Importance of original field research in Social Anthro MSc before PhD?

[Zachary Z]

Hi all, 

I hope you're all enjoying spring! Thank you to anyone who reads this long entry and can provide me with some expertise, especially if you have obtained your PhD. Right now, I am having a really difficult time choosing between some schools for my masters in social anthropology. 

A little bit about my background: I completed my BA in History and Political Science with a minor in Economics in 2023 at a somewhat recognizable, local public school in my hometown of Pittsburgh, US after I had to transfer from Toronto during because of the pandemic. I originally planned on going to law school before having a change of heart. Now, my goal is to obtain my PhD in social anthropology and become a researcher/professor, specifically looking at the historical anthropology of religion and gender/sex. I'm not looking for opinions of the validity of 1 year UK masters programs. I already examined this and determined it would be better for me to obtain one than apply to PhDs without an Anthro masters or stay in the US for a terminal masters, but I digress. 

Currently I am trying to determine the importance of experience conducting original field research in my niche during a MSc before applying to US PhDs. Increasing my odds at a top US PhD (I would love to stay in the UK too, but there are just so many more US schools) would be my priority when choosing where to attend.

I'm trying to decide between LSE, UCL, St Andrew's and Edinburgh. I really want to go to LSE. It seems almost perfect. I love the location (I'm gay and really tired of living in a small city. It's actually so horrific), course structure, modules offered, small cohorts, and recognition that LSE's Anthro department has, especially in the niche of religion and gender. I think the faculty would be a great fit and write the some of the best letters of my options. However, I cannot do original field research, and my dissertation would need to be library based. I'm not sure if this program is for people without fieldwork experience who want to pursue PhDs. Some sources claim that this will hurt my chances at top US PhDs, and others claim it has no bearing. I've reached out to professors at Pitt with no help given. What do you think? It's my top choice if doing a library -based dissertation has no real bearing on my chances of getting a PhD.  

So, if fieldwork experience isn't very important, I would choose LSE. If it is, I guess I'd reluctantly choose between the two least prestigious schools I got into, UCL and Edinburgh. I have other gripes with St., Andrew's not adequately preparing me with enough relevant substantive courses as well as its isolating location.  Can anyone speak to the importance of fieldwork in my field before applying to PhDs in the US?

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. I really hope some of you could provide your kind and genuine thoughts given what you know and your experiences. 

[Maya Reyes]

Not in social anthropology myself, so take this with that caveat.

The LSE library-based dissertation question really depends on where you want to apply and who's on those admissions committees. Some US anthro programs weight the theoretical and analytical capacity demonstrated in an MA thesis over whether it was field-based or library-based(particularly for historically-oriented subfields like yours). Historical anthropology of religion and gender seems more amenable to archival/library methods than contemporary ethnographic fieldwork.

The faculty letter quality you mentioned from LSE could be decisive. Admission to top US PhD programs is heavily relationship-driven, and a strong letter from a recognizable LSE faculty member in your specific niche could outweigh the fieldwork question.

My non-expert suggestion: reach out directly to 2–3 faculty at the specific US PhD programs you're targeting and ask them directly. Faculty, not admissions staff. Frame it as: "I'm deciding between a library-based MSc at LSE and a field-based program elsewhere, what would make me a stronger candidate for your program?" Most will respond, and you'll get much better signal than general advice.

Good luck! Sounds like a genuinely hard decision with good options on both sides.