phd in physical anthropology

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PhD in Anthropology: Biological Anthropology

Program overview.

Admission | Advising  | MPH/PhD | Concentrations  |  Program Structure  | Events

Graduate students in Biological Anthropology acquire the PhD degree through mastery of a core curriculum and completion of advanced study and research in a chosen field of specialization. The curricular goal is to foster understanding of human biological adaptation and its evolutionary basis through study of ecological, demographic, genetic, developmental, paleontological, behavioral, and epidemiological dimensions of human adaptation. Comprehensive training in theory and topical research provides the base from which a student’s specialization can be developed under the direction of a Supervisory Committee .

During the first six quarters of enrollment, the student gains contact with faculty in the program and acquires the general competence and background necessary for advanced work through a series of required core courses. The comprehensive and general examinations follow this part of the program. The second part of the program involves research and completion of an acceptable dissertation project. Ideal time for completion of the entire program is five to six years.

Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to submit GRE's. An applicant for admission to the graduate program must have a BA or BS degree. An undergraduate major in anthropology is helpful, but those who have not majored in anthropology are also encouraged to apply. In the review of an application, course work in the following areas is considered especially desirable as preparatory for advanced studies: biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, biology and zoology, mathematics, and statistics. Before applying, prospective applicants are strongly advised to consult the list of departmental biological anthropology faculty, to carefully note whether the faculty they are interested in working with are accepting new graduate students, and to get in touch with prospective faculty mentors. 

The application deadline for enrollment beginning in Autumn 2025 is December 15, 2024.  Applications open on September 1st, 2024. Applicants may apply for and be admitted for autumn quarter only. Offers of admission are usually mailed prior to the first of March. Those receiving offers of admission must respond by April 15.  Please visit the Graduate School's  Admission Requirements  page for a complete list of requirements. Visit  Anthropology's Graduate Admissions  page for admission information specific to our department. Visit  Apply Now  to submit your application. 

An entering student is assigned a chair (advisor) from the biological anthropology faculty. Students should stay in regular contact with their chair, bring questions to them, keep them apprised of their progress, let them know of challenges they are facing and consult with this person each quarter concerning study plans. A student may change to have another chair based on the changing interests of the student—however students should always have at least one chair.

Within one quarter after the successful completion of their comprehensive examination, the student should work with their chair to choose an associate advisor from the biological anthropology graduate faculty. The associate advisor is intended to be a resource for students to help provide them multiple perspectives and support. As with the chair (primary advisor), a student may change to have another associate advisor. The student should meet at least once a year with their associate advisor to keep them apprised of their progress, inform them of their research plans, get feedback and ask questions.  Should a student have a co-chair an additional associate advisor is not necessary.

MPH/PhD Concurrent degree program

This concurrent degree program offers interdisciplinary curriculum in the fields of public health and anthropology. Students who complete this program will receive two degrees, a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Anthropology. Students will matriculate into one of four MPH tracks and complete either the Sociocultural OR Biological Anthropology PhD track programs. For more information about this option please visit MPH/PhD Program .

Statistics Concentration

Graduate student pursuing a PhD in anthropology may also consider completing a  Statistics Concentration in Anthropology .

Please visit the Department of Anthropology's main calendar  and the  Biological Anthropology Seminar Series (BASS)  calendar for a list of upcoming events.

Program Structure

Supervisory Committee | PhD Degree | Curriculum | Comprehensive (Written) Examination |   Dissertation Proposal | Colloquium | General (Oral) Examination | Teaching Requirement  | Seminar & Final Examination | Grant Funding & Publishing

Supervisory Committee

A student should always have at least one chair (faculty advisor) throughout their entire time in the PhD program, although a student may change to another chair. Students should constitute a full committee as they begin to write their dissertation proposal. The student should discuss committee member choices with their chair and their developing projects with prospective committee members. Associate advisors may be members of the Supervisory Committee, but are not required to be.

Please refer  Policy 4.2: Supervisory Committee for Graduate Students for a complete list of Supervisory Committee composition requirements. The Supervisory Committee shall consist of a chair (who is the primary the advisor) chosen from the graduate faculty in biological anthropology, a Graduate School Representative (GSR), and from two to four other members. At least half of the full committee (excluding the GSR) must be from the biological anthropology faculty. The GSR committee member must not be in the same department as the student/committee chair and must not have collaborations or other conflicts of interest with the student/committee chair. 

Faculty become official members of the committee when (1) the student submits a completed form for establishing a PhD Supervisory Committee   to the Graduate Program Assistant, and (2) the Graduate School responds by officially inviting all proposed committee members to serve as members of the supervisory committee.  At least three members of the Supervisory Committee will also serve on the PhD dissertation Reading Committee. Students should contact the Graduate Program Assistant if they would like to change the composition of their committee after it is officially established.

To obtain a PhD, the student must:

• Satisfy the Graduate School's requirements ( see the UW Graduate School ).
• Complete the core curriculum.
• Pass the comprehensive examination.
• Submit an acceptable PhD dissertation proposal.
• Present a dissertation colloquium.
• Pass the general examination.
• Fulfill the teaching requirement.
• Submit an acceptable PhD dissertation; present a seminar based on the dissertation.
• Pass the final examination.

a) A student with a limited background in biological anthropology must complete, upon entry to the program:

BIO A 502 (6 credits) Preceptorial Reading in Biological Anthropology.

b) If, in the view of the chair (advisor), a student has a limited background in other subfields of anthropology, the student must complete, as soon as possible, either or both of the following:

i)       ANTH 500     (6 cr) Preceptorial Reading in Sociocultural Anthropology ii)      ARCHY 501 (6 cr) Preceptorial Reading in Archaeology

c) Students must take at least five 400 or 500 level BIO A core courses (of at least 3 credits each). Among these five courses, students must complete at least one course in each of the four core competency areas. A single course can only fulfill competency requirements for one area at a time. Students should select their core courses in consultation with their advisor(s).  Students who have taken graduate courses at other institutions may petition for one or more of these courses to count towards their PhD requirements. Students who want to petition for this should work with their chair to generate a written request for consideration by the biological anthropology faculty.

Core competency areas:

1)     Human Biology/Health (HB) 2)     Paleoanthropology/Anatomy (PA) 3)     Evolution (E) 4)     Primatology (P)

Core courses with competency area categories in parentheses:

• BIO A 413 Human-Primate Interface: Implications for Disease, Risk, & Conservation (P)
• BIO A 420 Anthropological Research on Health Disparities (HB)
• BIO A 450 Biodemography Seminar  (HB, E)                                                                     
• BIO A 454  Hormones & Behavior: Seminar (HB)​​​ Must be taken w/ BIO A 455                    
• BIO A 455 Lab Methods in Hormones & Behavior (HB) Must be taken w/ BIO A 454
• BIO A 465 Nutritional Anthropology  (HB)
• BIO A 470 Evolution of Human Behavior (E)
• BIO A 471 Biocultural Perspectives Childcare Development (HB, E)
• BIO A 473 Biological Adaptability of Human Populations  (HB, E)
• BIO A 476 Sociocultural Ecology and Health  (HB, E)
• BIO A 477 Evolutionary Perspectives on Sex and Gender Roles  (E)
• BIO A 482 Human Population Genetics  (E)
• BIO A 483 Human Genetics, Disease, and Culture  (HB, E)
• BIO A 484 Applied Methods in Human Growth & Development (HB)
• BIO A 485 Research in Growth and Development (HB, E)
• BIO A 486 Primate Socioecology  (P, E)
• BIO A 487 Human and Comparative Osteology  (P)
• BIO A 488 Primate Evolution  (P, E, PA)
• BIO A 491 Issues in Human Paleontology  (PA)
• BIO A 495 Growth and Development: Infancy  (HB)
• BIO A 496 Growth and Development: Adolescence and Reproductive Maturity  (HB)
• BIO A 520 Human Behavioral Ecology (3-5) (E)
• BIO A 521 Hominin Evolution  (E, PA)
• BIO A 522 Hominin Evolution   (E, PA)
• BIO A 523 Social Networks and Health: Biocultural Perspectives  (HB)
• BIO A 526 Quantitative Methods and Modeling for Biocultural Anthropology (HB)
• BIO A 544 Applied Biomechanics of Human Movement  (PA)
• BIO A 550 Skeletal Biology and Prehistoric Demography  (PA)
• BIO A 559 Laboratory Methods in Anthropological Genetics  
• BIO A 568 Human Reproductive Ecology  (E, HB)
• BIO A 569 Behavioral Ecology and Demography  (E)
• BIO A 584 Topics in Ecology and Adaptation  (E)
• BIO A 588 Topics in Primate Evolution  (PA, P)
• BIO A 591 Issues in Hominin Paleontology  (PA)

d) In addition to the five core courses required above students must take BIO A 525  Biocultural Research Methods & Study Design

e) These courses provide a broad view of the theory, methods, research, and ethical concerns of biological anthropology. Training in the ethical conduct of research is woven throughout BIO A topical courses and graduate student professional development, with the goal of understanding past, present, and future ethical considerations of the discipline. These courses also provide students an opportunity to identify their primary research and theoretical and methodological expertise of the faculty. A student must complete the core courses with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. A grade of less than 2.7 in any core course is unsatisfactory; normally, the student must repeat the course, but may, by petition to the biological anthropology faculty, seek to remedy the deficiency in another way.

f) Finally, each student must complete one of the below statistics sequences for a grade (or the equivalent as approved by the biological anthropology faculty)

BIOST 511, 512, and 513 , or BIOST 517 and 518 , or SOC 504, 505, and 506, or POL S 500, 501, and 503

g) Each student must satisfactorily complete all of the requirement listed above (except completion of BIO A 525  Biocultural Research Methods & Study Design) before taking the comprehensive examination.

h) Students may choose to take additional courses relevant to their particular research interests; these should be chosen in consultation with the student’s committee members and other advisors.

i) While in residence, PhD students are expected to attend the biological anthropology seminar series (BASS). If there are extenuating circumstances which make this difficult, the student should discuss these with their advisor. BASS is designed to be a forum for professional development and features a combination of research seminars from students and faculty at the UW and beyond as well as occasional sessions on topics such as career development. Students should reserve the BASS time slots on their calendar ( https://anthropology.washington.edu/bass-calendar ).

j) A student must register for a minimum of 27 credits of dissertation writing (ANTH 800) over a period of at least three quarters. 

Comprehensive (Written) Examination

This is an examination of the student’s general knowledge of biological anthropology, as derived primarily from the contents of the core courses and as applied to current issues in the field. The examination consists of questions selected by the faculty and is designed to test a student’s ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate theories, concepts and data. Students are expected to work with their chair to pick an additional one or two committee members. No official paperwork needs to be submitted to create a pre-masters comprehensive written examination committee.  This comprehensive written examination committee will make a recommendation to the graduate faculty in biological anthropology who will determine the final score of the exam.

Students are expected to take this examination during finals week in the spring quarter of their second year. The faculty sets the dates of the examination. S tudents must submit a Master's Degree request (non-thesis) in MyGrad prior to the exam . Please refer to the Procedural Steps to Degree page for details about how to submit requests in MyGrad.   The exam comprises four questions and is scheduled for six hours. The complete examination may be taken once and leads to one of three outcomes:

• Pass, with the recommendation to proceed in the PhD program – awarded when the score on each question is 3.0 or above.
• Conditional Pass – awarded when the answer to one or two questions are scored at or below 2.9. The condition is satisfied when the student demonstrates competence by successfully retaking the relevant portion(s) of the examination.
• Failure – awarded when the answers to three or more questions are scored at or below 2.9. Students who fail this examination may not proceed toward the PhD although they may, provided the overall score on the comprehensive examination is at least 2.7, earn a terminal MA.

Master's Degree

Upon completion of all required coursework and scoring at least 2.7 overall on the comprehensive examination the student can obtain a Master of Arts (MA) in Anthropology: Biological Anthropology.  Once the Graduate Program Assistant is informed that the student has completed their Comprehensive (Written) Examination and fulfilled all related degree requirements, the degree request will be approved .

Dissertation Proposal

Students should constitute a complete Supervisory Committee as they begin to write their dissertation proposal.   After completing the master’s degree, the student subsequently presents a formal written proposal of original research to the Supervisory Committee. The Supervisory Committee may require the student to complete one or more literature reviews as part of developing the dissertation proposal. Where appropriate, the proposal should be prepared in a form suitable for submission to a funding agency (e.g. NSF DDIG).

The candidate presents an overview of the proposed dissertation research in a colloquium to which all members of the Department of Anthropology are invited. The colloquium is usually held before the general exam, but also can be combined with the general examination.

General (Oral) Examination

A two-hour general examination focusing on the candidates proposed area of research and its theoretical and methodological foundation is administered by the Supervisory Committee . The general examination should be taken within five quarters (of enrollment) of taking the comprehensive examination. Students must submit a Doctoral (General Exam) request in MyGrad prior to the exam .  Please refer to the Procedural Steps to Degree page for details about how to submit requests in MyGrad.

The PhC is normally conferred once the student receives a Pass on their General Examination, and all department and  UW Graduate School requirements are met. Once the Graduate Program Assistant is informed that the student has completed their General Examination and fulfilled all related degree requirements, the exam request will be approved. 

Teaching Requirement

Before receiving the PhD degree, the candidate is expected to serve as a teaching assistant in anthropology, or teach a course in anthropology at least once. The course must be evaluated by the students enrolled and this evaluation should be shared and discussed with the PhD student's chair. 

Seminar & Final Examination

Following completion of research, the candidate prepares a dissertation which is submitted to the dissertation Reading Committee . On the recommendation of this committee, the candidate presents to the community a seminar based upon the dissertation, and then sits for the Final Examination (an oral defense of the dissertation required by the Graduate School and administered by the PhD Supervisory Committee ).

Once the date and time of the final examination have been established, the student must submit a Doctoral (Final Exam) request in MyGrad . Please refer to the Procedural Steps to Degree page for details about how to submit requests in MyGrad.   For information about how to submit the dissertation, visit the Dissertation Submission  page and the Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs): Overview . Please take note of any relevant deadlines on the Graduate student dates & deadlines and the Academic Calendar .

Grant Funding & Publishing

While not a formal requirement of the PhD program, students are strongly encouraged to apply for external grant funding and to begin publishing their research in peer-reviewed journals before completion of their PhDs. Peer-reviewed publications allow the broader dissemination of one’s work to benefit the scientific community and demonstrate one’s capability to so meaningfully contribute. Grant funding allows one to conduct higher quality research and demonstrates one’s ability to support their work and have an external check on the merits of their research plans. It is difficult to get post-PhD jobs in academia without a strong grant funding and publication record. For students who decide not to continue in academia, grants and publications are still likely to be helpful on the job market. Students should strategize with the chair of their Supervisory Committee and associate advisor about applying for grants and submitting their work for publication.

Please visit the Graduation Requirement page for a comprehensive list of University requirements. 

