independent plan of research.
• The application in original research of research methods of social and cultural anthropology, including qualitative and quantitative aspects.
• The fundamental concepts, techniques, principles and theories in social and cultural anthropology and those relevant to the student’s chosen areas of specialization.
• The application of different theoretical principles within the subject and carry out original research on a topic of their own choice in the form of a thesis.
• The scholarly communication of the results of independent and original research.

The D.Phil. and M.Litt. are substantially the same in their objectives and course structure, but the D.Phil. does so at a considerably higher level of achievement than the M.Litt.

Course structure

Students are admitted either as Probationer Research Students (PRS) or as full D.Phil. students, the latter usually only after the successful completion of a relevant Masters programme, such as the M.Phil. in Social Anthropology, Material Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Medical Anthropology. Students admitted as full D.Phil. students are in principle ready to embark on the programme of research designed in the course of their Masters degree and approved by their D.Phil. supervisor. However, in some cases, the supervisor may decide to require that the student complete a further programme of methodological training or other preparatory work necessary for the proposed programme of research. See the Statement of Graduate Student Provision for details.