anthropology phd length

Anthropology

Ph.d. program.

• Graduate Studies

The graduate program in Brown’s anthropology department encourages a diversity of doctoral research agendas in socio-cultural anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and linguistic anthropology.

Our program balances a rigorous curriculum of core classes with more specialized training in advanced courses. Our graduate seminars and independent study courses provide an engaging and rigorous tutorial approach to training. Graduate courses offered this academic year are listed on  Courses@Brown .

Brown’s graduate program is primarily PhD granting; students are not admitted to the department solely to seek a Master’s degree. Doctoral students complete requirements for a Master’s degree during their course of study, as well as additional requirements described below.

Degree Requirements

Generally awarded as part of the overall requirements for a Ph.D.

Four core courses

• ANTH2010: Principles of Cultural Anthropology
• ANTH 2020: Methods of Anthropological Research (or equivalent)
• ANTH 2501: Principles of Archaeology
• ANTH 2800: Linguistic Theory and Practice
• Four approved electives
• A Master’s Thesis
• 12 additional elective courses beyond the 8 required for the Master’s Degree (or the fulfillment of equivalent through coursework at another university) 
• Preliminary examinations in three topics
• One year of teaching experience, usually as a teaching assistant
• Approved research proposal for doctoral research
• Foreign language requirement (if required by the candidate’s doctoral committee)
• Dissertation, based on independent field research

More detailed information about the program, including a general outline of the timeline for completing the program, can be found in the Anthropology Graduate Handbook . 

Specialized Ph.D. Tracks

They choose a topic within Anthropological Demography as one of their preliminary examination topics, participate in the activities of the Working Group in Anthropology and Population, and attend the regular colloquia of the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC). PSTC also has a set of requirements trainees must meet. Special fellowships are available to students in this program.

More information @ PSTC

The program offers specialized courses, funds field-based research, provides fellowships, hosts visiting faculty, and promotes collaborative research initiatives with partner institutions in the global south. The program builds on a core group of faculty internationally renowned for their research and scholarship in the area of development and inequality. Program activities are open to all PhD students at Brown. All trainees and fellows are eligible for summer fieldwork research grants.

More information @ Watson

Medical anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that seeks to understand human experiences of health, illness, and suffering. Medical anthropologists study topics such as global health, local health systems, indigenous medicine, violence and trauma, disability and the body, gender and sexuality, biotechnology, bioethics, and social suffering. Brown’s PhD program offers an array of opportunities for students seeking specialized training in medical anthropology. Brown’s anthropology faculty are actively engaged in researching a wide variety of topics within the subfield of medical anthropology, including HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, mental illness, reproductive health, gender and sexuality, violence and trauma, biotechnology, language and medicine, anthropology of drugs, and bio-archaeology.

For more information, contact  Professor Daniel J. Smith or  Professor Katherine A. Mason.

Ph.D. Degree

Students enter the Ph.D Program, based upon a vote of the faculty, at the time the M.A. degree is conferred or, if entering with a master’s degree, when all requirements demonstrating basic knowledge in the field of anthropology are completed.

The Ph.D Program

The Ph.D degree requires further study in a more specialized branch of anthropology, requiring at least one further year of academic study.  Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the discipline by successful completion of: (1) the Written Qualifying Examination administered by a three-member Departmental Doctoral Committee, (2) the Oral Qualifying Examination administered by a four-member Ph.D Doctoral Committee and, (3) the writing of an original dissertation based on original research.  The dissertation is expected to be a significant contribution to anthropological literature and knowledge.

Beyond basic requirements, each student’s program of study is unique. Accordingly, academic advising for graduate students in the department is primarily conducted on an individual basis by a student’s faculty adviser. The department’s graduate adviser is primarily responsible for counseling students in regard to program requirements, policies, and university regulations. Upon admission, students will be assigned both a primary and a secondary first-year adviser.