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Ph.D. in Anthropology

Earn Your PhD in Anthropology

Our Ph.D. program in anthropology is designed to provide a broad background in the field with a primary emphasis on sociocultural anthropology, biological anthropology, or archaeology. The degree prepares students for careers in academia, consulting, or other applied professions in the discipline. 

The major foci of research and instruction in sociocultural anthropology include religion, law and politics, ethnicity, gender, history and anthropology, problems of social change and economic development, culture and the environment, cognition and culture, and medical/psychological anthropology. The study of the Islamic world, East and Southeast Asia, and Africa are the greatest strengths among our sociocultural faculty and students. 

In biological anthropology, our faculty and students primarily study living and fossil human and non-human primates, including their evolutionary morphology, behavior, genomics, and sensory adaptations. For more information on ongoing research in biological anthropology, visit our laboratories page . 

Finally, the major foci in archaeology include human-environment interactions, urbanism, households, and material culture viewed in deep historical perspective. Faculty and students are primarily interested in Mesoamerica, North America, and the Mediterranean. To learn more about research and fieldwork in archaeology, click here .

PhD Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate mastery of the fundamentals of the traditional four subfields of American anthropology (social/cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology) sufficiently to make them effective and competent teachers of introductory undergraduate courses in general anthropology, social/cultural anthropology, and/or biological anthropology.
• Demonstrate the ability to conceive, plan, propose, carry out, and write up a major piece of anthropological research, related to current theoretical discourse in their chosen subfield and constituting a significant contribution to the discipline.
• Be able to make compelling and interesting presentations of their ideas and findings to audiences of professional anthropologists in several forms—oral, written, and graphic.
• Carry out all these tasks in a manner consonant with the highest prevailing standards of ethical and professional conduct in research and teaching.

Each year, Boston University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) offers incoming Ph.D. students Dean’s Fellowships, which include full tuition, a living stipend, and health insurance for five years; along with a new summer stipend beginning in 2021.

For more information on financial aid for doctoral students, visit the GRS page on fellowship aid .

Department of Anthropology

College of Social Science

The Doctoral Program in Anthropology at MSU is designed to prepare students for careers as professional anthropologists in a variety of job settings, including academia, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, non-profit foundations, and private industry.

Archaeology

The graduate program in archaeology at Michigan State University encompasses a broad range of potential research specialties, with students engaged in fieldwork, collections research, and heritage management in North and Mesoamerica, Europe, the Mediterranean, sub-Sahara Africa, and the Near East. Program faculty have expertise in landscape archaeology, cultural heritage, frontiers, mortuary archaeology, gender, experimental archaeology, digital archaeology, the foraging/farming transition, and paleoenvironmental change, among others. Graduate students successfully compete for external funding from multiple sources, including the National Science Foundation, Wenner Gren Foundation, Fulbright Hays and IIE, FLAS, as well as programmatic and institutional sources. The archaeology graduate program has strong linkages to MSU area study centers, the MSU Museum, MATRIX: The Center for Humane Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences Online, and other university departments, as well as collaborative inter-institutional research ties, which provides our students with a flexible choice of individual program options tailored to their specific interests. Important institutionally centered programs include the Cultural Heritage Informatics Initiative (CHI), Campus Archaeology (CAP), and MSU Museum curation. Archaeology program participants are expected to enroll in the anthropology department core graduate curriculum, in addition to specialized archaeological theory and methods requirements. Graduates of the MSU archaeology program are employed in academia, government, and the private sector. Archaeology program faculty invite and welcome communication from prospective graduate students with aligned research interests.

Medical Anthropology

The Medical Anthropology graduate program at MSU distinguishes itself by its focus on the culture of biomedicine, ethnomedical systems, and health disparities within the larger political, social, and cultural contexts of the US and abroad. The program is research oriented and introduces students to major theoretical approaches to health, illness, and society. The depth of qualitative and critical analysis medical anthropologists bring to interdisciplinary teams of researchers and healthcare practitioners is widely sought after. The Medical Anthropology program attracts not only excellent students, but also a diverse group of students from a broad cross-section of other disciplines. Training in the program includes graduate seminars in medical anthropology and course work tailored to meet students’ individual research interests. The graduate students in medical anthropology have an excellent record of attracting major extramural funding. Graduates hold faculty positions in the U.S. and abroad as well as in government and non-governmental organizations. Several graduate students in medical anthropology have pursued joint degrees or additional certifications from other departments at MSU, such as Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Master of Public Health, or a Certificate in Bioethics. The Medical Anthropology faculty have specific collaborations with a variety of center and institutes across MSU, including African Studies Center, American Indian Studies, Asian Studies Center, Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Center for Women in Global Context, Chicano Latino Studies, Julian Samora Research Institute, and the Program in Public Health.

Physical Anthropology

The graduate program in physical anthropology at Michigan State University has three specialties: forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and the human biology of contemporary populations. During the past decade physical anthropology at MSU has risen to national prominence in research, graduate education, and outreach. The reputation of the program has been elevated by publications that appear in top journals and significant edited volumes; external funding for research through competitive grants; the recruitment of top student applicants from across the world; faculty holding the highest offices in national organizations; and through significant forensic contributions to medical examiner offices and law enforcement agencies. This national reputation is also reflected in the number of national awards recently won by the program’s students and faculty. Students in the program have the opportunity to train in numerous dedicated laboratories: the MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory , the MSU Bioarchaeology Laboratory, the Mis Island Nubian Skeletal Collection, and the MSU Biomarker Laboratory for Anthropological Research. MSU physical anthropology also has a strong international presence as demonstrated by its research initiatives: 1) Bioarchaeological research projects in Central America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and East Africa; 2) Human biology research projects in Africa and South America; and 3) Collaboration with scholars and students from foreign universities and research institutes. MSU physical anthropology is committed to interdisciplinary efforts across the University and beyond. In keeping with the goals of STEM research, we have developed significant research linkages with the Forensic Science Masters Program, the Colleges of Human Medicine at MSU, the MSU College of Engineering, and Sparrow Hospital. Within the anthropology department, physical anthropology has strong linkages with the archaeology faculty, who are members on many graduate student committees. Graduates of the MSU physical anthropology program are employed in academia, federal agencies (including JPAC-CILHI), and medical examiner offices. The physical anthropology faculty welcomes communication from prospective graduate students with aligned research interests.

Sociocultural & Linguistics Anthropology

The department’s sociocultural and linguistic anthropologists have collaborated programmatically across the last decade and a half. Building on a shared focus on discourse and the exploration of how power works in and through language, sociocultural and linguistic faculty created the department’s successful Culture, Resources, and Power program in the late 1990s. Sociocultural and linguistic anthropology faculty have recently begun to revise their program to better reflect current areas of overlap in their research, which have changed due to retirements and new hires, as well as the emergence of new issues and the initiation of new research projects. Faculty across these two subfields have identified research strengths that intersect in the following three broadly defined thematic areas: Mapping Global Circulations and Identities; Knowledge, History and Critique ; and New Governmental Environments: Development, Rights, and Justice . Currently, twelve regular faculty members, an Academic Specialist, and one fixed-term position are associated with these particular areas of expertise.

Interdisciplinary Work

Graduate students in our department can take advantage of a wide range of MSU resources that support interdisciplinary work. Our graduate students’ guidance committees include faculty from many other departments at MSU. Anthropology graduate students are encouraged, with the consent of their guidance committees, to complete a cognate in a field outside the department. Similarly, the Department offers a cognate in Anthropology to individuals with majors in other disciplines.

The Department of Anthropology participates in several interdepartmental Graduate Specializations. Students in these interdisciplinary programs may be in either a Master’s Degree or a Doctoral Degree program, and can elect Anthropology as their major field or as a cognate field. Examples include: the interdisciplinary Specialization in Infancy and Early Childhood and the interdepartmental Master of Science degree in Forensic Science-Master of Science which includes a specialization in Forensic Anthropology.

Many of our graduate students have obtained certificates of specialization through such interdisciplinary centers as the African Studies Center ; the Center for Gender in Global Context ; and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies . Other interdisciplinary graduate specializations offered by the College of Social Science are listed here College of Social Science Graduate Specializations . The full range of MSU specializations can be found at Academic Programs – Graduate Specializations . The Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior offers a dual degree available to students enrolled in our department.

Many of our students take MSU courses outside the department. MSU graduate students also have the option to enroll in certain courses offered by the Big Ten universities, which form part of the Big Ten Academic Alliance described at https://www.btaa.org/home .

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Doctoral / PHD Programs in Physical and Biological Anthropology

2 universities offer graduate PHD program in Physical and Biological Anthropology

Purdue University-Main Campus

Biological anthropology is the study of the biology and evolution of humans and our closest relatives and implication of this evolution for modern humans and primates. Biological anthropology at Purdue examines the place of humans in natural ecosystems from the broad perspectives of primatology, human biology and bioarchaeology.

We encourage applications for our M.S. Ph.D. program.

Our program includes theoretical and methodological training, coursework and tutorials in quantitative methods, evolutionary theory, history and foundations of biological anthropological thinking, human biology, health and nutrition, primate ecology and conservation, and osteology.

Links to Related Programs and coursework in other Departments at Purdue.

Biological Anthropology

• GRE Required:  Yes
• Research Assistantships:  2894
• Teaching Assistantships:  1690
• Financial Aid: Register to view the details

Kent State University at Kent

The PhD is offered for Human Evolutionary Biology and is administered through the School of Biomedical Sciences.Applications are due by Jan. 1 for domestic applicants (and Dec. 15 for International applicants).

Admission to the program requires a master degree, usually acquired at Kent State. Course requirements are specified by the Division of Biomedical Sciences and the Human Evolutionary Biology Program. Research specialty is the student choice as are all mentoring relationships.

We believe that only such an innovative, inter-disciplinary approach can ultimately lead to a highly detailed account of our own origins. We therefore encourage each Ph.D. student to acquire a broad background and understanding of those disciplines that, when weaved together, holistically account for human evolution. These include neurobiology, primate behavior, biodemography and evolutionary theory, developmental biology, human gross structure, and genetics. We offer classes and mentoring in these areas as well as encouraging students to take advantage of classes in other departments at KSU (biology, psychology, earth sciences, chemistry, geography).

Ph.D. Program Biological Anthropology

• Research Assistantships:  170
• Teaching Assistantships:  518

21 universities offer the Master's program in Physical and Biological Anthropology.

Which one best suits your need?

What kind of scholarships are available for Graduate Programs in Physical and Biological Anthropology?

We have 13 scholarships awarding up to $141,000 for Masters program in for Physical and Biological Anthropology, targeting diverse candidates and not restricted to state or school-based programs.

Scholarship name	Amount	Credibility
	$30,000	High
	$9,000	High
	$5,000	High
	$4,000	High
	$1,250	High

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Biological Anthropology at NYU

Physical anthropology or biological anthropology is an area of investigation that examines all aspects of the biological domain of humans. As a subdiscipline of anthropology it has its intellectual and academic roots in the social sciences, but it also has strong interdisciplinary connections with the natural sciences, especially biology, psychology, ethology and the earth sciences. Consequently, practitioners of biological anthropology have long embraced a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective that integrates a diversity of approaches from the social and natural sciences. Biological anthropologists acknowledge this paradigm as the most profitable for unravelling the complex theoretical and conceptual issues that underlie the study of human beings. In parallel with the remarkable growth and maturation of the natural sciences, knowledge and expertise in biological anthropology has greatly expanded in recent years beyond the intellectual and technical grasp of individual generalists, and as a result the subdiscipline has witnessed a corresponding degree of sub-specialization. The research programs and interests of the biological anthropologists in our department (Profs. Antón, Asangba, Bailey, Higham, and Williams) intersect many of these major subdisciplinary specialties, including primate socioecology, comparative primate morphology, molecular anthropology, paleoanthropology, primate paleontology, and skeletal morphology. In addition to expertise in these specialist areas, faculty and student research is unified by a conceptual and intellectual foundation in genetics, evolutionary theory, ecology, and behavior. We regard these as core themes in a common enterprise that can be referred to as evolutionary primatology – the study of human beings and other primates within an evolutionary context. Our research is based on a solid foundation of traditional approaches and concepts in biological anthropology, an appreciation of the multidisciplinarity of the subdiscipline, and technical and theoretical proficiency in newly emerging specialty areas. The research and training program in our department is distinguished by its unique commitment to integrating laboratory-based and field-based research. We have state-of-the-art laboratories in population genetics, molecular systematics, behavioral endocrinology, paleoanthropology and osteology, with superb facilities for both research and teaching in these areas. In addition, faculty and students are conducting primatological and paleoanthropological research at sites in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, and China. Our faculty maintains an active network of collaborative and educational links with colleagues and institutions worldwide as part of this major international research effort.

New York Consortium for Evolutionary Primatology

The biological anthropologists at New York University participate in the New York Consortium for Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), a unique research and graduate training consortium that brings together researchers, educators and resources from five institutions in New York City – City University of New York, Columbia University, New York University, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo. The consortium includes over sixty scholars with research interests in comparative anatomy, paleontology, molecular systematics, population genetics, social behavior, ecology, and conservation of primates (including humans), spanning the entire breadth of the field of evolutionary primatology. In addition to providing a wider menu of courses for graduate students to choose from, NYCEP also offers an integrated educational curriculum and research program with a multidisciplinary and global agenda. For more information visit: http://www.nycep.org

Center for the Study of Human Origins

The Center for the Study of Human Origins (CSHO) in the Department of Anthropology at New York University was founded in 2002. Its mission is to enhance and facilitate research in all fields of biological anthropology and archaeology that are broadly related to the study of human origins and evolution from a biological and cultural perspective. CSHO’s aim is to foster and support multidisciplinary investigations, with an emphasis on the development of collaborative projects, international fieldwork, and state-of-the-art laboratory research.

Faculty members associated with the Center currently work on aspects of primate and human paleontology, skeletal biology and comparative anatomy, molecular primatology, population genetics, primate socioecology and conservation, Paleolithic archaeology, zooarchaeology, and the origins of symbolism, complex societies, and city-states. In addition to research, the Center also aims to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the study of human origins among the academic community and the public at large through conferences, workshops, educational programs, and outreach activities.

Special Resources and Facilities

Excellent research laboratories dedicated to primate population genetics and molecular primatology, comparative anatomy, paleoanthropology, and human osteology, are available in the department.

In addition, the faculty is engaged in ongoing research at field sites in Africa and Asia

A number of other departments and schools at New York University provide resources of collaboration and instruction. These include the Departments of Biology, the Center for Neural Science, and the various academic departments of the School of Medicine and the College of Dentistry. In addition, the department’s ties to various institutions abroad and in the United States greatly enhance research opportunities available to students interested in primatology, paleoanthropology, and skeletal biology.

The many libraries and museums in New York that are available to students enrolled in the department include the incomparable collections at the American Museum of Natural History.

Through CSHO, the department sponsors a special lecture and workshop series to which leading international scholars are invited to present their latest research.

