The School of Anthropology and Conservation was rated 60% 4* in the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), an excellent result in university terms. 50% of our research output was judged to be of international significance and 20% at 4* quality. Overall our rating was an improvement on the previous RAE, for which we nevertheless received grade 5. The department received an Excellent in the most recent Teaching Quality Assessment. We are recognised by the ESRC, ESRC-NERC and AHRC for our taught programmes in:
Evolved reproductive strategies and fertility studies
Primate behaviour and ecology, especially of great apes
Hominin evolution
Evolutionary Anthropology
Bioarchaeology
Human growth and nutrition
Human behavioural ecology
Specialist topics within the Durrell Institute (DICE) include:
Avian Biology
Biodiversity, conservation and management
Evolutionary Biology
Conservation Genetics
Environmental and Conservation Economics
Important Information and Application Procedures
The first step is to identify and contact a potential supervisor.
Refer to the staff profiles for details of individual research interests.
When a member of staff has agreed to supervise your project, then complete a University of Kent online application form.
The information below regarding ESRC funding is a brief precis only. For full details and application forms for 1+3 and +3 studentships, it is vital that you refer to the ESCR's web-site
For a full ESRC award applicants must be UK citizens or EU citizens with three years' residency in the UK. Other EU citizens are only eligible for an award to pay the fees.
For further details regarding ESRC Open studentships and Quota studentships, please refer to the University website here.
Applications for 2010 entry are now open: closing date 15 April 2010
The University of Kent has established a studentship fund of £1.5M to support research students. This fund allows the University to provide support for more than 100 students in any one year.
Two University Studentships are available to the School of Anthropology and Conservation (including the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology – DICE). The studentship competition is open to all applicants for a PhD wishing to pursue research in one of three broad fields: social anthropology, biological anthropology or biodiversity conservation.
Funding covers tuition fees at the home rate and a maintenance grant up to the full Research Council rate - approx. £13,000 p.a. for 10/11 Where the award is offered to an overseas student the recipient will have to cover the difference in fees from other sources.
Teaching Commitments: The scholarship will require recipients to teach and administer seminars, attend the associated lecture, mark assignments and assist with field trips where appropriate. The total number of hours worked over the two twelve week teaching terms will not exceed the equivalent of six hours a week across an academic year (University Regulations). Scholarship students will also qualify for free tuition on the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education programme. The Scholarships will be offered for one year in the first instance, renewable for a maximum of three years subject to satisfactory academic performance.
Application Information: The scholarship is competitive, and students wishing to apply should initially approach potential supervisors within Anthropology or for biodiversity conservation with supervisors from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), elaborating their research plans and notifying their potential supervisor of their interest in the University Research Studentship. Although dependent on the research project proposed we would, as a minimum, expect candidates to hold a good Honours degree (First or 2i). All studentship applicants must apply through the University of Kent postgraduate admissions process and have been accepted by the university.
THE CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF COMPLETED APPLICATIONS IS 15 April 2010.
Graduate Teaching Scholarships
Applications for 2010 entry are now open: closing date 15 April 2010
The School of Anthropology and Conservation offers ten teaching scholarships to students registered for MPhil research degrees leading to the award of PhD in the School.
These scholarships will require recipients to teach and administer seminars and run/participate in field trips where appropriate. This will involve teaching the seminar, attending the associated lecture, marking assignments and being available to see students. The total number of hours worked over the two twelve week teaching terms will not exceed the equivalent of six hours a week across an academic year (University Regulations). The scholarship will cover the cost of home fees for United Kingdom and European Union students and we will deduct an equivalent amount from the cost of overseas students' fees. Scholarship students will also qualify for free tuition on the Associate Teacher Accreditation Programme - a one-year, part-time programme for new and early career teachers, recognised nationally by the Higher Education Academy (http://www.kent.ac.uk/uelt/academic-practice/apt-dev-prog/PGCHE/index.html). The scholarships are competitive, and students wishing to apply for them should, in the first instance, approach potential supervisors within Anthropology or DICE, elaborating their research plans and notifying their potential supervisor of their interest in a Graduate Teaching Scholarship.
THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 15 APRIL 2010
The Department has been awarded two studentships for either 1+3 or +3 modes. To apply please contact a potential supervisor and then complete a University of Kent masters application form (for an ESRC recognised programme as below) and a PhD application form for the 1+3 mode, or just a PhD application form for the +3 mode. Indicate that you wish to be considered for the Quota award by selecting 'ESRC' against 'How are you funding your studies?' on the University of Kent application form.
The closing date for applications to be received by the Department is Thursday 8th April 2010. Applicants must undertake to be available to work on the completion of the ESRC nomination forms between 13th and 16th April.
Under the new ESRC provisions, postgraduate studentships may be awarded for four
years on a 1+3 basis, that is to say, for a package of one year of MA studies followed
by three years of PhD studies, provided that the first year of MA studies is recognized
by the ESCR as a Research Training degree.
The three full-time one-year taught MA programmes at the University of Kent in Social
Anthropology, Environmental Anthropology and Ethnobotany have all been recognized
by the ESCR as Research Training degrees. Students with a good Honours degree in
Anthropology or a cognate discipline are therefore eligible to apply for 1+3 ESRC
studentships for these programmes.
Please contact a potential supervisor as soon as possible, and no later than 20th March 2010, to indicate your intent to apply for the Open Studentship competition.
Students who already hold an MA or MSc degree in Anthropology or a cognate discipline may apply for three-year (+3) ESRC studentships for PhD studies in Anthropology or Ethnobiology, provided that they have completed foundation training which meets the ESRC requirements.
Please contact a potential supervisor as soon as possible, and no later than 20th March 2010, to indicate your intent to apply for the Open Studentship competition.
Students with an MA or MSc degree in either the social sciences or the environmental sciences, or with an equivalent qualification, whose prospective research spans environmental and social issues may apply for joint ESCR-NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) studentships for PhD studies.
Please contact a potential supervisor as soon as possible, and no later than 30th March 2010, to indicate your intent to apply for the Open Studentship competition.
The MA and MSc programmes in Social Anthropology, Environmental Anthropology and Ethnobotany have also been recognised by the ESRC for the funding of CASE studentships for collaborative research with industry (which includes the non-academic sector). Although such awards may be held on 1+3 basis, the ESRC strongly recommends that they be applied for on a +3 basis after completion of an ESRC recognised MA/MSc.
ESRC will announce the results of applications by institutions in April/May and details of studentships available within the department will then be posted. ESRC must be notified of the successful candidate in July 2010