Student progress is periodically reviewed at faculty meetings. Students entering the program with a master’s degree are expected to be evaluated no later than their sixth quarter (spring quarter of their second year). At the Student Review Meeting, which occurs once per academic quarter, the full faculty evaluates the student’s progress in the program: formation of three-member departmental advisory committee; completion of the Proseminar and core courses; and evaluation of the Master’s research paper or thesis. Possible outcomes of the Student Review for students entering with a Master’s degree are: a) continuation to the Ph.D. program requirements; b) one-quarter extension to complete remaining requirements; and c) recommendation for academic disqualification from the Ph.D. program. All students are notified in writing about the outcome of the faculty discussion concerning their continuation to the doctoral program or degree progress. Students continue to be reviewed periodically throughout their time in the PhD program. The purpose of these reviews is to assess academic progress and help to ensure timely completion of the PhD.

Students entering the program with a Master’s degree

Students who are entering the graduate program with a Master’s degree, whether or not in anthropology, are required to demonstrate basic knowledge of the discipline before being permitted to begin the requirements for the doctorate. It is expected that students accomplish this during the first year of academic residence through the following:

• Nominating a three-member departmental advisory committee.
• Completing the Proseminar (Anthropology 200).
• Taking the core course or methods course with a passing grade of B or better.
• Petitioning that course work completed elsewhere, or at UCLA as an undergraduate, constitutes the equivalent of such courses.
• Passing the subfield’s core course examination given in the Spring Quarter.
• Submitting to the student’s departmental advisory committee, for evaluation, a master’s paper or a research paper that was written while in graduate status in their former Master’s program.

Additional Course Requirement for Students in the Sociocultural and Psychocultural-Medical Program: All students in the Sociocultural and Psychocultural-Medical program are required to take Anthropology 283 – Proposal Writing, typically offered in the Spring. Students must consult with their three-member departmental advisory committee chair before enrolling. Students are expected to complete the course in their second year but may complete it no later than the quarter they hold their qualifying examination. Students who entered the graduate program with a Master’s degree must complete this course by their ninth quarter (third year) in the program.

A grade of B or better is required in any core course taken at UCLA. If students received a grade of B-, C+, or C, they may not repeat the core course, but must take the core course examination and pass or be subject to being recommended for academic disqualification. If a grade of C- or below is received, students may repeat the course, but must receive a grade of B or better the second time the course is taken, or be subject to being recommended for academic disqualification.

Only when these requisites have been met are students permitted to begin the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. Completion of 40 units is not required.

Students who completed the M.A in Anthropology at UCLA

Students who are entering the graduate program without a Master’s degree must complete all of the M.A. degree requirements en route to the Ph.D. Following completion of the M.A. degree requirements and permission by the faculty to begin the Ph.D. requirements, students are expected to enroll in three seminars, each with a different faculty member, between receipt of the M.A. degree from the department and taking the doctoral qualifying examinations.

Additional Course Requirement for Students in the Sociocultural and Psychocultural-Medical Program: All students in the Sociocultural and Psychocultural-Medical program are required to take Anthropology 283 – Proposal Writing, typically offered in the Spring. Students must consult with their three-member departmental advisory committee chair before enrolling. Students are expected to complete the course in their second year but may complete it no later than the quarter they hold their qualifying examination. Students who completed the M.A. degree requirements must complete this course by their 12th quarter (fourth year) in the program.

Foreign Language Requirement

Fulfilling the foreign language requirement  is not a requirement to be eligible to apply to the graduate program.

The department requires proficiency in a second language for all students in the Ph.D. program in anthropology. It is the responsibility of the student’s three-member departmental doctoral committee to determine what language(s) are required for their particular program of study.

If the requirement for second language proficiency is to be waived, students must prepare a request for a Ph.D. language requirement waiver, which consists of a letter justifying the request, addressed to the committee and filed with the graduate adviser. The committee must then draft a letter of approval, to be placed in the student’s file. If alternate research skills that are deemed necessary for the program of study for the student’s dissertation have been identified and satisfied, these are noted by the committee. However, no specific other courses or skills are obligatory.

