The PhD programme is research-oriented. The student may be asked to take additional courses or tutorials, and will be required to present an annual written progress report to his/her supervisor. After passing Qualifying Exams 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.

The PhD programme does not have any course requirements aside from the requirement to register for one course per semester. Students who have not studied for their MPhil at CUHK will be required to take ANTH 6010 and 6020. Students are required to pass written qualifying examinations in three areas.

Fields of Specialization

The Division focuses geographically on Chinese culture and society (especially South China) and on East and Southeast Asian Studies. Research topics include globalization, gender, heritage, archaeology, tourism, migration, cultures of expertise, cultural psychology, and cultural diversity.