• Paleoanthropology and Skeletal Morphology Laboratories
• Paleoanthropological Field Studies
• Population Genetics and Molecular Anthropology Laboratory
• Endocrionology Laboratory
• Primate Behavior Field Studies

Susan C. Antón   Research/Interest: Biological anthropology; skeletal biology; evolution of genus Homo; dispersal; evolutionary morphology; human osteology and anatomy; growth, development and life history patterns. Field programs in Asia and the Pacific.

Abigail Asangba

Research/Interest: Host-microbe interactions; human and non-human primate microbiome, preterm birth, gynecologic cancers.

Shara E. Bailey   Research/Interest: Biological anthropology; paleoanthropology; dental morphology and morphometrics; Middle-Late Pleistocene hominins; Neandertals; modern human origins; Plio-Pleistocene hominin evolution; Europe; Africa.

James Higham  Research/Interest: Sexual selection, communication, behavioral endocrinology.

Scott A. Williams  Research/Interest: Human evolution; Evolutionary functional morphology; Fossil hominins; Bipedalism; Trunk; Axial skeleton; Vertebral column; 

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PhD in Biological Anthropology

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The PhD in Biological Anthropology is an opportunity for original research leading to a thesis within a structured research environment that encourages both independence and collaboration. The PhD is normally obtained after three years of study (five years part-time) on an approved topic within the field of Biological Anthropology, and includes an oral examination on the thesis and the general field of knowledge in which it falls. 

The thesis topic is normally proposed by the student and then decided between the student and the supervisor, and assistance is provided on elements of methodology and analysis, as well as with the written presentation. The thesis must satisfy the examiners that the candidate can design and carry out investigations, assess and interpret the results obtained, and place the work in the wider perspective of the subject. The PhD is assessed solely on the basis of the thesis. 

A PhD thesis in Biological Anthropology must represent a significant contribution to knowledge, with a word count of not more than 80,000 words. The work may be in the format of a thesis, or as a collection of at least three research articles first-authored by the student. In the case of the latter, the submission should include an in-depth discussion of the topic on which the work falls, an overall discussion of the results obtained and insights gained, and a single combined bibliography. Students may be required to complete courses in research design, statistical analysis, interpretation, communication and safety during their first Michaelmas term at Cambridge, and attend such lectures and courses as are considered appropriate by their supervisor. 

Learning Outcomes

A PhD thesis in Biological Anthropology is expected to be a lucid, scholarly and substantial research contribution to knowledge on its topic, and to demonstrate a good understanding of the wider context of the chosen topic. 

Students at the University of Cambridge taking an MPhil course that includes taught and research components, such as the MPhil in Human Evolutionary Studies, who wish to continue to the PhD in Biological Anthropology are required to achieve a mark of at least 68 overall in Biological Anthropology or a related subject and at least 68 in the dissertation.

Students who are taking an MPhil course by research, such as the MPhil in Biological Anthropological Science, need to have passed the MPhil to have their admission to the PhD programme confirmed.

Students must submit a PhD research proposal and obtain the support of an appropriate supervisor prior to submitting an application. Funding deadlines concentrate around October-December, so students who wish to apply for a PhD should approach potential supervisors with project ideas early in the academic year.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, department of archaeology, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, lent 2024 (closed).

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Easter 2024 (Closed)

Michaelmas 2024 (closed), easter 2025, funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

Similar Courses

• Human Evolutionary Studies MPhil
• Biological Anthropological Science MPhil
• Archaeology PhD
• Medical Science (Clinical Biochemistry) MPhil
• Medical Science (Medical Genetics) MPhil

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CUNY Graduate Program in Physical Anthropology

The graduate program in physical anthropology at CUNY is based in evolutionary approaches to understanding human and nonhuman primate biology. Student and faculty research is distributed across a broad range of topics in biological anthropology including:

• Paleoanthropology and primate evolution.
• Primate socioecology and conservation biology.
• Genetic and morphological variation and adaptation.
• Nutrition, energetics, and paleopathology.
• Evolutionary morphology, 3D morphometrics, and scientific visualization.
• Skeletal biology, biomechanics, and forensic osteology.
• Human and primate population structure and demographic history.

The CUNY program in Physical Anthropology has played a leading role in creating the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), an inter-institutional training program that gives CUNY physical anthropology students access to faculty, laboratories, and collections at CUNY, New York University, Columbia University, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. All CUNY physical anthropology students are part of the NYCEP training program in which they take special courses jointly taught by CUNY, NYU, AMNH, and Columbia faculty, participate in an annual seminar series, and undertake research with NYCEP faculty in their laboratories and field sites.

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PhD in Anthropology

The PhD program normally requires about five years, and is completely separate from the MA program. That is, students may enter the PhD program directly following their undergraduate degree, and do not necessarily earn a master's degree (although earning the master's degree can be incorporated into the PhD program without increasing the total length of time needed). Students who have already earned a master's degree elsewhere can often receive credit for previous coursework which may shorten the time needed to earn a PhD by as much as a year. Requirements for the PhD include 72 credits of coursework; a foreign language; three of four core courses (cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, or anthropological linguistics); two quantitative methods courses (for students in archaeology and biological anthropology) or a course in field methods and a course in contemporary theory (for students in cultural anthropology); three graduate seminar electives; written comprehensive examinations; fieldwork or equivalent research; and the dissertation.

Complete PhD Requirements

Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences requirements for the PhD also apply. More information on requirements can also be found in the Anthropology Graduate Handbook . 

Advising and Supervision

A faculty advisor is assigned to each incoming student. Students are free to change their advisors at any time to a faculty member who has agreed to work with them. Students consult with their advisors on their course selections,  research and career plans; advisors monitor their advisees' progress in the graduate program.  Progress of all active graduate students is systematically reviewed by the faculty in each subdiscipline annually in the spring term. Students must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval of committees and at other points, as discussed below. Students may also submit petitions about other academic issues that may arise during their studies. Concerns of any kind may be discussed with advisors, the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, and the Department Chair.

Course Credits

A minimum of 72 course credits in the Anthropology Department at the University of Pittsburgh is required for the PhD degree. Of these, at least 42 credits must be in formal courses (as opposed to readings courses, independent study, or thesis or dissertation credits). The remaining 30 credits may be any combination of formal courses, readings courses, independent study, and/or thesis and dissertation credits.

Generally, a full-time student will be enrolled in a minimum of three formal courses during fall and spring terms until the required 42 credits of formal coursework are attained. Full-time students may or may not register or take courses during the summer term. Reading or independent study courses, if taken prior to completion of the 42-credit minimum of formal courses, are generally taken during the summer term or in addition to the three formal courses that are the minimum for full-time students during the fall or spring terms.

A student may petition the Graduate Studies Committee to have courses taken outside of the University of Pittsburgh count toward the 72 credits required for the PhD. Students can transfer up to 30 credits from another approved degree-granting graduate program (12 towards formal coursework and 18 towards informal coursework).

Core Courses/Preliminary Examination

The core course system of the Department of Anthropology fills the role of the preliminary examination in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences requirements for the PhD. A broad foundation based on a general familiarity with all four subfields is considered to be highly beneficial to the practice of anthropology, and core courses are offered in the four subfields of anthropology: cultural anthropology, archeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. PhD students are required to pass (with a grade of B or better) at least three of these four core courses, one of which must be the core course in the student's subdiscipline. (Linguistic anthropology students must complete the core courses both in linguistic anthropology and in cultural anthropology.) Full-time students are expected to pass the required core courses by the end of their first year in residence.

A student with an MA from another institution, or with a strong undergraduate background in one or more subdisciplines, may present transcripts and other relevant documents to petition the Graduate Studies Committee to waive the core course in that subdiscipline(s), as long as it is not a core course specifically required for the student's own subdiscipline. If not granted a waiver, after consultation with the instructor and review of the core course syllabus, a student can take the final exam (when it is normally given) instead of taking a core course for credit. A student may opt to selectively audit a core course to remedy weaknesses in only a few areas and then take the regular final exam. It should be stressed, however, that all exams will be evaluated in the same manner as those of students taking the course for credit.

Language Requirement

Before students advance to candidacy, they must demonstrate competence in a language other than English that is relevant to the student’s research. For common foreign languages (e.g. French, German, Spanish), the student may choose either to 1) pass with a grade of B or better the level 4 or 8 course offered by that language department, or 2) pass at a level determined by this department the examination for evaluating graduate students currently offered by that language department. In the case of languages for which such avenues of evaluation are not available, the student should consult the Graduate Student Handbook and their advisor, and (if necessary) petition the Committee on Graduate Studies for alternative forms of evaluation.

Graduate Elective Seminar Requirements

Students are required to take three graduate elective anthropology seminars. (Students in cultural anthropology who began the program prior to 2022 can satisfy this requirement with Anthropology 2750 (Seminar on Contemporary Theory); students in biological anthropology and archaeology who began the program prior to 2022 are exempted from this requirement.

Method Requirements

Students in archeology must pass with a grade of B or better Anthropology 2534 and Anthropology 2524 (Archeological Data Analysis I and II). Students in biological anthropology must pass with a grade of B or better: 1) Biostatistics 2041 and 2042 (Introduction to Statistical Methods I and II), or, for bioarchaeology concentrators =, Anthropology 2534 and Anthropology 2524 (Archaeological Data Analysis I and II). Archaeology and biological anthropology students may petition the Graduate Studies Committee to accept other courses in quantitative methods in lieu of these. Students in cultural and linguistic anthropology must pass with a grade of B or better Anthropology 2763 (Field Methods).They may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval of other courses to satisfy some of these requirements.

Comprehensive Examinations

After completing the core course requirement and prior to advancement to PhD candidacy, students must pass two comprehensive examinations designed to test breadth and depth of knowledge in the chosen areas of expertise. Students generally take their comprehensive examinations at the end of their third year of residence. A student who fails a comprehensive examination or who has not passed comprehensive examinations by the end of the fourth year of residence (fifth for students in the joint PhD/MPH program) may be dismissed from the program.

Each examination is designed and administered by a committee constructed by the student in consultation with the advisor or the chair of the comprehensive examination committee. The committee consists of at least three faculty members (at least two of whom must be in the department). One of these is designated as chair of the committee. Well in advance of the exam, students submit to the committee a bibliography of sources from which they intend to work. Members of the committee may recommend additional sources. The student must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval of the topic and committee for each examination.

The structure of the comprehensive examinations differs from subfield to subfield:

In  cultural & linguistic anthropology , one examination is in the student's ethnographic area (e.g., Africa, East Asia, Latin America, the Pacific). Students should demonstrate mastery not just of ethnographic work that is relevant to their projects, but also of the wider fields of literature that have informed anthropological study of their regions as identified by the members of the comprehensive exam committee. Reading lists should display historical depth and awareness of significant work in fields beyond cultural/linguistic anthropology. The second examination is of a more theoretical nature in a field chosen and defined by students in conjunction with their advisors. Examples are gender and sexuality, migration and transnationalism, medical anthropology, media anthropology, etc. For students focussed on linguistic anthropology, this exam should cover significant works relevant to the study of linguistic and cultural anthropology.

In  archaeology , one examination is on either a significant world area (e.g., Eastern North America, Mesoamerica, Europe) or a significant time period (e.g., the Paleolithic). The other is on the theory and history of archeology, with special emphasis on broad topics and questions of relevance to the student's research.

In  biological anthropology , one examination covers a significant world area and time period relevant to the student’s research. The second focuses on a coherent, substantive body of research with emphasis on broad topics and questions of relevance to the student’s researchIn linguistic anthropology, one examination is in the student's ethnographic area (e.g., East Asia, Latin America, the Pacific, etc.). Students should demonstrate mastery not just of ethnographic work that is relevant to their projects, but also of the wider fields of literature that have informed anthropological study of their regions as identified by the members of the comprehensive exam committee. Reading lists should display historical depth and awareness of significant work in fields beyond linguistic and cultural anthropology. The second examination is of a more theoretical nature in a field chosen and defined by students in conjunction with their advisors. This exam should cover significant works relevant to the study of linguistic and cultural anthropology.

Areas of Concentration

Students may designate cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeology, or linguistic anthropology as an area of concentration, depending on which subdiscipline's degree requirements they satisfy. Alternatively, students may designate medical anthropology as an area of concentration if they have taken Patients and Healers, Medical Anthropology 1, Medical Anthropology 2, and 12 elective credits from a list of approved courses . The area of concentration will be officially recorded on the student's transcript, but does not appear on the diploma. In any case the degree awarded is not in the area of concentration but simply in anthropology.

Dissertation

Committee:  As soon as possible after completion of the core course requirements, and certainly by the third year in residence, prior to admission to candidacy, the student must establish a doctoral dissertation committee that will: 1) participate in the student's preparation of the dissertation research proposal; 2) administer the oral dissertation overview; 3) offer advice while the student is collecting field or laboratory/museum data as well as while the student is writing the dissertation; and 4) conduct the oral dissertation defense. This committee consists of at least three Graduate Faculty members from the Department of Anthropology, including the student's advisor, and at least one graduate faculty member from another department of the University or from another university. If a member of the graduate faculty of another university is selected, they must be approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. The student must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval of the dissertation committee.

Overview:  Before actively pursuing dissertation research, the student makes an oral presentation of the intended project to the dissertation committee. The student gives the members of the committee a proposal at least one month ahead of time. The overview should not be the first discussion of the project between the student and committee members. If the committee members approve, their recommendation is forwarded to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. For research involving human subjects or animals, IRB or IACUC approval must be obtained before the student can be advanced to doctoral candidacy. A student who has not passed the dissertation overview by the end of the fourth year in residence (fifth year for students in the joint PhD/MPH program) may be dismissed from the program.

Dissertation Format: In addition to the standard dissertation format, students have the option to write their dissertations following the three-article format. 

Three Article Dissertation

Students should decide at the time of their overview examination whether to pursue the three-article dissertation format. This decision must be made in consultation with the members of the student’s dissertation committee. All members must unanimously agree to the student’s plan to complete a dissertation in the three-article format. Students can also choose the three-article format after the overview, or switch from this format to the regular dissertation format with committee approval.

This dissertation format will be comprised of three full-length articles of publishable quality within a peer-reviewed journal, an introduction, and a conclusion.

The articles are expected to develop various aspects of an overarching theme presented in the introduction. Additional papers may be added above the minimum of three if approved by the committee. The student must be the sole author or lead author on all articles. The student should be responsible for the conceptualization, data analysis, and writing of the articles.

Only one of the three articles can be an article that has been published or accepted for publication prior to the student’s overview at the discretion of the committee. If the article is co-authored, the student must be the first author. The published article must represent work undertaken while the student was enrolled in the PhD program and be related to their dissertation project. The student is responsible for securing necessary permissions from the copyright holder and other authors. See the Pitt Library for questions and assistance.

The goal of writing an article-style dissertation should be to publish the articles that appear in the dissertation. Journals to which articles are being submitted must be approved by the dissertation committee. Serving as an “editorial board” for the student, the committee will help select journals that will challenge the student and offer a reasonable chance of publication success. Dissertation papers can be submitted for publication while the student is ABD. If a paper is rejected by a journal during the dissertation process, the student may submit to another journal approved by the committee. In the case of a “revise and resubmit” during the dissertation process, major revisions to the paper that change the paper’s overall relationship to the dissertation topic must be approved by the dissertation committee. After the successful dissertation defense, any new submission or resubmission, including changes in the authorship or article content, will be at the discretion of the PhD graduate. 