If foreign language proficiency is required, proficiency will be determined by the three-member departmental doctoral committee and may include but is not limited to:

• Completion of an appropriate level of language instruction; or
• Demonstration of previously acquired language skills through documentation or an examination; or
• Submission of an annotated bibliography, in English, of selected publications (in the selected language) that are related to the student’s dissertation topic.

The bibliography may be supplemented by a related analytical examination question or further translation examination.

For students required to demonstrate foreign language proficiency, all monitoring of the requirement takes place within the department. The committee chair is responsible for consulting with other committee members about the language requirement and plans for proficiency testing, and notifying them of the results of those tests, or otherwise providing them with copies of the documentation of proficiency.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

The qualifying examinations for the Ph.D. degree consist of a written and an oral examination. The timing of these examinations is set in consultation with the members of the doctoral committee. Students must be registered and enrolled to take the qualifying examinations. The committee for each examination determines the conditions for reexamination should students not pass either portion of the qualifying examinations.

Departmental members of the doctoral committee administer the written portion of the qualifying examination. The fields and format of the examination are to be determined by the student’s departmental doctoral committee. There must be a minimum of two weeks between completion of the written examination and the scheduled date for the oral portion of the qualifying examination.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is primarily a defense of the dissertation proposal. This examination is administered by the four-member doctoral committee.

Doctoral Dissertation

Doctoral candidates must complete an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research, and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination

The department does not require a final oral defense of the dissertation. However, individual doctoral committees can institute this requirement if they deem it important to do so; this decision is made by the doctoral committee.

Time to Degree

Full-time students admitted without deficiencies normally progress as follows:

Entering without a Master’s degree

• Completion of M.A. degree  and approval to begin the Ph.D. requirements: End of sixth quarter
• Selection of three internal members of the doctoral committee: During ninth quarter
• Four-person doctoral committee nomination: End of 11th quarter
• Completion of foreign language requirement, unless exempted: During 12th quarter
• Completion of written and oral qualifying examinations: Expected by end of 12th quarter
• Advancement to candidacy: Expected by end of 12th quarter
• Final oral examination (dissertation defense), if applicable: Expected by end of 24th quarter
• Normative time-to-degree: 24 quarters (8 years)

Entering with a Master’s degree

• Selection of three internal members of the doctoral committee: During sixth quarter
• Approval to begin the Ph.D requirements: End of sixth quarter
• Four-person doctoral committee nomination: End of eighth quarter
• Completion of foreign language requirement, unless exempted: During ninth quarter
• Completion of written and oral qualifying examinations: Expected by end of ninth quarter
• Advancement to candidacy: Expected by end of ninth quarter
• Final oral examination (dissertation defense), if applicable: Expected by end of 21st quarter
• Expected time-to-degree: 21st quarter (7 years)

If feasible, students may complete the program before the expected or normative time-to-degree.

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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

• Why Support Anthropology?
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• Prospective Students

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); 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. Advisors consult with students on their course selections and on their research and career plans, and 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 the course of 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 30 credits required for the MA or 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).

Students who enrolled in the PhD program prior to Fall 2017 are allowed to have 12 1000- level credits count towards the MA or PhD. Students who enrolled during or after Fall 2017 are not eligible to have 1000- level credits count towards either degree.

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 possesses a substantial body of anthropological literature. 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, after seeking advice from an advisor, should petition the Committee on Graduate Studies for alternative forms of evaluation.

Method/Theory Requirements

Students in archeology must pass with a grade of B or better Anthropology 2534 and Anthropology 2524 (Archeological Data Analysis I and II). They may petition the Graduate Studies Committee to accept other courses in quantitative methods in lieu of these.  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 with the approval of their advisor, Anthropology 2534 and Anthropology 2524 (Archaeological Data Analysis I and II). Students in cultural and linguistic anthropology must pass with a grade of B or better Anthropology 2763 (Field Methods) and Anthropology 2750 (Seminar on Contemporary Theory in cultural anthropology). They may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval of other courses to satisfy this requirement.

