Graduate Research in Anthropology - General Overview

The Australian National University is a leading international centre for anthropological research on Aboriginal Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Asia.

Graduate Research in Anthropology draws on the resources and expertise of the Department of Anthropology, the Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program and the Gender Relations Project in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology in the The Faculties, the North Australia Research Unit, the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, and the Centre for Cross Cultural Research. There are close links with other disciplines within the University such as Linguistics, Human Geography and Southeast Asian Studies.

Fieldwork is an important component, particularly at PhD level where students are encouraged to undertake intensive fieldwork studies of eighteen months. Short fieldwork studies may be possible during a Master degree by research. Scholarship holders normally receive financial support while studying in the field.

Although there is a focus on theoretical studies, staff and students also contribute to the field of applied anthropology through consultancy work, notably in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.