The introduction of the dissertation should clarify the rationale for grouping the three articles together. It is expected to include a summary of the research problem the three articles tackle, the methodology used to answer the research question(s), the significance of the research, the theoretical foundations of the research introduced in the context of an overview of pertinent literature.

The conclusion should summarize the dissertation’s major findings. It should also reinforce the linkages between the chapters, tying together the three articles into a cohesive body of scholarship. The conclusion is a place where the student can restate and reinforce the through-line that connects the individual chapter. The conclusion might also present a plan for future research on the research problem(s) engaged in the dissertation.

Large datasets and specific methods discussed in a published paper but not presented in their entirety, or presented in supplemental sections, should be (if permissible) included as appendices as appropriate.

Public Presentation:  Each student presents a formal colloquium to the department based on the dissertation research. This may form part of the dissertation defense, or it may come at an earlier stage so that the experience may be of benefit as the ideas in the dissertation take shape.

Defense:  By the time of the oral defense of the dissertation, students will have prepared and presented to their committee members a final version of the dissertation. It is expected that there will be sufficient interaction between the student and the committee members that revisions subsequent to the defense will be minimal and minor. All members of the doctoral dissertation committee should be present at the defense. The procedures for the final oral examination are outlined in the requirements for the PhD degree of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

Policy on scheduling comps and defenses for summer months : Please note that graduate students are required to be registered during the academic term in which they take their comprehensive and overview examinations and defend their dissertations. Scheduling comprehensive examinations, overview examinations, and dissertation defenses for the summer months (May, June, July, and August) is strongly discouraged. Faculty are not obligated to facilitate or participate in milestone events in summer months.

Statute of Limitations

Dietrich School regulations stipulate that the PhD must be completed within 10 calendar years of initial matriculation (8 years for students entering with a Master's degree). They also stipulate that comprehensive examinations must be retaken if they were originally passed more than 7 years before completion of PhD requirements.

MA Degree (as part of PhD study)

An MA degree may be awarded during the course of a student's PhD program after completion of: 1) 30 course credits; 2) the language requirement; 3) the core course in the student's area of concentration; 4) course(s) that satisfy the MA method/theory requirement (see MA requirements); 5) an acceptable MA paper; and 6) fulfillment of all Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences regulations (e.g., at least 12 credits of course work, not including readings or independent study, must be at the 2000 level). The student selects at least three graduate faculty members (at least two of whom must be in the Department of Anthropology) to participate on the MA advisory and evaluation committee. The Graduate Studies Committee should be petitioned for approval of the committee composition and the MA paper topic well in advance of the expected date of completion.

Supplementary Statements

Review of Student Progress

Procedures for Satisfying the PhD Comprehensive Examination Requirement

List of Courses for Medical Anthropology Concentration

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The Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago offers doctoral programs in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology and in archaeology.

The program in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology offers opportunities to pursue a wide range of ethnographic and theoretical interests. While the Department does not emphasize a particular theoretical perspective, it is well known for its attention to classic problems in social theory along with an engagement with the latest developments in theories of history, culture, politics, economics, transnational processes, space and place, subjectivity, experience, and materiality. 

Shared topical interests among its members include culture and colonialism; postcoloniality and globalization; gender and sexuality; historical anthropology; history and social structure; politics and law; political economy; religion; ritual; science and technology; semiotics and symbolism; medicine and health; and subjectivity and affect. Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the United States of America are among the geographic areas of faculty research.  

Coursework and study with faculty in other departments enable the student to pursue interdisciplinary interests, language training, and other regional studies.

The archaeology program enables students to articulate archaeology, history, and sociocultural anthropology, with emphasis on the integration of social and cultural theory in the practice of archaeology.

Current faculty specialize in the archaeology of Latin America (the later prehistory and colonial periods of the Andes and Mexico), Europe and the Mediterranean (the “Celtic” Iron Age and Greco-Roman colonial expansion), the Southeastern U.S. (urban history, colonialism, landscapes), East and Southeast Asia (from the Neolithic to the early colonial periods), and West Africa (history, landscape, complexity and political economy), as well as ethnoarchaeology in East Africa and experimental archaeology in South America.

Research interests include: urbanism; state formation; colonialism; industrialization; art and symbolism; spatial analysis; politics; ritual and religion; human-environment interactions; agricultural systems; material culture; economic anthropology; political economy; the archaeology of the contemporary; and the socio-historical context and the history and politics of archaeology. Faculty members have ongoing field research projects in Bolivia, Mexico, China, Cambodia, France, Senegal, and the United States (New Orleans). The program in anthropological archaeology also has strong ties to many other archaeologists on campus through the  UChicago Archaeology Nexus (UCAN) .

Teaching in physical anthropology, mainly directed towards evolutionary anthropology and primatology, is offered by Russell Tuttle.

In addition to linguistic anthropology as a sub-field within the Department of Anthropology, there is also a joint Ph.D. program available to students who are admitted to both the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Linguistics . Administratively, the student is admitted to, and remains registered in, the primary, or “home” department, and subsequently seeks admission to the second department in joint residence status. Students approved to pursue the joint degree program must complete the requirements of both departments, including the distinct introductory and advanced courses stipulated by each, the departmental qualifying examination in appropriate special fields, and the language requirements, including additional foreign languages for the Linguistics Ph.D. The student’s dissertation advisory committee consists of three or more members of the faculty; at least one must be a member of the Department of Anthropology but not of the Department of Linguistics, and at least one in Linguistics but not in Anthropology. After approval by the advisory committee, the student’s dissertation proposal must be defended at a hearing open to the faculty of both departments. Generally, an Anthropology student may apply to Linguistics for the joint degree program at the end of the second year or later, after having successfully completed the first-year program in Anthropology and the core (first-year) coursework and examinations in Linguistics. However, students should declare interest in the Joint Degree Program on the initial graduate application to the Department, and should discuss this interest personally with linguistic anthropology faculty soon after arrival on campus.

Although Anthropology has no other formal joint degree programs, students admitted to Anthropology may subsequently petition the University to create a joint program with another department. For instance, there is considerable precedent for pursuing a joint Ph.D. in Anthropology and History . To create this joint program, Anthropology students spend their first year taking the required first year courses in the Anthropology Department; in the second year, they take a two-quarter history seminar and write an anthropologically-informed Master’s paper in coordination with that seminar which will be acceptable to both Departments. The Master’s degree is awarded by one of the two departments and is accepted for equivalence by the other. The Anthropology student then applies for admission to History at the end of the second year or later, having already demonstrated a proficiency in both disciplines. Applicants to Anthropology who are interested in a joint degree program with History should declare interest at the time of the initial application.

Also by petition, it has been possible for students to create other joint Ph.D. programs. In recent years, individual programs combining Anthropology and Art History , South Asian Languages and Civilizations , East Asian Languages and Civilizations , Slavic Languages and Literatures , Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science , and Cinema and Media Studies have been created. An M.D./Ph.D. program is coordinated through the MeSH program in the medical school. A J.D./Ph.D. with the University of Chicago Law School or another law school is also possible, and we have facilitated joint degrees with the School of Social Services Administration at the University of Chicago.

Such individually-created joint degree programs begin in the second year of graduate studies or later. In all cases, students complete the separate program requirements for each degree, with no additional residence requirement, and write one Ph.D. dissertation that separately meets the dissertation requirements of each department. The specifics of each joint degree program, such as any requirements that may be jointly met, any overlapping examination areas, and the composition of the dissertation committee, are agreed upon by both departments at the time of the petition.

Students interested in pursuing an ad-hoc Joint Ph.D. should consult with the Dean of Students Office to understand the application process.

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Department of anthropology.

MD/ PhD Program

Photo from left to right : Sara Rendell, Adriana Petryna, Michelle Munyikwa, Josh Franklin, Lee Young, Utpal Sandesara, Caroline Hodge, Ben Sieff, Alex Chen, Randall Burson.

The Anthropology Track in the Penn MD-PhD Program/MSTP is dedicated to training physician-anthropologists who will become next-generation leaders in an integrated practice of clinical medicine and social science. Our program recognizes that the modern life sciences involve much more than the generation of knowledge about biological processes. By fostering insight into the entwinement of biomedical knowledge and human society, the MD-PhD Program enables trainees to explore the practices and paradigms that contribute to health inequality, and to innovate clinical and investigative frameworks of moral responsiveness and care.

Exploring the full breadth of anthropological inquiry, MD-PhD trainees are advised and supported during the entirety of their clinical and research training by faculty in Anthropology as well as across the social sciences and humanities. As they carry out ethnographic projects within the United States and across the globe, they are making critical interventions in diverse fields including medical anthropology, science and technology studies, political anthropology, urban studies, and feminist and critical race studies.

Immersed in integrated training at all stages, students develop a practice of inquiry and care that is fully medical and fully anthropological. Because we believe this inquiry is best done in collaboration, the Anthropology Track in the Penn MD-PhD Program draws upon our unique multidisciplinary training and breadth of interests to build a praxis of peer mentorship and support. Together, members of the Penn MSTP Anthropology community are reimagining a critical and politically engaged medicine for the 21st century.

For inquiries about the program, please feel free to contact Dr. Adriana Petryna , Director of the Anthropology Track in the Penn MD-PhD Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

News Section

Caroline Hodge received the Association for Feminist Anthropology Dissertation Award for 2023. 

Utpal Sandesara is the Assistant Professor-in-Residence at the UCLA School of Medicine’s Division of General Internal Medicine-Health Services Research & the Global Health program at the UCLA International Institute

Sara Rendell is the lead author on “ Integrating ART adherence support technologies in the care of pregnant and postpartum people with HIV : a qualitative study,” published in Implement Sci Commun (2022). She also co-authored “ Resculpting Professionalism for Equity and Accountability ” (The Annals of Family Medicine, 2022). 

Ankita Reddy is the lead author on “ Monoclonal antibody pairs against SARS-CoV-2 for rapid antigen test development ,” published in PLoS Negl Trop Dis. (2022) and was just named a Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellow at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at Penn (2023). See her work, The Visual Liminal,  here . 

Randall Burson has been selected to receive a graduate fellowship with the  Penn-Mellon Dispossessions in the Americas  research team for the academic year 2023-2024. 

Michelle Munyikwa co-authored “ Misrepresenting Race: The Role of Medical Schools in Propagating Physician Bias ,” published in The New England Journal of Medicine (2021). 

Together with Anthropology affiliated faculty member, Dr. Justin Clapp, and MD-MSHP student, Olivia Familusi, Randall Burson published a paper in Social Science & Medicine entitled, “ Imagining the 'structural' in medical education and practice in the United States: A curricular investigation ” (2022). 

Alex Chen was named 2022 Mellon/ American Council of Learned Societies Dissertation Completion Fellow for “Building Biocontainment, Regulating Race: Scientific Infrastructures for American Safety against Emerging Diseases.” 

"The COVID Horizon" essays, guest-edited by Adriana Petryna and Sara Rendell, are out in  Medicine, Anthropology, and Theory.  UPenn physician-anthropologists trace a different ground from which to anticipate the role of medicine in the 21st century. Intro and link to essays here: http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/5249  

"Training physician-scholars to see patients as people, not categories".  https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/Penn-anthropology-MD-PhD-graduates-first-students  

Utpal Sandesara,   who graduated from the MD-PhD program in 2019, wrote this opinion piece from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in LA, where he is doing his residency.  https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/04/22/utpal-sandesara-we-need-protect-most-vulnerable-healthcare-workers/

Lessons on Ebola: Alex Chen studies emergency disease preparedness.  https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/story/lessons-ebola  

Caroline Hodge was awarded the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students.  https://provost.upenn.edu/teaching-at-penn/penn-ta-prize

The admissions process for the MD-PhD program in Anthropology is coordinated through the MD-PhD office.  Admissions decisions are made jointly in an integrated process by the Anthropology Graduate Group, the MD-PhD Program, and the Medical School.  Initially, applicants must submit their application via AMCAS.  In addition to all materials in the AMCAS and Penn MD-PhD supplemental application, there is one additional essay which should be submitted directly to the MD-PhD office.  This is a personal statement which should address the factors that have encouraged you to seek an education from Penn Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, including any significant personal or professional experiences related to your program of study.  The essay should be no more than 1000 words or 6000 characters.   These materials will be used for the review process by the MD-PhD program and the Anthropology Graduate group. For general information about the program, please go to the website:  https://www.med.upenn.edu/mstp/ . For specific information about the Anthropology track, feel free to reach out to Adriana Petryna , Emily Ng , Deborah Thomas , or Maggie Krall (Director of Administration, Medical Scientist Training Program, Penn Med School); or the Anthropology Graduate Group Coordinator .

Current Students

Ankita Reddy

2nd Year MD/PhD 

What did I do before the MD-PhD?  

I studied Biology and Anthropology at MIT where I became interested in globally deployed medical technologies. I worked in a lab that developed rapid diagnostics for dengue, Zika, and chikungunya and had the opportunities to field test the devices in Latin America and Asia. In my junior year I worked with my team to create a spin-off startup, E25Bio, to further develop and deploy the diagnostics. I continued working as a research scientist and clinical liaison for E25Bio following graduation, and upon the emergence of COVID-19, we performed rapid bench-to-bedside work to develop rapid COVID tests and to obtain regulatory approval. I used my lab work and startup experience as an ethnographic entry point to understanding bench-to-bedside development in transnational settings. I also spent time during undergrad and my gap year exploring experiences of the South Asian diaspora in Boston through multimodal research methods, including movement, documentary, and installation, which have influenced current interests and methodologies.  

What's my anthropological project?  

While I am still very much in an exploratory phase of my graduate training, I am currently fascinated by the visual body of medicine. For instance, what does a medical professional look like? How is competence visually measured, and by whom? How do the ways that medical professionals see themselves (through various optics) affect medical practices and patient care? I recently interviewed and photographed second year medical students during the transition between didactic learning and clinical clerkships to understand how medical professionals who are in training visually perceive and present their body in the context of learning and practicing medicine.  As I train in this era of mask-wearing, telehealth, image-based social media, and digital directories, I am interested in exploring how visual interfaces are continually transforming in medicine.

What are my medical interests?

  I entered medical school particularly interested in infectious disease, and since beginning I have also become interested in psychiatry, dermatology, and family medicine. I look forward to exploring these fields in my clerkships and beyond! 

Want to get in touch?  Email me at   [email protected]

Nipun Kottage

2nd year MD/PhD 

What did I do before the MD-PhD? 

I graduated in 2019 from the University of Maryland with bachelor's degrees in Anthropology and Biochemistry. There, I studied the micro-politics of water infrastructure projects in Ghana and Nicaragua to understand how the relationships, procedures, and expectations within development projects influence the impact and sustainability of wells, pipes, and water towers. During that time, I volunteered as a project manager and was president of the University of Maryland Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. After completing my degree, I worked with the Capital Area Violence Intervention Program, a hospital-based wraparound social service program to support Black men who survive violence. Through dialogue with survivors, my research sought to explore the social and emotional terrain that shape experiences of injury and survivorship. 