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 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 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.

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 major body of theory, e.g. evolutionary theory or developmental theory, and the second focuses on a coherent, substantive body of research, e.g. hominid evolution, functional anatomy, paleopathology.

In  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, she or he 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.

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.

Part-Time Students

Part-time students should take the core courses in their subfields before taking more than 18 credits of formal coursework. They should complete the core course requirement before taking more than 36 credits of formal coursework and proceeding with the other aspects of the program.

General MA Degree

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

Department of Anthropology

General ph.d. program information.

Students who enroll in one of the Anthropology Department’s Ph.D. programs join a vibrant and diverse community of scholars working to extend the disciplinary and interdisciplinary horizons of twenty-first century Anthropology. Students in all Ph.D. programs work closely with their advisers and other faculty to craft an appropriate sequence of graduate-level courses, professional experiences, and independent research culminating in a disse rtation.

The Director of Graduate Studies is  Erik Harms .

The Departmental Registrar is  Marleen Cullen .

Further information on all of our Ph.D. programs can be found in the links to the left, and the Department’s Graduate Student Handbook provides additional details.  

Applying to the PhD

Department ph.d. in anthropology application requirements.

• Online application form (includes: subfield of interest, world region of interest)
• Transcripts
• Personal statement/statement of purpose (A statement –of no fewer than 200 words and no more than 5 pages — describing your qualifications and the objectives of your educational program. Report any research activities, publications, independent studies, and memberships in academic, professional, or honorary societies. Account for time that has elapsed between formal studies.)
• Writing sample
• Three letters of recommendation
• TOEFL or IELTS  scores ( minimum requirements listed here )
• A $95 application fee must be paid in order for your application to be considered complete. This fee is non-refundable. Information on fee waivers for PhD  applicants is available on the GRS website.
• Deadline: December 20

The GRE is not required. However, if you feel that your scores will strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit them. The admissions committee fully recognizes that there are many components to your application and that GRE scores have a limited scope of predictive power in the evaluation of a candidate for their long-term success as a student. 

Boston University prefers that all application materials be submitted digitally through the online application portal when possible.  If circumstances arise that make this impossible, please mail any hard copy materials to the following address:

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Admissions Office 705 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 112 Boston, M.A. 02215

BU Application Process

Please review the Boston University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences online application checklist and complete a formal application online .

Financial Aid

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 .

Frequently Asked Questions

We aim to provide answers to the most common questions in the links below, but if not, please try the   Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS).   However, if you still have unanswered questions, you may contact us at   [email protected] .

The GRE is not required for both MAPA and PhD applications. However, if you feel that your scores will strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit them. The admissions committee fully recognizes that there are many components to your application and that GRE scores have a limited scope of predictive power in the evaluation of a candidate for their long-term success as a student.

MY APPLICATION PROCESS

How to Apply & Deadlines

The Anthropology Department at BU offers two graduate programs: an M.A. in Public Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Anthropology. For more information about the academics of these two programs, please click the following links:

• Masters in Public Anthropology
• PhD in Anthropology

Applications for both programs should be completed through the Webadmit online application form via the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS).

The Boston University School of Medicine offers an  M.A. in Medical Anthropology  and an  M.S. in Forensic Anthropology . All inquiries regarding these programs should be directed to the  GMS admissions office.

What Test Scores and GPA requirements do you require?

As part of our holistic approach to admissions, we no longer require the GRE General Test.  The admissions committee fully recognizes that there are many components to your application, and that GRE scores have a limited scope of predictive power in the evaluation of a candidate for their long-term success as a student. However, if you feel that your scores will strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit them to be considered as part of the admissions committee holistic review.

For information about TOEFL or IELTS  scores and minimum requirements listed:  here

What do you look for in the Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose?

The applicant’s Statement of Purpose should be concise and very explicit about the applicant’s interests and anthropological goals. These statements are read carefully and are taken very seriously.

