Program Overview

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Anthropological Studies

Overview

Anthropology at Queen's is internationally renowned and a long established and rapidly expanding centre for postgraduate teaching and research training. Examine human behaviour and relationships under expert research supervision and join a vibrant interdisciplinary postgraduate research community that includes students from all over the world.

Entry Requirements

• 2.1

Course Content

The PhD programme is designed to provide training in the methods of independent research and will provide the student with a professional credential at the highest level. The research normally will be based upon an analysis of original field research materials.

Research Areas

Our regional interests include Ireland, the British Isles, Europe, Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, Japan, Latin America and Australia. We offer supervision in a wide range of topics, including:

• Aspects of Social and Economic Change
• Borders, Migration and Transnationalism
• Conflict Transformation and Human Rights
• Emotions and The Senses
• Ethnomusicology
• Gender, Kinship and Marriage
• Human/Animal Relations and Environmentalism
• Identity, Ethnicity and Nationalism
• Symbols and Rituals
• Music, Popular Culture and Tourism
• New Religions and Political Movements
• Performance, Art and Material Culture
• Public Policy

Mode of Study/Duration

Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the School. You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD.

Research Seminars

Anthropology postgraduate life centres around the weekly Anthropology seminar, and a regular postgraduate seminar, as well as regular events within the School, in the Institute for Cognition and Culture and the Institute of Irish Studies.

Community

The postgraduate community within the School is lively, energetic and diverse and, contribute enormously to the research culture of the school. It includes many of our own graduates, as well as graduates of British and Irish universities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, and UCD, and international institutions such as Princeton, Georgetown and Minzu University Beijing.

Careers

We are proud of the students who have graduated with their doctorates. Where possible we stay in touch so that the link and relationships remain long after a student has left the School. View our alumni here.

Recent doctoral graduates in Anthropology have gone on to postdoctoral positions in a range of institutions, including the University of Stirling, University of Oxford, Minzu University, University of Waterloo, Masaryk University, University of Sydney and University College Cork; PhD graduates also find employment with a very wide range of employers, including the Council for International Educational Exchange, Handelsbanken Bank, the Institute for Conflict Research, US News and World Report and the Bangladesh Civil Service.

Subject Summary

The PhD programme is designed to provide training in the methods of independent research and will provide the student with a professional credential at the highest level. The research normally will be based upon an analysis of original field research materials.

Anthropological Studies Highlights

Career Development

• Queen’s is ranked in the top 170 in the world for graduate prospects (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022).

World Class Facilities

• Queen’s was ranked 1st out of 8 UK universities for our Graduate School.

Student Experience

• Anthropology provides each research student with a first and second supervisor and supplies additional training through postgraduate and qualitative research methods seminars.
• Research students discuss and present ongoing work in the weekly postgraduate seminar. They are encouraged to publish an article in an academic journal and present work at national and international conferences.
• Research students can gain teaching experience as tutors in modules taught in the School.
• Overall monitoring and evaluation of progress of research students is carried out by the School Postgraduate Research Committee, which also supports with all issues arising from postgraduate admissions and changes of enrolment.
• Queen’s ranked 18 in the world for international outlook (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023).
• 16% of the Queen’s student population are international students (Queen’s Planning Office, 2023).

Student Testimonials

"Conducting fieldwork in Sri Lanka was a metamorphic experience; I gained invaluable skills collaborating with grassroots organisations, as well as confidence in my own abilities. Writing a thesis is never easy, however the process has allowed me to think deeply and analytically about my passions and will hopefully contribute to a more meaningful understanding of peace-building in the country."
Nirosha Jayawardana

Course Structure

The PhD programme is designed to provide training in the methods of independent research and will provide the student with a professional credential at the highest level. The research normally will be based upon an analysis of original field research materials.

Learning and Teaching

Entrance Requirements

Graduate

The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information can be obtained by contacting the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics.

International Students

For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.

English Language Requirements

Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).

Tuition Fees

Northern Ireland (NI) | £5,006
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Republic of Ireland (ROI) | £5,006
England, Scotland or Wales (GB) | £5,006
EU Other | £20,500
International | £20,500

Additional Course Costs

There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.

Funding and Scholarships

The Funding & Scholarship Finder helps prospective and current students find funding to help cover costs towards a whole range of study related expenses.

How to Apply

Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

Find a Supervisor

If you're interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.

To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here.

You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.