What’s my anthropological project? 

I am interested in the operations of large institutions, such as hospital systems, and how they shape the lives of their employees and the environments in which they reside. I draw upon political ecology as well as anthropology of labor to understand how workers navigate the institutions in which they are embedded. How are the desires of institutions formed and acted upon? How are these desires negotiated and contested by the people who seek to make life among them? How are these politics nested within ecosystems of economy, policy, and politics that make societal projects - like the delivery of healthcare - possible?  

What are my medical interests? 

I am clinically interested in emergency medicine and internal medicine. I loved my time as a clerkship student at rural primary care sites, taking care of patients in the ICU step down unit, and in the emergency department. Through my practice, I seek to help create health system change to serve socially and medically vulnerable populations. 

Want to get in touch? 

Email me anytime at [email protected] ! 

Ross Perfetti 

4th year MD/PhD (MD-Harvard, PhD-Penn) 

What did I do before the MD-PhD?

I am from Pittsburgh and first moved to Philadelphia for college in 2012. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and a minor in Chemistry. I received an MSc in Medical Anthropology at Durham University on a Thouron Fellowship. Upon return to the United States, I worked in qualitative health research in the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at Penn Medicine. I am pursuing my medical training at Harvard Medical School and completed the first two years of my MD before coming to Penn Anthropology for my PhD. 

What’s my anthropological project?

I am interested in the experiences of ICU survivorship among hospitalized and critically-ill patients, their families, and their clinicians. In particular, I am interested in “Post-Intensive Care Syndrome” as a form of recognition of long-term consequences of critical care and the implications of this form of recognition for a growing number of ICU survivors. I do most of my research in an ICU in Philadelphia, but I also work with former ICU patients, clinicians, researchers, and other experts outside of this setting. I do historical research on medical innovation and policy changes that affect critical care practices today.   

After 6 months of rotations, I’m still undecided, but have early leanings toward psychiatry or neurology.  

Want to get in touch?  

Email me at  [email protected]  

Randy Burson

5th Year MD-PhD Candidate

Originally from New Mexico, I moved to the Philly area to attend Swarthmore College where I studied Biology and Anthropology. After undergrad, I completed a Fulbright Research Fellowship in Chile focused on intercultural mental health services. I also carried out research on clinical informed consent, patient-reported outcomes in the post-ICU setting, and Centers of Excellence models as a research assistant in the Social Science Lab in Perioperative Medicine (SSLiPM) in Penn’s Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care. 

Situated at the intersections between anthropology and health services research, my research focuses on how multiple forms of politics, science, and knowledge are operationalized in health systems, and how patients and providers navigate these systems in the US and Latin America. Currently, my project focuses on interactions between territorial struggles and cross-cultural healthcare for indigenous Mapuche patients in Southern Chile to investigate how human health, indigenous sovereignty, and environmental justice are inter-connected. Through ethnographic methods both in and beyond the clinic, my fieldwork seeks to understand how approaches to biomedical and indigenous Mapuche healing are addressing broader community, territorial, and environmental concerns.

What are my medical interests?   

I am clinically interested in emergency medicine, social medicine, and how social problems are addressed in and through healthcare. Ultimately, I’m interested in a clinical career that lets me continue to pursue fieldwork and teaching in both anthropology and medical education. 

Want to get in touch?

Let’s chat! Email me at  [email protected]  and follow me on twitter, @RandyBurson2.

Caroline Hodge

7th year MD/PhD (MD-UCSF, PhD-Penn) 

I earned my undergrad degree in religion from Princeton, where my thesis research focused on Christian responses to epidemic diseases, namely leprosy and HIV/AIDS across time. This research led me to a masters program in Medical Anthropology at Oxford, where I got a crash course in the discipline of anthropology and honed both my research interests and my desire to practice clinical medicine, not just study it anthropologically. Just before medical school, I worked in a lab studying the malignant progression of breast cancer and spent my spare time teaching sex education, a formative experience in terms of my current research interests. I'm unlike the rest of my cohort in that I'm split between two institutions: I started medical school at UCSF, and during the first year realized that I really wanted to pursue a PhD as well, which I'm lucky enough to be doing here at Penn. 

What's my anthropological project? 

My dissertation research centers around contraception, exploring how this commonplace technology exceeds its mandate as "birth control" in the American Midwest. Contraception, indeed, refers to a wide range of technologies (e.g., the Pill, the condom, natural family planning) that work on or in a diverse set of users to achieve a disparate set of goals (which may be pregnancy prevention, but also includes regulating heavy or painful periods, treating endometriosis or other gynecologic conditions, use as migraine prophylaxis, and more). Within this great diversity, I'm interested in understanding how people form, articulate, and enact contraceptive desires, how contraceptive technologies move in and through intimate relationships, and what the embodied experience of contraception is like in the Heartland, where matters of reproductive health form the center of a contentious and on-going policy debate. 

My clinical aspirations align with my research interests, and I think that I will either end up in obstetrics and gynecology, or in some branch of pediatrics (adolescent medicine, pediatric gynecology, neonatology) that allows me to continue thinking about reproductive health and working with women and girls as they plan and realize their families. I'd like a career that allows me to combine clinical work and research with teaching, and I'm especially committed to increasing the remit of the social sciences in medical education.

Email me at  [email protected] . 

Chuan Hao (Alex) Chen

7th year MD/PhD 

I studied architecture for five years at Cornell, drawing building plans and constructing models by day while taking basic science courses at night. I fell in love with medical anthropology in my last year of college and designed a "Hipster Hospital" - inspired by Foucault - for my thesis project. I then pursued a Master of Design Studies in Risk and Resilience at Harvard, conducting fieldwork with Emergency medical Technicians before coming to Penn.  

Building upon my Master's project, my dissertation examines how the building of preparedness infrastructures modulates and shapes the idea of safety in the wake of the Ebola crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the trajectory of fieldwork, which focuses specifically on the design of laboratory architecture and biocontainment technologies for emerging diseases. Combined with observations of pandemic response in the United States, my work examines how race and risk underscore the political and everyday life under emerging disease biocontainment. Whom does biocontainment and who is disavowed under contemporary racial capitalism are key questions that I probe through my dissertation project. 

Because I love the visual, I am deciding between the fields of radiology and pathology, though I am also thinking about psychiatry because of its historical relationship with cultural anthropology. My dissertation fieldwork with laboratory architects has given me insight into the people, systems and built environment that enable scientific progress, and I hope to incorporate systems thinking, quality improvement, and equity and justice work into my future career. 

Email me at  [email protected]

8th year MD/PhD

As an undergrad, I studied biology at Brown University, where I wrote my senior thesis in anthropology on HIV/AIDS stigma in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. I spent the following year in South Africa, where I worked as a medical assistant in Mthatha, a small city in the eastern cape, and conducted ethnographic research with evangelical HIV/AIDS activists in Khayalitsha, a peri-urban township on the outskirts of Cape Town. When I returned to the US, I worked as a math and science tutor in New York City for two years.

What's my anthropological project?

My project concerns the medical response to the opioid overdose crisis in the United States. Specifically, it focuses on private sector buprenorphine-based treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in rural Pennsylvania. I'm studying this addiction care in a county where buprenorphine remains a controversial medication for many stakeholders. Many residents perceive buprenorphine as a habit-forming substance akin to OxyContin or Percocet, rather than a legitimate longterm medication that reduces the risk of overdose and opioid-related morbidity. Local police have investigated and sanctioned a number of prescribers in the area for "selling prescriptions" for buprenorphine--likening these "rogue prescribers" to "drug dealers in white coats" who exploit vulnerable patients for profit. I am interested in how rural prescribers care for patients on a daily basis, while negotiating this fraught moral and legal terrain. At the same time, how are practices of "care" formally recognized--or found wanting--by law enforcement and medical authorities? And how is legitimate addiction care understood by rural OUD patients?

I am still undecided on this, but I'm interested in primary care, internal medicine, or possibly psychiatry.

Email me at  [email protected]

Dr. Sara Rendell  

Graduated MD/PhD Program 2022 

Prior to my time at Penn, I studied at Saint Louis University where I worked with four other students to create and formalize a neuroscience major and conducted three years of neuro-engineering research on peripheral nerve regeneration that led to my honors thesis on the topic. After graduating, I deferred coming to Penn to study state-subsidized maternal health care in Burkina Faso as the recipient of a Fulbright US Student Program Grant.

Dissertation:  My dissertation, titled Closeness through Distance: The Reformulation of Kinship and Racialized Punishment in U.S. Immigration, combined intimate and institutional ethnography with historical documentary research. It focused on how transnational kinship is intimately remade through racialized immigration policies that dictate which kinship relations matter, and how. During the fieldwork on which this dissertation is based, I worked with pro-bono legal aid organizations serving people detained and in deportation proceedings in prisons, jails and courtrooms in the Midwest and South of the US. I observed and documented the direct and collateral harms of hazardous administrative legal outcomes (including eviction, deportation, loss of benefits, and separation of kin) among racialized, low-income families. I am currently transforming the dissertation into a book project, as I continue to explore how kinship is incorporated to justify, execute, or extend harms and how kin create and sustain closeness under migration duress.

Current projects:

I am in residency training in Internal Medicine in the Physician Scientist Pathway at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. I currently collaborate on projects aiming to address structural determinants of health through medical-legal infrastructures. This work spans from health infrastructures that directly influence care for people living with HIV to administrative legal transformations at the state level that affect the everyday lives of people and their kin.

My next project builds from these insights to explore medical-legal partnership as method and as analytic into the ways in which legal infrastructures shape the lives and health of subjects.

Future plans:

After completion of residency and fellowship, I hope to combine research, advocacy and patient care within a faculty position in social medicine.I aim to collaborate across disciplines to address structural determinants of inequities in infectious diseases, including administrative legal harms that threaten social ties and aggravate social isolation.   

Email me at [email protected] .

Dr. Joshua Franklin

Graduated MD/PhD Program 2021

I attended Princeton, and although I started as a math major, I switched in my sophomore year to anthropology with a certificate in Portuguese. I traveled to Porto Alegre, Brazil over two summers to conduct ethnographic fieldwork at a gender identity clinic where transgender patients had used right-to-health litigation to secure access to publicly-funded gender affirming care. This work formed the basis of my senior thesis, and after graduation, I returned to conduct an additional 9 months of fieldwork with a Fulbright US Student Program Grant. While an undergraduate, I was also trained as an EMT and worked as a volunteer for the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad. 

Dissertation:  My dissertation,  Following the Child's Lead: Care and Transformation in a Pediatric Gender Clinic , focused on the impact of gender affirming care for transgender children and their families. Based on fieldwork I conducted at a pediatric gender clinic with patients, clinicians, and their families, my work argues that following the child's lead is at the heart of pediatric transgender medicine, and I examine the social and historical context of this child-centered approach as well as its limits. I also have worked as an ethnographer in clinical and public health research on transgender health and HIV prevention and treatment in Philadelphia, and my dissertation draws on these experiences to examine the race- and class-based inequalities in access to trans health resources. 

What's my current anthropological project?

I am in my first year of psychiatry residency at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. I am working on a book-length manuscript based on my dissertation. I am exploring new projects focused on the medicalization of childhood in psychiatry. I am also working on several writing projects on narratives of wellness and burnout, as well as the emergence of the social sciences and humanities as objects of optimism for medicine and medical science.

I hope to pursue training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and continue my ethnographic work at the intersection of childhood, medicine, and identity.

Email me at  [email protected]

Dr. Lee Young

Graduated MD/PhD Program 2021 

What did I do before this?

I completed undergraduate studies at the University of Louisville where I majored in Anthropology and minored in Russian Language and Cultural Studies. I worked in a molecular anthropology laboratory for several semesters and spent most of my summers studying in Russia. After graduation, I conducted a one-year ethnographic study of drug addiction treatment modalities in Kazan, Russia as a Fulbright Scholar.

Dissertation:  My dissertation, entitled  Impossible Terrain: An Ethnography of Policing in Atlantic City, NJ , explores racial geographies of Atlantic City and their constitutions through situated analyses of police practice. It mobilizes the analytic of racial capitalism, linking changing forms of urban governance to critical genealogies of policing and liberal governance.

What's my current anthropological project? 

I am in my first year of internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Email me at  [email protected]

Dr. Michelle Munyikwa  

I studied at the College of William and Mary, where I self-designed an interdisciplinary major in biochemistry & molecular biology and double-majored in anthropology. There, I developed a curiosity about the potential of translational research and wanted to work at the interface of cancer biology and clinical medicine, leading to my application to medical school. After working at Merck Research Laboratories, however, I learned I was most interested in the social, political, and economic worlds of medicine and scientific research, and I’ve been an anthropologist ever since.

Dissertation:  My dissertation, titled Up from the Dirt: Racializing Refuge, Rupture, and Repair in Philadelphia , was an ethnographic and archival exploration of forced migration to Philadelphia. That work examined how humanitarian practices of care for refugees and asylum seekers in the city are shaped by the local contexts of Philadelphia, both past and present. I am currently working on transforming that dissertation into a book project.

What's my current anthropological project?  

I am in m first year of internal medicine-pediatrics residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania. I am beginning work on two projects inspired by questions that arose in my dissertation. My first project, drawing upon my interests in the politics and practices of knowledge creation, examines how new epigenetic research on the embodiment of trauma is transforming contemporary understandings of disease inheritance and transmission for researchers, practitioners, and patients alike. The second is a personal project, an oral history centered around my maternal grandfather, who was a political prisoner during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle; this work engages themes around asylum, justice, and freedom that arose in my dissertation research. 

Future plans?  

After completion of residency, I hope to pursue a faculty position with a dual appointment in anthropology and clinical practice. My goal is to merge my interests in education, research, and clinical practice towards work that meaningfully advocates for and with marginalized communities.

Want to get in touch?  Email me at  [email protected] . 

Utpal Sandesara

Graduated MD/PhD Program 2019

Dissertation:  My dissertation examined sex-selective abortion in one district of western India's Gujarat state. Although the practice has been illegal in India since 1994 (and the focus of extensive government public health campaigns since the mid-2000s), it continues to drastically skew the child population in many parts of the country - to the extent that Mahesana City, where my research centered, had approximately 760 girls for every 1,000 boys in the last census. Over 18 months of fieldwork from 2012 to 2015, I explored sex selection as a lived experience. In addition to observing hundreds of clinical visits, I conducted in-depth interviews with nearly 50 doctors and black market brokers, over 100 pregnant women and their families, and dozens of government officials charged with curbing sex selection. The resulting dissertation argues for understanding sex selection as a morally complex act of care embedded in broader contexts of familial and medical care. It uses this argument as a starting point for thinking about how we might come up with better representations of and interventions on an obviously problematic phenomenon.