We look for a focused area of research interest—both topic and geographic area. We are not looking for something as specific as a dissertation topic, but we need to know how well your research interests match our strengths. Consider the following questions: what education/experience led you to your current interest, what you plan to do upon completion of the degree, which professor(s) would you seek out as advisors, and what about our department interests you?

You should upload the Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose and Writing Sample directly to the ApplicantPortal. Your uploaded document should be no more than 5 pages and should be in a Western European or other English-language setting. Whichever way the statement is submitted, it should contain on every page the following identifying information: your name, BU ID or CAS ID # (which is available after you create an account and begin your application), and the department and degree program (e.g. Anthropology PhD program) to which you are applying.

Do you require a writing sample?

Additionally, if the applicant wishes, they may submit a sample of their written work. There is no specific expected format or length. The writing sample will be used by faculty to assess your readiness for doctoral study, so consider texts that show your research capacity.

How do you properly submit transcripts?

All letters of recommendation and transcripts should be submitted directly through the online application system.  For information on letters of recommendation and transcripts, please visit the GRS website https://www.bu.edu/cas/admissions/phd-mfa/apply/frequently-asked-questions/transcripts-letters-of-recommendation-and-statement-of-purpose/ to learn more.

Should I send anything directly to the Department of Anthropology?

Boston University prefers that all application materials be submitted digitally through the online  application portal  when possible.  If circumstances arise that make this impossible, please contact the Graduate School Admissions Office at [email protected] for assistance.

Can I apply for a fee waiver?

In an effort to reduce financial barriers to attending graduate school, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) offers application fee waivers.  For additional information on eligibility, review PhD & MFA Application Fee Waiver and then contact our Director of Graduate Studies with the required materials. Please contact the Graduate School Admissions Office at [email protected] for assistance.

By what date should I receive the admissions decision?

The Admissions Committee of the Department of Anthropology usually makes its decisions for the Ph.D. program by late-February and early April for the M.A.P.A. program. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences will send you an email, directing you to a secure website where you can view the decision. If you wish, you may email or call the department at [email protected] or 617-353-2195.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Is there a language requirement?

Yes. The Department of Anthropology is a four-field department that includes course offerings in Sociocultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Anthropological Archaeology, and Linguistic Anthropology. Our goal is to produce students who are equipped to move through the world as colleagues, research collaborators, and global citizens sensitive to and respectful of the world’s cultural diversity. This requires respect for other languages and related world views that can only be acquired through language study. For this reason, all PhD students in Anthropology must meet the Departmental requirement of demonstrating competence in a language other than English.

For most students this language requirement will be met by 4 semesters or the equivalent of undergraduate study of a foreign language with a passing grade.

Other means of meeting the language requirement include, but are not limited to:

• Attendance at a school or university where the language of instruction is not the student’s native language
• Participation in an intensive language program in the US or abroad at the intermediate level
• Living for an extended period of time in a foreign language environment
• Growing up bilingual or multilingual
• Being a native speaker of a language other than English
• An SAT language exam score of 560 or above

What about a Field or Research Language?

For those students whose research project involves a field or research language, additional language study may be necessary. Students are expected to work closely with their advisors in the first semester of their program to develop a plan for acquiring the proficiency necessary to carry out their intended research. The student’s primary advisor will take responsibility for monitoring the student’s progress towards achieving the required proficiency in their field or research language.  Note that many grants and fellowships require evidence of adequate competency in a field or research language.  In addition, language competency may be a focal point of the prospectus defense in the assessment of whether the student is prepared to undertake their proposed research.

How can I get the English Language requirement waived?

The English Language requirement is a GRS requirement, rather than departmental, so the waiver is up to GRS. There’s a whole section on it on the GRS International Student application page – https://www.bu.edu/cas/admissions/phd-mfa/international-students/

This requirement is waived if you meet one of the following criteria: 

• You are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or a citizen of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom. 
• You have studied in the United States (or one of the above countries) at an accredited college or university for at least TWO (2) years. The University must be located in the countries listed above. 
• You have received, or expect to receive, an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution where the official language of instruction is English. If your transcript does not clearly state that the language of instruction is English, then please upload supporting documentation on institutional letterhead along with your transcript.

