Postgraduate study
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Social Anthropology PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Social Anthropology

Our Social Anthropology group forms an international centre of excellence for postgraduate training, recognised as one of the premier and largest research departments in the UK.

We have developed a distinctive body of research and teaching which systematically links everyday life to key challenges that we face in the contemporary world. This manifests itself in exciting new work on topics including:

  • political violence, law, and peace
  • migration and displacement
  • arts, media and cultural heritage
  • global, public, mental health, diagnostics, and wellbeing
  • infrastructures, innovations, and social justice
  • environment, resources, and sustainability
  • kinship
  • gender, generations, and inheritance
  • sexual and reproductive politics
  • religion and public life
  • creative, multimodal, more-than-human, and collaborative ethnographies

Our research is global in scope. We have established a reputation for work in Europe, and are a major centre for the anthropological study of South Asia. Our specialist interests span other parts of the world, including:

  • Africa
  • East and Southeast Asia
  • the Middle East
  • Latin America
  • North America

Applied research includes policy-related work on:

  • asylum-seekers
  • NGOs
  • healthcare
  • sustainable development
  • cultural heritage *participatory rights

Our work combines emphasis on ethnographic fieldwork with a focus on contemporary issues.

We welcome interdisciplinary research. We are home to the Edinburgh Centre for Medical Anthropology (EdCMA), and have numerous collaborations with colleagues in Law; Geography; History; Classics, and Archaeology; and the Edinburgh College of Art, including the Atelier Network.

We also work closely with the Centre for African Studies (CAS), particularly with research on international development, and the Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS).

Usually undertaken full-time over three years, or part-time over six years, the PhD in Social Anthropology is a research degree in which you will make an original contribution to our knowledge by pursuing an extended and focused piece of research on a topic of your interest.

The PhD programme combines work on your thesis project, usually based on long-term fieldwork, with systematic training in anthropological and social research skills.

The programme is supported by the School of Social and Political Science, which enables you to acquire a broader set of transferable skills during your time with us.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDSocial Anthropology3 YearsFull-timeProgramme structure 2024/25
PhDSocial Anthropology6 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2024/25

The School of Social and Political Science provides Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recognised research training courses for Social Science students across the University. Postgraduate research students can access core, intermediate, and advanced research training courses tailored to the needs of their projects. These include courses and workshops offered by the School’s Research Training Centre.

You are encouraged to participate in taught masters level courses to assist your intellectual development and support your research.

The University’s Institute for Academic Development also provides a range of courses and events to assist with methodological training and career development.

As a PhD student at the School of Social and Political Science, you will have full access to a number of dedicated facilities in the Chrystal Macmillan Building, such as desk areas for quiet and collaborative study.

You will also have access to the University’s outstanding research library and archive facilities. These include the University’s Main Library, one of the largest academic libraries in the world with more than 2,300 study spaces, as well as the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish Records Office. 

Proximity to the Scottish Parliament and other institutions of national government provides further research opportunities.

We are deeply committed to our students at all levels. Our cosmopolitan community of postgraduate researchers, from the UK, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, make a critical contribution to the thriving research environment in Edinburgh.

In a typical year we have a total of around thirty PhD students from different cohorts registered in core Social Anthropology, with others working in specialist research centres like the Centre of African Studies and the Centre for South Asian Studies.

STAR

In 2007 we launched the STAR (Scottish Training in Anthropological Research) Programme, bringing together PhD students and early career researchers from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, St Andrews, and Glasgow. Each year we jointly run two intensive workshops, combining training in anthropological skills with distinguished international guests providing masterclasses.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in social anthropology. Your application will also be considered if you have a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in another subject, and a postgraduate masters level degree in social anthropology.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
  • Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDSocial Anthropology3 YearsFull-timeTuition fees
PhDSocial Anthropology6 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money

    • taking out a loan

    • family support

  • personal savings

  • income from work

  • employer sponsorship

  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

For specialised guidance on submitting a competitive scholarship application, please follow the requirements and recommendations and how to contact relevant academic staff as advised here:

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • Graduate School of Social & Political Science
  • Chrystal Macmillan Building
  • 15A George Square
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9LD
Programme start date Application deadline
8 September 2025 30 June 2025

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

You must submit two references with your application.

You must submit a research proposal demonstrating your knowledge of your field of research, which will be closely scrutinised as part of the decision-making process. We request that PhD research proposals are no more than four A4 typed pages in Times New Roman, 12pt font. This includes charts and figures but does not include references or a bibliography.

We require PhD applicants in particular to contact potential supervisors before applying to discuss their research proposal so we can ensure there is adequate supervision.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • Graduate School of Social & Political Science
  • Chrystal Macmillan Building
  • 15A George Square
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9LD