Current Projects:

I am completing an Internal Medicine residency training program at UCLA (more specifically, the Olive View-based Primary Care track). During residency, I am revising my dissertation into a book-length manuscript titled  She Is Not Ours: Understanding Sex Selection in Western India . I am also undertaking autoethnographic fieldwork on the experience of residency training with the aim of producing a text that combines personal reflection, social scientific theory, and literary forms of writing to offer future health professionals a unique perspective on the practice of medicine (and initiation into it).

Future Plans: 

After residency, I intend to practice general internal medicine (primary care or hospitalist) with structurally vulnerable populations while continuing to conduct research and teach. More specifically, I hope to use my combined training in medicine and anthropology in order to write for social scientific, clinical, and lay audiences, and to foster in health professions students curiosity and passion for the social side of medical care.

Email me at  [email protected]

Nick Iacobelli

Graduated MD/PhD Program 2018

Dissertation:  My dissertation was about the right to healthcare ostensibly granted to prison inmates in the United States under the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Through historical analysis, legal scholarship, critical theory, and participant-observation data from 18 months of fieldwork in the medical unit of a men's maximum-security prison in Pennsylvania, I examined what this right looks like in practice and the kinds of care it fosters behind prison walls. I worked to understand how the institutional logics of the prison, the law, and medicine abut interpersonal desires for care, compassion, and recognition.  Even though the Eighth Amendment primarily exists as a mandate not to inflict too much harm, it also creates the conditions for which inmates come to rely on the state for life-saving and life-sustaining services, perpetuating historical forms of racial subjugation through care and containment in the process.

Current Projects : I am completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington and am currently a clinical instructor of medicine at the University's Division of General Internal Medicine. I am working to publish the findings of my dissertation as a book-length manuscript titled  Wards of the State: Care and Custody in a Pennsylvania Prison  with the University of California Press Public Anthropology Series. I'm also working locally in Seattle to develop a research project that investigates the role of medical-legal partnerships and their impact on the lives of those experiencing comorbid homelessness and drug addiction. I'm looking to continue my focus on the intersections of law, medicine, and other forms of institutional power on personal trajectories to see how they shape the struggle to avoid incarceration while seeking access to housing and treatment.

Future Plans:  I want to continue research and teaching in anthropology while providing medical care to structurally vulnerable populations as a general internist.

Want to get in touch?  Email me at [email protected]

DPhil in Anthropology

• Entry requirements
• Funding and costs

College preference

• How to apply

About the course

The DPhil in Anthropology is the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography’s advanced research degree, and is awarded to candidates who have completed a substantial original piece of research in the field. 

Anthropology - the study of humans - is a very diverse field and a wide range of research foci are reflected within the activities and structure of the school. DPhil students in the school research topics across this wide range of research foci, including migration and migrant populations, social and cultural influences on medical practice and health, material culture and its representation in museums, human cooperation and pro-social behaviour, the evolution of human behaviour, human adaptations and interactions with the environment and technology, and the huge range of topics that fall under the social anthropological concerns of learning about different populations’ versions of the world and relating them to each other.

The programme provides training and practice in developing research skills, especially through fieldwork with human subjects, though this is not compulsory. It also offers practice in analysing, interpreting and writing up research-related materials, and in presenting such materials in seminar-type formats. Upon successful completion of the course, students will have developed the skills and expertise that qualify them to work in academic research/teaching positions or beyond in a broad range of professions requiring social science skills and sensitivities.

Course outline

Most applicants are admitted as Probationer Research Students (PRS) and are expected to complete the degree in three to four years (six to eight years part-time). In the first year students attend weekly PRS seminars which provide training in research skills and writing as well as research presentation and critique; during this period you will develop and begin work on your thesis topic. First year students also take at least two ‘methods modules’ courses chosen to complement their research interests from the wide range offered in the school. They will meet at least monthly with their supervisor, and can avail themselves of the many research training opportunities on offer in the Social Sciences Division and elsewhere in the university (eg the Language Centre, IT Learning Centre) (these requirements are spread over the first two years in the case of part-time students). You will also have the opportunity to attend lectures, seminars and classes in your general topic area.

Students spend their second year (part-time: third and fourth years) gathering data as part of their original research. While fieldwork is not a formal requirement most students undertake fieldwork of some form. Its nature varies considerably depending upon the research area and topic focus, from traditional immersion in another population, to experimental work, to work with artefacts in museums or archives, for example. Its location will be dictated by the research focus and could be in Oxford or, in principle, anywhere in the world (subject to health and safety considerations). Students maintain regular (at least monthly) contact with their supervisor while conducting their research. In their third year (part-time: fifth and sixth years) students write up their research thesis, and are expected to attend weekly ‘work-in-progress’ seminars in which they present their developing work to their peers and staff for feedback and provide feedback to their peers' work; they continue to maintain at least monthly contact with their supervisors for guidance. Throughout the course DPhil students are strongly encouraged to attend the many research seminars, presentations and lectures on offer within the department and elsewhere in the University.

Generally, you will only be admitted to the DPhil programme if you have successfully completed at least one taught degree in anthropology at the required level, whether in Oxford or elsewhere. Exceptions may be made in the fields of cognitive and evolutionary anthropology, or for applicants with a distinction in a taught-course degree that includes some anthropology, but in a closely related discipline other than in anthropology. In the latter case, you will be expected to undertake some coursework in anthropology in the first year of the DPhil course. If you wish to undertake the DPhil with a focus on medical anthropology, you will usually be expected to have previously completed a taught master's degree in medical anthropology.

If you are admitted as a Probationer Research Student (as will be the case if you don’t currently hold an Oxford MPhil, or do but aren’t continuing research in the area of your MPhil thesis), you will undertake research preparation for your fieldwork. Once you have attained the status of a full DPhil student in anthropology (usually by the end of the first year for full-time students or the end of the second year for part- time students), you will be eligible to embark on fieldwork or other research.

If you are directly admitted as a full DPhil student (ie you hold an Oxford MPhil and are continuing research in the area of your MPhil thesis), in principle you are ready to embark on the programme of research as approved by your DPhil supervisor. However, in some cases, your supervisor may determine that you should complete a further programme of methodological training or other preparatory work necessary for your proposed programme of research.

Your research will typically last from 12 to 18 months (24 to 36 months for part-time students) and is then followed by a period of similar length to write up the thesis on which examination for the doctorate is based.

The school’s research degrees are not available by distance learning. To ensure a comprehensive integration into the school and University's research culture and with their full-time peer groups, part-time students will be required to attend supervision, study, research seminars and skills training, together with other obligations (for example, supervision meetings). Although there will be no requirement to reside in Oxford, part-time research students must attend the University on a regular basis. you may be expected to be in Oxford on a number of days each week during term time in the first two years of the programme. There will be limited flexibility in the dates of attendance, which will be determined by class schedule and term dates. It is therefore likely that part-time students are either already resident in Oxford or will live within commuting distance of the city. Although the school appreciates that part-time research students will have non-standard attendance and work patterns, they are required to attend for a minimum of 30 days during term time in each academic year. During the later years of the programme, there will be flexibility in the dates of attendance, which will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. 

Supervision

For this course, the allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor or co-supervisor may be found outside the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography.

Students meet with their supervisor(s) regularly (typically for one hour, two to three times per term) – ie at least once per month. In the case of part-time students this equates to at least once every two months, being at least twice between the start of one term and the beginning of the next. During fieldwork this contact may be written or in the form of an online meeting rather than in person, and is expected to occur twice as often where a student is conducting work in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office-flagged location.

You will be admitted to the course as a Probationer Research Student (PRS), unless you already hold an Oxford MPhil degree in anthropology and are continuing research in the area of your MPhil thesis. Oxford MPhil students may apply for admissions directly to DPhil status, but only where there is clear continuity between the topic of their MPhil thesis and that of their proposed DPhil.

If you are admitted with PRS status, within a maximum of four terms as a full-time PRS student or eight terms as a part-time PRS student, you will be expected to apply for, and achieve, transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status. This application is normally made in the third term for full-time students and in the sixth term for part-time students.

Students who have achieved DPhil status must apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status, to show that your work continues to be on track. Confirmation of DPhil status takes place once students are well advanced with their writing up. Both Transfer of Status and Confirmation of Status assessments involve submission of a piece of written work and an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide important experience for the final oral examination. Confirmation of Status needs to be achieved within nine terms for full-time students and eighteen terms for part-time students who were admitted with PRS status, or within six terms for full-time students and twelve terms for part-time students who were admitted directly with full DPhil status.

The course is ultimately examined by the submission of a thesis and oral examination, after three to four years of full-time study, or six to eight years of part-time study.

Graduate destinations

Many graduates from the course enter teaching and research. Others go on to work in government, policy-making, public bodies, larger private companies, development agencies, NGOs and other organisations.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a master’s degree with an overall grade of 67% or above and normally with a dissertation at 67% or above; and
• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in any subject.

At least one such degree should normally be in a branch of anthropology (eg social, cultural, medical, biological, evolutionary) relevant to their proposed research. Distinction-level students in a closely related discipline may be considered for direct entry as Probationer Research Students on the condition that they undertake some coursework in the relevant field of anthropology in their first year. The final degree result should be 67%, or equivalent.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum acceptable GPA sought is 3.75 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

• Part-time applicants will also be expected to show evidence of the ability to commit time to study and, if applicable, an employer's commitment to make time available to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules. Where appropriate, evidence should also be provided of permission to use employers’ data in the proposed research project.
• Publications are not expected of applicants.
• This degree involves the close analysis of published sources as well as verbal and written critical reflections in the form of oral presentations, essays and exam answers. It is therefore essential to your chance of successfully completing the program that you meet these higher-level English language requirements as stipulated by the University.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

Minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level requirement

Test	Minimum overall score	Minimum score per component
IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713)	7.5	7.0
TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490)	110	Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24
C1 Advanced*	191	185
C2 Proficiency	191	185

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are not normally held as part of the admissions process.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the  About  section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

You will receive all or most of your academic supervision in the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography. You will have a named supervisor, possibly two, who will have overall responsibility for the direction of your work from inception to submission.

Workspaces are available in the school on a first-come, first-served basis, though your college will also have library and workspace facilities and desks are also available in the Bodleian and other University libraries. Laboratory and other dedicated workspaces and equipment for methods teaching will be provided where required. All students receive an email account.

The Social Sciences Library is the main resource library for degrees in anthropology. The Pitt Rivers Museum has its own library, the Balfour Library. You may also use other departmental libraries, your college library and the University’s Bodleian Library and its dependent libraries. The University has a wealth of electronic resources, some specific to particular libraries.

As a research student, you are permitted – though not obliged - to undertake some undergraduate teaching, where available. Methods and skills training are offered through the school, the Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre and other institutions.

A programme of research seminars is available, some specifically for research students and others featuring talks by invited speakers, often from outside the university. The principal event in this programme is the departmental seminar, run weekly on Fridays during term time.

A student-run society, the Oxford University Anthropology Society, runs coffee mornings, talks and other social and academic events throughout the year. Seminars, especially those involving outside speakers, often proceed to local pubs or restaurants after the talk.

Anthropology and Museum Ethnography

The School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography is renowned for its contributions to anthropological theory, its commitment to long-term ethnographic fieldwork, and its association with the Pitt Rivers Museum. 

Home to over forty academic staff, over a hundred doctoral students, providing both master’s programmes and undergraduate degrees, the school is one of the world’s largest and most vibrant centres for teaching and research in the discipline.

The school is divided into a number of constituent parts:

• The  Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology  is a leading centre for anthropological teaching and research in the UK and the world. This is complemented by its relationship with the Pitt Rivers Museum, which houses one of the world's many ethnographic collections.
• The  Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology  (ICEA) brings together evolutionary anthropology and cognitive science with the aim of developing understanding of the evolution of human behaviour.
• The  Institute for Science, Innovation and Society  (InSIS) researches and informs the key processes of social and technological innovation that are critical to business, governments and civil society in the 21st century and beyond.
• The  Centre on Migration, Policy and Society  (COMPAS) provides a strategic, integrated research approach to understanding contemporary and future migration dynamics in the UK and EU.
• The  Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion  (CSSC) conducts research on the causes and consequences of social cohesion – the bonds that hold groups together, from families and gangs to nations and world religions.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the school's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Full-time study.

Home	£19,980
Overseas	£29,140

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Part-time study

Home	£9,990
Overseas	£14,570

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses. Standard travel insurance can be provided by the University. However, students may be required to pay any additional insurance premiums associated with travel to areas with an increased level of risk and/or for travel of more than 12 months duration, and should factor this into their planning for fieldwork.

Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur further additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

• Blackfriars
• Campion Hall
• Green Templeton College
• Harris Manchester College
• Hertford College
• Keble College
• Kellogg College
• Linacre College
• Magdalen College
• Regent's Park College
• Reuben College
• St Anne's College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Edmund Hall
• St Hugh's College
• St John's College
• St Peter's College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines and when to apply  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

Before you apply, you should identify an academic member of staff who is willing to supervise you and has the resources to support your proposed research project. You should do this by contacting them directly. Details of academic staff, including their research interests and contact details, can be found on the department's website.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents .

For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application .

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.

You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).

Proposed supervisor

If known, under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) who you would like to supervise your research. Otherwise, leave this field blank.

Referees: Three overall, academic preferred

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Ideally three academic letters of reference are required. Only if one or more such letters cannot be provided should professional reference(s) be supplied instead.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement and motivation.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

Research proposal: A maximum of 2,000 words

Your research proposal should state the research question, briefly discuss any key literature, discuss methods and provide a basic research timetable. Your research proposal must be written in English. The word count does not include any bibliography.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for the coherence of the proposal; the originality of the project; evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study; the ability to present a reasoned case in English; the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course; commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course; preliminary knowledge of research techniques; capacity for sustained and intense work; reasoning ability; ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace.

It will be normal for your ideas subsequently to change in some ways as you investigate the evidence and develop your project. You should nevertheless make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method at this moment.

Written work: Two essays, a maximum of 2,000 words each

You should submit two pieces of academically-related written work in English, in any discipline. The two items may be separate extracts from a longer work like a taught-course thesis. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

This will be assessed for a comprehensive understanding of the subject area; understanding of problems in the area; ability to construct and defend an argument; powers of analysis; and powers of expression.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply - Full time Apply - Part time

ADMISSION STATUS

Closed to applications for entry in 2024-25

Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2025-26)

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 5 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2024-25

Key facts

	Full Time	Part Time
Course code	RD_AN2	RD_AN9P2
Expected length	3-4 years	6-8 years
Places in 2024-25	c. 19	c. 2
Applications/year	104	2
Expected start
English language

† Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography

• Course page  and FAQs on the school's website
• Funding information from the school
• Academic and research staff
• Research in the school
• Social Sciences Division
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 274670

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

Graduate Program

The Anthropology graduate program provides students with excellent training in theory and methods, enabling them to pursue an advanced graduate degree in many subfields of Anthropology, including archaeology, ecology, environmental anthropology, evolution, linguistic, medical anthropology, political economy, science and technology, and sociocultural anthropology.

