Gain professional-level skills in conducting independent research
The Department of Anthropology grants both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology. Most of our students enter the Ph.D. program, and are awarded an M.A. after fulfilling program requirements at the end of their second year. We also offer a specialized M.A. in Cultural Resource Management, working closely with faculty and staff from the Office of the State Archaeologist.
Our graduates go on to work at universities, colleges, museums, and a diverse range of governmental and non-governmental agencies. For more information and examples, see Graduate Careers and Opportunities.
Topical and geographic strengths in the Department of Anthropology include cultural evolution, cultural politics, environmental anthropology, European archaeology, feminist anthropology & sexuality studies, medical anthropology, paleoanthropology, science & technology studies, and Asian studies. Our faculty work within and across the discipline’s four subfields, and conduct both localized and multi-sited research at locations around the globe--including East, South, and Southeast Asia; Europe; southern Africa; North America (especially the U.S. & Mexico); South America; and the Pacific (especially Hawai’i and New Zealand).
83 %
Placement rate of PhD graduates in academic jobs
Master of Arts in Anthropology
Our two-year M.A. in anthropology is aimed at providing students with advanced training in archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, or anthropological linguistics with a goal of preparing them for additional graduate study or professional work in anthropology and related fields. Students are required to do original field, archival, or laboratory research. The department also offers an independent M.A. with a focus in Cultural Resource Management- Archaeology (CRM), which provides academic preparation for a professional career in CRM-Archaeology.
Learning Outcomes
- Disciplinary expertise. Graduate students should develop an in-depth understanding of the differences and similarities of people across place and time based on anthropological evidence and theory;
- Skills for independent research. Graduate students will acquire professional and ethical research, reasoning, and methodological skills to identify important research problems and to subsequently design, execute, productively engage with feedback, and report (via writing and presentations) results of independent research programs to a diverse audience;
- Teaching Contributions. Graduate students will effectively and ethically communicate anthropological concepts and theories to a broad audience; and
- Disciplinary, Academic, and Community Contributions. Graduate students will develop service, mentoring, and leadership skills that advance and support professional, a...
Want to get started?
Learn more about the program, including courses, curriculum, and requirements here.
Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology
The Ph.D. in anthropology is designed to provide professional-level skills in conducting independent research, and represents a balance between a general competence in the four major subfields of anthropology (obtained at the M.A. level) plus specialized training in one of anthropology’s subfields. Students are required to do original field, archival, or laboratory research that results in a scholarly thesis. Our Ph.D. students may complete a concentration in feminist anthropology or paleoanthropology. Our Ph.D. prepares our students for a position as a college or university-level researcher and/or teacher, or for advanced non-academic research positions.
Learning Outcomes
- Disciplinary expertise. Graduate students should develop an in-depth understanding of the differences and similarities of people across place and time based on anthropological evidence and theory;
- Skills for independent research. Graduate students will acquire professional and ethical research, reasoning, and methodological skills to identify important research problems and to subsequently design, execute, productively engage with feedback, and report (via writing and presentations) results of independent research programs to a diverse audience;
- Teaching Contributions. Graduate students will effectively and ethically communicate anthropological concepts and theories to a broad audience; and
- Disciplinary, Academic, and Community Contributions. Graduate students will develop service, mentoring, and leadership skills that advance and support professional, a...
Want to get started?
Learn more about the program, including courses, curriculum, and requirements here.