The PhD programme is research-oriented. The student may be asked to take additional courses or tutorials, and will be required to present progress reports to his/her supervisor. After passing the Qualifying Examination and submitting a Research Proposal for a project requiring nine to twelve months of fieldwork, the student advances to PhD Candidate. On return from fieldwork, the student will prepare a thesis based on fieldwork research.

The goals of the PhD programme are

• to teach students the latest theories and methods of anthropology, covering the full range of areas addressed by social and cultural anthropology in the past and at present; and
• to provide students with the anthropological training and guidance to carry out their own extended ethnographic research projects from start (proposal), to fieldwork and write-up, to finish (publication); and
• to train students in producing a publishable book that demonstrates their ability in meeting international professional standards of research and analysis.