The doctoral program prepares students to conduct independent research and analysis in Anthropology.  Through completion of advanced course work and rigorous skills training, the doctoral program prepares students to make original contributions to the knowledge of anthropology and to interpret and present the results of such research.  Eligible PhD students from other disciplines at Stanford University may also pursue a PhD Minor in Anthropology. See PhD Program Flyer for more information.

The department offers a Coterminal MA degree in Anthropology for current Stanford undergraduates seeking to obtain a MA degree while completing their BA degree in the same or different department. The department also offers a Terminal MA degree in Anthropology for Stanford graduate students, either in anthropology or in other disciplines, who have fulfilled the MA degree requirements for the MA 'on the way to the PhD'.

Over 1,500  doctoral dissertations  have been completed in the department since 1895.  Anthropology alumni pursue successful careers in teaching, research, or non-academic careers in the United States and worldwide.

Beyond the Classroom

In close collaboration with Stanford  faculty members  and  department leadership , our graduate students organize number of event series that contribute to the department's intellectual life and community.  The Graduate Student Organization (GSO) representatives act as a liaison between the department leadership and the graduate student body, actively participating in department issues, and providing a supportive community for the first-year PhD student cohort as well as other for other PhD and M. graduate students. Graduate students also engage with unique research, curricular, and professionalization activities. 

Fields of Study

Our graduate s tudents may choose from the following Department tracks: 1) Archaeology; 2) Culture and Society.  Students work closely with faculty members who are engaged in research informed by a wide array of theoretical perspectives from political to spiritual. Subfields in Archeology include: cities, gender and sexuality, and materiality. Students interested in Culture and Society can focus on a wide range of issues such as: linguistic anthropology, culture and mind, medical anthropology, and global political economy.   Explore each Research Area and its faculty .

The Anthropology Department offers 5 years of financial support to PhD students.  No funding is offered for student enrolled in the co-terminal and terminal MA programs.

Join dozens of  Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students  who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  (KHS). As a scholar, students join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of Doctoral studies at Stanford. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023. Learn more about  KHS admission .

How to Apply

Please review admissions for policies and requirements for each degree program by visiting the specific degree program page listed above. Please also consider reviewing the Stanford School of Humanities & Sciences'  Guide on Getting into Grad School  to explore which graduate program may best suit your interest, what graduate committees look for, and the benefits and challenges for pursuing a graduate degree.

Program Contacts

Angela Garcia

Lochlann Jain

• Anthropology at UVA
• Brooks Hall
• Gift Opportunities
• Why Anthropology?
• Concentrations
• The Distinguished Majors Program (DMP)
• Global Culture and Commerce Minor
• Course Catalog
• Application FAQs
• Virginia Anthropology Society
• Program Overview
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The PhD Degree Program

• How to Apply
• Affiliated Faculty
• Emeritus Faculty
• In Memoriam
• Publications

The PhD program in Anthropology at the University of Virginia is designed to lead students from a common and broad acquaintance with fundamental issues of anthropological theory to their own individually tailored agenda of original scholarly research and writing. The accent throughout is on preparation to make a valuable contribution to knowledge through field research, analysis, and writing.

For a more detailed description of the specific requirements of the PhD program in Anthropology at the University of Virginia, please visit  Program Description .

For more information on the program contact the Director of Graduate Studies.        

The program of study for the PhD in Anthropology emphasizes:

• Studies in history and theory of anthropology that give students a broad view of the field
• Integration of theory and ethnographic research
• Collaboration and inspiration across the three sub-disciplines of Socio-Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, and Linguistic Anthropology
• Training in grant writing
• Mentoring for intensive field research
• Training and experience in teaching
• Mentoring for job placement
• Strong ties to other University departments, programs and centers

All incoming students for the PhD are supported with a six-year funding package as well as additional grants for foreign language study, conference travel, and preparatory research during summers.  The first year of our PhD program is devoted primarily to achieving a solid grounding in social theory through a set of “common” and elective courses emphasizing critical engagement with the history of anthropology and contemporary anthropological theory. In the second year, students focus on developing mastery of the existing bodies of scholarship on their research topics and areas. Working closely with faculty, they prepare two essays that critically review the “state of the field” in two areas of scholarly literature relevant to their planned dissertation research. During the summers following this first and second years of coursework, most PhD students visit their chosen field areas to assess the feasibility of research on their planned topics, to establish preliminary contacts, and to study local languages. In the third year of study, PhD students complete any remaining coursework and write their dissertation research proposal and grant applications.  Students who have passed their proposal and received funding carry out field research for one year or more. After returning from their field research, they write up their dissertation in consultation with the faculty members on their dissertation committee.

The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only.  The Graduate Record, found at www.virginia.edu/registrar/catalog/grad.html , represents the official repository for graduate academic program requirements.

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Faculty of science, masaryk university, funded phd programme (students worldwide).

Some or all of the PhD opportunities in this programme have funding attached. Applications for this programme are welcome from suitably qualified candidates worldwide. Funding may only be available to a limited set of nationalities and you should read the full programme details for further information.

Social Sciences Research Programme

Social Sciences Research Programmes present a range of research opportunities, shaped by a university’s particular expertise, facilities and resources. You will usually identify a suitable topic for your PhD and propose your own project. Additional training and development opportunities may also be offered as part of your programme.

The attitudes and practices of emergency services personnel towards people who overdose on drugs (Project ID SHSC0058)

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PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

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This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

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Graduate Program in Anthropology

The field of anthropology at Cornell has a long intellectual tradition. Its current emphasis is on understanding complex social and cultural systems through the analytical lenses provided by sociocultural anthropology and archaeology. We deal with past and present sociocultural systems through our courses, taking special concern for cultural diversity in communities around the world.

The graduate program in anthropology aims to combine anthropologically-grounded knowledge with an understanding of the history of the discipline and the development of current theoretical debates. Methodological training emphasizes ethnographic and archaeological techniques embracing allied approaches that range from the humanities to the physical sciences.

Most members of the field of anthropology are also members of one or more of Cornell's many area studies, ethnic studies or interdisciplinary programs. Students can take courses and work with faculty from any of these programs.

Cornell's unique structure, which joins the private university to the land grant university, provides students with the opportunity to gain substantial training in a broad range of theoretical and practical applications of the discipline. Cornell's Libraries offer extensive holdings of special interest to anthropologists, including the world-renowned Wason-Echols Collections on South, Southeast, and East Asian history, cultures and languages in the Kroch Library.

You may reach out directly at any time to faculty whose research and mentoring might be of interest to you, but please understand that faculty receive a high volume of email and may not be in the position to respond to all inquiries. We will host a “Tips for Applying” Zoom information session for all potential applicants on November 9 th  . This is an opportunity to have a 20 minute one on one conversation with a member of the faculty.   Click here to register . This event is open to scholars from all backgrounds, and has a particular focus on increasing access to graduate education in Anthropology, especially by those from backgrounds historically underrepresented in academia.

Admissions Procedures

The field of anthropology considers applicants for admission only once a year, for admission in the fall term. THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS DECEMBER 15TH. Please note that applications are submitted and reviewed online, so make every effort to prepare digital versions of all supporting material. We urge fellowship applicants to apply as early as possible, to ensure that their folders will be complete prior to the fellowship competition review in late January/early February. (Please see Financial Assistance for related information.)

An important component of the application is the statement of purpose. The admissions committee reads this essay to evaluate an applicant's focus in anthropology, to assess both his or her level of preparation and the fit between the applicant's aims and Cornell's resources. Please consider this essay an opportunity to explain not only why you seek training in anthropology, but why you seek it at Cornell, stating clearly the plan of study you propose to undertake.

All applicants whose native language is not English must provide proof of competency in the English language.  All  international applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting official test scores from TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System).  Cornell must receive official TOEFL or IELTS scores before the university can process your application.  TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of our application deadline.  Scores must be submitted directly to the Graduate School by the Educational Testing Service.

For applicants living in regions where the TOEFL iBT is not available, Cornell will accept scores for the paper-based test (PBT).  The Graduate School's official minimum sub-scores for each element of the TOEFL iBT are:

Speaking: 22

Reading: 20

Listening: 15

Writing: 20

Send scores to Cornell University Graduate School, Code # 2098.

Photocopies of TOEFL score reports will not be accepted.

Take the TOEFL early enough to have the results submitted at the time of your application. Exam dates are posted on the TOEFL web site.

The Graduate School requires an overall band score of a 7.0 or higher on the IELTS.

When you register for the exam, you may select up to five institutions to which you would like to have your Test Report Form (TRF) mailed. You may also submit a request to your test center to have additional TRFs sent to institutions not originally listed on your registration form.

Scores must be sent electronically (e-delivery) to the Cornell University Graduate Admissions, Caldwell Hall e-download account. E-delivery may also be referred to as an e-TRF by your test center.

The English language proficiency requirement may be waived if the applicant meets at least one of these criteria:

-           is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or a citizen of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or Canada (except Quebec). Applicants who are citizens of India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. are not exempt from the requirement.

-          at the time you enroll at Cornell, you will have studied in full-time status for at least two academic years within the last five years in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, or with English language instruction in Canada or South Africa. Even if English was the language of instruction at your school, if you did not study in one of these countries you are not exempt from the requirement. You must submit a transcript that shows you attended college in one of the approved locations, and that your academic program was at least two years in length.

Application Checklist

Be sure your complete application includes the following:

• The completed application form
• Transcripts from all relevant institutions (undergraduate and graduate schools)
• Three letters of recommendation 
• Academic Statement of Purpose

Personal Statement

• Writing sample (e.g., a term paper relevant to Anthropology)
• For some non-native speakers of English, the TOEFL score

The application is online at the Graduate School website ( http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/ )

Academic Statement of Purpose: 

Please use the Academic Statement of Purpose to describe (within 1000 words) the substantive research questions you are interested in pursuing during your graduate studies, and explain how our program would help you achieve your intellectual goals. Additionally, detail your academic background, intellectual interests, and any training or research experience you have received that you believe has prepared you for our program. Within your statement, please also identify specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own interests.

Your Personal Statement should provide the admissions committee with a sense of you as a whole person.

Content in the Personal Statement should complement rather than duplicate the content contained within the Research Statement of Purpose, which should focus explicitly on your academic interests, previous research experience, and intended area of research during your graduate studies.

Please describe (within 1000 words) how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, provide insight on your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and innovate productively and positively together. Within your statement, you may also include relevant information on any of the following:

How your personal, academic, and/or professional experiences demonstrate your ability to be both persistent and resilient especially when navigating challenging circumstances.

How you engage with others and have facilitated and/or participated in productive teams.

How you have experienced or come to understand the barriers faced by others whose experiences and backgrounds may differ from your own.

If relevant, how your research interests focus on issues related to diversity, inclusion, access, inequality, and/or equity.

Your service and/or leadership in efforts to advance diversity, inclusion, access, and equity especially by those from backgrounds historically underrepresented and/or marginalized.

Additional context around any perceived gaps or weaknesses in your academic record.

Doctoral Program

tudents are free to design their own program of study both within the discipline and across disciplines, within a framework of requirements set by the field or the graduate school. Since individual students' backgrounds and objectives differ, it is not possible to define a "typical" program. The actual program for each student is determined by the student in consultation with, first, their temporary advisors and then with the three or four faculty who form their special committee. In general, Ph.D. students spend three years taking courses before initiating dissertation research. Dissertation research typically takes 1-2 years, followed by 1-2 years of dissertation writing. Entering students can therefore expect to spend a minimum of six years as fulltime students before receiving the doctoral degree.

Assignment of a Temporary Advisor

The Director of Graduate Studies will assign entering students a temporary advisor from the members of the field. This advisor will help the student develop a preliminary program of study and research, advising the student on how to fulfill the field requirements or, where applicable, on how to petition for exemption.

Anthropology Field Course Requirements

During the first year of graduate study, all students in sociocultural anthropology are required to take History of Anthropological Thought and the Proseminar in anthropological theory. In addition to this core sequence, all students in sociocultural anthropology must take a qualitative research methods course (typically in the Fall of the student’s second year) and Proposal Development (typically in the Spring of the student’s second year) before completing the Admission to Candidacy Examination (see below). This core would constitute four of the approximately 15-18 courses students would take while pursuing a normal two- to three-year program prior to the Admission to Candidacy Exam. Students with previous graduate training in anthropology may, in consultation with their advisors, petition the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Affairs Committee to waive one or more of these requirements. Students who have formed their special committee can petition their committee directly. The Special Committee can grant exemptions to any field requirement.

During their first year of study, all students in archaeological anthropology are required to take History of Anthropological Thought (Fall) and the Proseminar in anthropological theory (Spring). In addition, all students in archaeological anthropology must take one graduate-level course in archaeological theory. During their second year, students are encouraged to take Proposal Development (Spring).  Archaeological anthropology students are also encouraged to take the one-credit Craft of Archaeology class offered each fall. Graduate students in archaeology are strongly advised, moreover, to be informed of subject matter and issues in related subfields, and the disciplines that articulate with their individual programs of study and professional aspirations, e.g., sociocultural anthropology, biological anthropology, the natural sciences, humanities-based archaeologies, area studies and statistics. Regardless of subfield, students with previous graduate training in anthropology may, in consultation with their advisors, petition the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Affairs Committee to waive one or more of these requirements. When students have formed their special committees, they can petition their committee directly. The Special Committee can grant exemption to any field requirement.

Forming a Committee

Students should form their own committees in the course of the first year of study, although if they do not get a chance to work with relevant faculty they may delay forming a three person committee until the third semester. The structure of the committee reflects the students' own intellectual objectives. Any member of the field may serve as the committee chair for anthropology students. The remaining two or three members may be drawn from the graduate faculty at large. Thus, students' committees may reflect focal interests within anthropology; for example, all members are drawn from within the field or they may reflect interdisciplinary objectives, such as minor fields, area studies and/or other disciplines.

Within Anthropology, students can choose among the various concentrations: sociocultural anthropology, archaeology and biological anthropology.

Qualifying Examination

Ideally before the end of their first year, but by the end of their third semester at the latest when the Graduate School requires that each student forms a three person Special Committee, students must convene a meeting with their committee called a "Qualifying Exam" ("Q Exam"). The contents of this exam are determined by the committee and focus upon defining an appropriate course of pre-fieldwork study.

Language Requirement

At the discretion of the committee, students may be required to learn one or more foreign languages pertinent to their proposed area of study and research.

Admission to Candidacy Examination

This exam, often called the "A Exam," is taken between the fourth and sixth semesters in residence and is the culmination of pre-dissertation fieldwork preparation. It is administered by the special committee. The examination consists of written and oral parts and successful completion formally admits a student to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Students who successfully pass these A-examinations are awarded a Masters Degree.

Teaching Requirement

Teaching is a vital part of training in the field of anthropology at Cornell. Graduate students are expected to gain active experience as teachers before being awarded the Ph.D.

Dissertation Field Research

The Cornell program in anthropology values intensive field research. Our students regularly undertake two full years of largely independent work, funded externally with the advice and backing of their Special Committee.

