MPhil in Medical Anthropology

The MPhil in Medical Anthropology is a two-year course offering a coordinated training in both biological and social anthropological approaches to health and illness, with special emphasis on methods.

About the Course

The MPhil is similar in topical scope and breadth to the MSc in Medical Anthropology, but it allows for a deeper engagement with the theory and practice of anthropological research. It is intended both as a standalone degree and as a broader and deeper preparation for doctoral research than is possible with the MSc. It provides the necessary basis for future anthropological research and an excellent cross-cultural grounding for those aiming to pursue a career in clinical medicine, international health, or other health-related fields.

Course Structure

An overview of the course structure is provided below. Details of the compulsory and optional elements of the course are provided in the Course components section.

During the first year of the MPhil, you will follow the same course of instruction as MSc students through to the June examinations.
The first year consists of four papers. The three core papers, taught across Michaelmas and Hilary terms, each comprise lectures, tutorials, and seminars.
You will also select an option paper, which may have a topical or regional focus, based on your own interests.
At the end of the first year, you will use the summer vacation to acquire a firm grounding in medical anthropological literature and develop your dissertation outline based on this background reading.
If appropriate, you may also consider carrying out fieldwork over the summer in preparation for your MPhil thesis (if approval from the school is given).
Study towards the MPhil degree in the second year consists of class-based coursework, participation in seminars, and individual research, written up in a thesis.
Coursework in the second year has three components: critical reading classes in Michaelmas term and participation in two different methods classes in Michaelmas term and/or Hilary term.
There is one core seminar series in medical anthropology; the student-led Medical Anthropology Research Seminars.
In addition to those, there is a rich seminar culture at the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography (SAME), and students are expected to actively participate in those.
The research component is comprised of a 30,000-word thesis. MPhil students receive individual tuition from their supervisor on their dissertation writing throughout the second year.

Attendance

The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.

The School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography takes the view that full-time degrees require full-time study, i.e., equivalent to typical employment, around 40 hours per week, throughout the year.
In your first year, you should expect to spend six to eight hours per week in term time in formal teaching contexts (lectures, seminar groups, tutorials, classes), which can be supplemented with attendance of the many research and visiting speaker seminars on offer; the remainder of your time (i.e., around 30 hours per week) should be spent on independent study and preparation of submitted work.
In your second year, you will focus principally on research and writing for your 30,000-word thesis, so the emphasis is on independent study, but you will still be expected to spend three to four hours per week in term time in formal teaching contexts, including a writing-up seminar and field research training, as well as regular meetings with your thesis supervisor, again supplemented by attendance of research seminars and lectures as you choose.
The periods outside term time are considered to be opportunities for further independent study, consolidating and supplementing the knowledge gained during the preceding term, and preparing work for examination, as well as for an appropriate break from study.

Resources to Support Your Study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of resources, including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources, and IT services.

The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department, and institute libraries.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities.
Workspaces are available in the school on a first-come, first-served basis. Laboratory and other dedicated workspaces and equipment for methods teaching will be provided where required.
The Pitt Rivers Museum has its own library, the Balfour Library. The Pitt Rivers Museum also has an online catalogue of its entire collections and a number of dedicated collections-based and research-related websites.
A student-run society, the Oxford University Anthropology Society, runs coffee mornings, talks, and other social and academic events throughout the year.

Supervision

You will receive all or most of your academic supervision in the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography. You will have a named supervisor, possibly two, who will have overall responsibility for the direction of your work from inception to submission.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.
Under exceptional circumstances, a supervisor may be found outside the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography.
Students have the opportunity to meet with their supervisor throughout the second year, to receive tuition on their dissertation writing.

Assessment

First Year

You will be examined on three core papers: one in the second term and two in the third term. During the third term, you will also be examined on one option paper. These assessments will usually take the form of an essay or an unseen timed examination. The examination of these papers in the first year constitutes the qualifying examination for continuation to the second year.

Second Year

The second year consists of coursework alongside the MPhil thesis submitted in the third term. You will receive support from your tutors in devising a viable thesis project, including discussion of relevant literature, questions of methodology, and research implementation.

Graduate Destinations

The conditions for applicants to proceed from an Oxford master's degree to a doctorate are:

A viable project
Agreed supervision
An overall mark of at least 67% in an Oxford anthropology master's degree
The agreement of the School as a whole.

Many graduates from the course enter teaching and research. There is also some recruitment by public bodies, larger private companies, development agencies, NGOs, and other organizations.

Changes to This Course

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration.

Entry Requirements

Proven and Potential Academic Excellence

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown.

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- A first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honors in any discipline.
Under the UK system, applicants should have a minimum of 65% in at least one prior degree.
For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0.

English Language Proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement.

The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.
- IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713): 7.5 overall, with at least 7.0 in each component
- TOEFL iBT (Institution code: 0490): 110 overall, with at least 22 in Listening, 24 in Reading, 25 in Speaking, and 24 in Writing
- C1 Advanced: 191 overall, with at least 185 in each component
- C2 Proficiency: 191 overall, with at least 185 in each component
- Oxford Test of English Advanced: 165 overall, with at least 155 in each component

References

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course.

Supporting Documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application, including:

Official transcript(s)
Personal statement (minimum 1,000 words, maximum 1,500 words)
Written work (two essays, each with a maximum of 2,000 words)

Funding

For entry in the academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships.
Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

Costs

Annual Course Fees

The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.

Home students: Ł25,370
Overseas students: Ł41,380

Additional Costs

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may need to choose a dissertation, a project, or a thesis topic, which may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips.

Living Costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

The range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between Ł1,405 and Ł2,105 for each month spent in Oxford.

College Preference

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. The following colleges accept students on the MPhil in Medical Anthropology:

Balliol College
Blackfriars
Exeter College
Green Templeton College
Hertford College
Keble College
Kellogg College
Linacre College
Magdalen College
Mansfield College
Reuben College
St Antony's College
St Catherine's College
St Cross College
St Hugh's College
St Peter's College
Wolfson College
Wycliffe Hall

How to Apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application, including advice to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department.

MPhil in Medical Anthropology

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