Colloquium Requirement 

After completing their fieldwork, advanced graduate students are expected to offer a colloquium in the Anthropology Department. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisor and committee members on the topic and timing. Students on a typical timeline would offer a colloquium during their second year of dissertation writing. 

Final Examination

The final exam, often called the "B Exam," is an oral examination of the thesis. This exam is administered and evaluated by the Special committee.

Ph.D. Handbook

You may access the PhD Handbook  to learn more about our program.

Financial Assistance

The major sources of financial aid for entering students in anthropology are listed below. Some applicants manage to obtain funding from sources not usually tapped by anthropologists. Your college advising center can help you in this search. We advise prospective graduate students from abroad to apply for any appropriate grants offered by public or private institutions in their home country or by American or International agencies (such as Ford Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, Harvard Yenching Foundation, Organization of American States) that support foreign nationals undertaking advanced study in the U.S. All continuing students, regardless of nationality, are eligible to apply for teaching assistantships and other Cornell awards.

Cornell University Fellowships Students who are offered admission to the PhD program who have no outside funding sources are simultaneously awarded a package of support consisting of a combination of Cornell University Fellowships, usually for the first academic year, and Field guarantees (a promise to provide an assistantship should other sources of fellowship support not be forthcoming) for support during subsequent years of a student's program. It is the goal of this field to provide some form of tuition and stipend support for a minimum of four years to all students who are admitted. Continuing students are expected to apply to external sources of support in order to increase the Field's total resources available for graduate training. Please reach out to your GFA to apply for supplemental funding.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)

Citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. who plan to minor in one of Cornell's International Studies Programs (ISPs) (East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, Western Societies, Slavic and East European Studies) should request a FLAS application form from the fellowship office, Sage Graduate Center. Applications become available in November and are due in January. Any applicants considering research that involves one of the following languages should contact the relevant area program for a FLAS application. These fellowships provide a stipend and tuition fellowship. Programs likely to receive federal funds this year are:

• Africa: Swahili, Yoruba (For further clarification, contact the Africana Studies Program.)
• East Asia: Chinese, Japanese, Korean (Separate application procedure; contact East Asia Program, 140 Uris Hall, 255-6222.
• Latin America: Portuguese, Quechua (Not available 2008-2009)
• South Asia: Bengali, Hindi-Urdu, Nepali, Sinhala
• SouthEast Asia: Burmese, Khmer (Cambodian), Indonesian/Malay, Javanese, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese
• Institute for European Studies: Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Swedish. (For further clarification, contact the Institute for European Studies.)

Teaching Assistantships (TAs)

TAs spend about 15 hours per week assisting the faculty in undergraduate courses. Second- and third-year students who are making satisfactory progress toward the PhD degree have priority in the allocation of TAships. TAs are paid a stipend and are offered full-tuition fellowships. Other teaching positions are also available through the John S. Knight Institute.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

The fellowships are intended for U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are college seniors or first-year graduate students at the time of application. Awards are for a period of three years and provide a 12-month stipend plus a cost of education allowance. The deadline for receipt of preliminary applications is in mid-November.

In addition, NSF Minority Graduate Research Fellowships are available to U.S. citizens who are members of an ethnic minority group underrepresented in the advanced levels of the nation's science talent pool. Minority fellowships are available on the same terms as the NSF graduate fellowships. All eligible candidates should make timely application for this fellowship. For more information please visit  https://www.nsfgrfp.org/ .

Financial Assistance for Continuing Students

The Director of Graduate Studies and other faculty members assist graduate students in locating financial support to continue their studies and conduct field research. In addition, summer research funds and support for conference participation are also available on a competitive basis.

Cornell-Nepal Study Program

The Cornell-Nepal Study Program is a joint program of Cornell University and Tribhuvan University, the national university of Nepal. Qualified graduate students work with faculty from both universities to prepare for and undertake field research projects in Nepal. Students receive 15 credits per semester. Application is through the Cornell Abroad Program.  

Non-Degree Candidates

The field occasionally permits an applicant to register for coursework only, without admitting the student to either the doctoral or MA program. Non-degree candidates include graduate students at other American universities who wish to devote one or two semesters to intensive study of the language or culture of the region where they will later do fieldwork, students from abroad who desire some exposure to American anthropology and employees of government agencies or corporations who have been sent to Cornell for specialized training, among others. In all cases, the admissions committee must pass on the applicant's qualifications and must approve the specific objectives he or she has in mind. The field does not regard non-degree candidates as graduate students on probation, and strongly discourages anyone from applying for this status with the intention of improving his or her chances for admission to the PhD program later on. Non-degree candidates pay the same tuition as degree candidates. Non-degree candidates are not eligible for fellowships from Cornell sources.

Graduate Student Profiles

View our List of Current Graduate Students to learn more about their interests and projects.

For More Information

For more information on the Graduate Program in Anthropology, contact our Director of Graduate Studies:

Alex Nading

[email protected]

Office: McGraw 262

Or Contact Laura Sabatini, Graduate Program Coordinator

[email protected]

Office:  McGraw 266

Best Physical and Biological Anthropology colleges in the U.S. 2024

Best physical and biological anthropology colleges in the u.s. for 2024.

Harvard University offers 2 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 6 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 6 Doctoral degrees.

New York University offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 7 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.

George Washington University offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 11 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 11 Bachelor's degrees.

University of California-San Diego offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city.

Binghamton University offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a midsize suburb. In 2022, 11 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 11 Master's degrees.

Ohio State University-Main Campus offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 1 Certificate.

Stony Brook University offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large suburb.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 1 Certificate.

Drew University offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb.

Kent State University at Kent offers 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 1 Physical and Biological Anthropology students graduated with students earning 1 Doctoral degree.

List of all Physical and Biological Anthropology colleges in the U.S.

School		Average Tuition	Student Teacher Ratio	Enrolled Students
	Cambridge, MA	5/5	17 : 1	30,631
	New York, NY	5/5	20 : 1	59,144
	Washington, DC	5/5	22 : 1	25,939
	La Jolla, CA	3/5	30 : 1	42,006
	Vestal, NY	3/5	23 : 1	18,312

Search Utah State University:

Anthropology and cultural resource management - phd.

square check box Course Requirements

The PhD program in Anthropology and Cultural Resource Management trains a new generation of scholars to engage with and manage cultural resources and their derivative data in a time of rapidly changing political and biophysical environments. The program design meets the logistical, intellectual, and economic needs of 21st-century students by providing access to a blended post-graduate education built around skill-based certifications and the advanced degrees required by academia and for professional practice in government and private-sector cultural resource management (CRM).

Career Application

Students who complete a doctoral program in Anthropology and Cultural Resource Management will have the skills necessary to identify, interpret, and conserve cultural resources; analyze the interplay between humans and their environment; and communicate the importance of cultural resources and long-term population data to various stakeholders. The program leverages USU faculty strengths in social-ecological and evolutionary theory, data analytics, cultural resource management, and museum studies to create student-centered outcomes focused on transferable skills and competencies in theory, data analytics, and communication.

Admissions Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.
• GRE scores are not required to be admitted into this program
• Letter of intent identifying your background and professional objectives (500 - 1000 words). 
• Resume/vita
• Transcripts of all colleges and universities attended. 
• The names and emails of three references.
• International students should take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)  or International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• Indication you have completed field school or have sufficient field education (credits on transcripts, mention in letter of intent, entry on resume or vita) Please view more detailed information on admission requirements on pg. 8 of the student handbook

Program Requirements

• All PhD coursework must be completed with a grade of B or higher.
• To fulfill USU graduate residence requirements, at least 33 semester credits for the doctoral degree must be taken from Utah State University and be part of an approved Program of Study. 
• Doctoral candidates must pass a written comprehensive examination in their major area of specialization, and successfully write and defend a dissertation proposal and dissertation before their supervisory committee.

To view classes, exceptions, and requirements for students entering the program with and without a Master's degree, please view the catalog information .

Program Advisor

Judson Finley

Department Head | Sociology and Anthropology

+1 435 797 9621 Logan (MAIN 216B) [email protected]

Megan Sills

Staff Assistant III

+1 435 797 0219 Logan (MAIN 245) [email protected]

Related Programs

• Anthropology (MS)
• Sociology (PhD)

USU School of Graduate Studies

• View information about student life, cost of attendance, related programs and more offered by the USU School of Graduate Studies.
• View Information

Scholarships and Financial Aid

• Utah State University offers many options for financial aid, including university level scholarships and aid available to specific colleges and programs.

Anthropology (Physical Anthropology) (MA)

• Program description
• At a glance
• Degree requirements
• Admission requirements
• Tuition information
• Contact information

Genetics, fossil, osteology, physical

The graduate program in physical anthropology introduces students to current data, methods, and theories in six core areas of physical anthropology: anthropological genetics, dental anthropology, fossil hominids, health and disease, osteology, and primatology. The program focuses on the student¿s area of interest, which may fall within one of seven areas of study in which faculty are actively involved and collaborating, or may bridge and extend these areas. Areas of study for which special course lists and groups of faculty have been organized include anthropological genetics, dental anthropology, health and disease, peopling of the Pacific basin and adjoining areas, primate ecology and social behavior, primate functional morphology, paleoanthropology, and skeletal biology.

• College/school: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

30 credit hours and a thesis, or 30 credit hours and an applied project

A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work approved by a student¿s supervisory committee and the Graduate College is required. More than 30 semester hours are required in certain programs.

School of Human Evolution & Social Change | Anthro A-233 [email protected] 480-965-6215

• Schools & departments

Social Anthropology PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Social Anthropology

Upcoming Introduction to Postgraduate Study and Research events

Join us online on the 19th June or 26th June to learn more about studying and researching at Edinburgh.

Choose your event and register

Research profile

Our Social Anthropology group forms an international centre of excellence for postgraduate training, recognised as one of the premier research departments in the UK.

Edinburgh’s Social Anthropology department is among the largest in the UK, and our research interests are correspondingly diverse.

Our research is global in scope and includes core themes in:

• health and wellbeing
• religion and society
• migration and refugee studies
• science and technology
• the anthropology of kinship
• peace and conflict studies
• anthropology and the arts
• media anthropology
• cultural heritage
• international development
• human-animal relations
• the anthropology of design

Our work generally combines a traditional anthropological emphasis on ethnographic fieldwork with a focus on contemporary issues.

We welcome interdisciplinary research and are home to the Edinburgh Centre for Medical Anthropology (EdCMA), and numerous collaborations with the Edinburgh College of Art, including the Atelier Network.

We also work closely with the Centre for African Studies (CAS), particularly with research on international development.

Programme structure

Usually undertaken full-time over three years, or part-time over six years, the PhD in Social Anthropology is a research degree in which you will make an original contribution to our knowledge by pursuing an extended and focused piece of research on a topic of your interest.

The programme is supported by the Graduate School of Social and Political Science, which enables you to acquire a broader set of transferable skills during your time with us.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Award	Title	Duration	Study mode
PhD	Social Anthropology	3 Years	Full-time
PhD	Social Anthropology	6 Years	Part-time

Training and support

The PhD programme combines work on your thesis project, usually based on long-term fieldwork, with systematic training in anthropological and social research skills.

A wide range of training facilities are available to PhD students. The Graduate School provides a range of ESRC-recognised research training courses for social science students across the University. You are encouraged to participate in taught Masters level courses to assist your intellectual development and support you research.

The University’s Institute for Academic Development provides a range of courses and events to assist with methodological training and career development.

• Institute for Academic Development

Research library and archive facilities in Edinburgh are outstanding.

You will be a member of the Graduate School of Social & Political Science, with full access to the Graduate School’s facilities in the Chrystal Macmillan Building.

Other library and archive facilities include the University’s Main Library, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish Records Office. Proximity to the Scottish Parliament and other institutions of national government provides further research opportunities.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in social anthropology. Your application will also be considered if you have a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in another subject, and a postgraduate masters level degree in social anthropology.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Tuition fees, scholarships and funding, featured funding.

School of Social and Political Science Scholarships

UK Research Council Awards

For specialised guidance on submitting a competitive scholarship application, please follow the requirements and recommendations and how to contact relevant academic staff as advised here:

• Important information and recommendations

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Postgraduate Admissions Team
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• Programme Advisor, Dr Alice Street
• Contact: [email protected]
• Graduate School of Social & Political Science
• Chrystal Macmillan Building
• 15A George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: Social Anthropology
• School: Social & Political Science
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD Social Anthropology - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd social anthropology - 6 years (part-time), application deadlines.

Programme start date	Application deadline
9 September 2024	1 July 2024

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

• How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

You must submit a research proposal demonstrating your knowledge of your field of research, which will be closely scrutinised as part of the decision-making process. We request that PhD research proposals are no more than four A4 typed pages in Times New Roman, 12pt font. This includes charts and figures but does not include references or a bibliography.

We require PhD applicants in particular to contact potential supervisors before applying to discuss their research proposal so we can ensure there is adequate supervision.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

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Biological Anthropology

Status: archived, archived funding opportunity, important information for proposers.

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Supports field, laboratory and computational research on human and nonhuman primate adaptation, variation and evolution to advance knowledge about human origins and the dynamics between biology and culture.

The Biological Anthropology Program supports basic research in areas related to human evolution and contemporary human biological variation. Research areas supported by the program include, but are not limited to, human genetic variation, human and nonhuman primate ecology and adaptability, human osteology and bone biology, human and nonhuman primate paleontology, functional anatomy, and primate socioecology. Grants supported in these areas are united by an underlying evolutionary framework, and often by a consideration of adaptation as a central theoretical theme. Proposals may also have a biocultural or bioarchaeological orientation. The program frequently serves as a bridge within NSF between the social and behavioral sciences and the natural and physical sciences, and proposals commonly are jointly reviewed and funded with other programs.

For more information about Multidisciplinary Research and Training Opportunities, please visit the SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities web site .

For additional, specific information on the Biological Anthropology Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs) solicitation, please visit the Biological Anthropology DDRIG program web site .

Program contacts

Program Director

	(703) 292-7850	SBE/SES
Program Director		(703)-292-7758
Program Specialist		(703) 292-4636	SBE/BCS

Additional program resources

• Dear Colleague Letter: Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity (NSF 21-013)
• Dear Colleague Letter: A Broader Impacts Framework for Proposals Submitted to NSF's Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF 21-059)
• NSF programs to stop accepting proposals via FastLane website

Awards made through this program

Related programs.

• Biological Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (BA-DDRIG)
• High-Risk Research in Biological Anthropology and Archaeology (HRRBAA)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
• SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF)
• Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)
• Mid-Career Advancement (MCA)
• ADVANCE: Organizational Change for Gender Equity in STEM Academic Professions (ADVANCE)
• Build and Broaden: Enhancing Social, Behavioral and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions (B2)
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
• Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions:
• Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI)
• Archaeology and Archaeometry
• Archaeology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (Arch-DDRIG)
• Cultural Anthropology
• Cultural Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (CA-DDRIG)
• Human Networks and Data Science (HNDS)

Organization(s)

• Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)
• Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (SBE/BCS)