IMPROVING MY CHANCES

What are the Department Statistics for graduates of this program?

Please check out our Ph.D. Placements | Anthropology (bu.edu) to see the career pathways of our recent graduates.

What can I do to improve my chances of admission?

Plan ahead and research the department. The best thing you can do is plan in advance to present a complete, good quality application. This means doing a little research on our faculty and thinking about how well your research interests match our department areas of expertise. Start well in advance contacting current and previous institutions about submitting transcripts. We cannot consider your application without them. Think about who you will ask to write letters of recommendation for you. Try to get at least two of the letters from academic sources (e.g., a current or former professor). Finally, use the resources available on our website (especially the Application Checklist ) to keep track of the supplemental materials required to complete your application.

In submitting your application, a clear, concise Statement of Purpose outlining your professional, intellectual, and research interests and career goals and how they connect to the professional and intellectual commitments of the Anthropology is crucial . Take time in preparing this statement and try to include some assessment of how your interests connect to the interests of the faculty.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION

Do I need a degree in Anthropology to enter your program?

No, but you do need a background in a relatable field of study but it does not need to be a degree in Anthropology specifically.

Do I need a Master’s degree to enter your program?

No; those who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or with equivalent international education may apply.

If I currently have a Master’s degree, can I apply it towards your program?

You may apply to the PhD program if you have both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. If admitted, you may transfer up to 4 courses from your Master’s degree with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and application committee.

Will you accept supplemental materials that arrive after the application deadline?

The most competitive applications are those that have all of their materials in by the deadline. If you anticipate that some of your materials may be late, please contact our office as soon as possible.

What happens if my application materials are late?

It is in the applicant’s best interest to upload all supporting documents well before the deadline. We cannot guarantee that any materials received after the deadline will be reviewed by the department; your application may be reviewed as incomplete.

I am an international student. What special requirements and procedures should I be aware of?

As an international student, there may be special requirements and procedures of which you should be aware. We encourage you to review the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences page for International Admissions.

TIME TO DEGREE

What is the average length of the program?

While the length of the program varies based on the individual student’s research, the average length of time to complete the Ph.D. is six to seven years and three semesters for M.A.P.A students.

The  PhD Program Profile in Anthropology    showcases a brief description of the program, and five-year (or more) trend data on: applications and offers, selectivity, entering cohort size, sex and ethnicity demographics, attrition rate, cumulative completion rate, median time to degree, and five- and ten-year out graduate employment outcomes.

DEFERRING ADMISSION

What is your policy on deferring admission?

If you have applied to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) but have not yet received a decision and your plans have changed, you may not request a deferral of your application.  You may instead withdraw your application and reapply for a future semester by sending an email to [email protected] .

If you have been offered admission to GRS, but wish to start at a later date:

• You may request a deferral of your application for up to one full year from your original application term (i.e. from fall 2023 to fall 2024).
• You may only request a deferral for the same program to which you originally applied. If you wish to enter a different program, you must complete a new application .
• A request for deferral is not a guarantee of re-admission, but rather a request that your original application be evaluated for admission for a future semester.  Please be aware that your program may not approve your deferral or may not accept applicants for particular terms.
• The deadline for submission of the Deferral Request Form is August 15 for fall term applicants and December 15 for spring term applicants.  Deferral requests will not be considered after these dates.

What kind of funding do you offer?

Each year, Boston University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) offers incoming domestic and international Ph.D. students a Dean’s Fellowship, which include full tuition, a living stipend, and health insurance for five years (10 semesters) along with a summer stipend for all newly admitted & enrolled students. For more information on financial aid for doctoral students, visit the GRS page on fellowship aid .

No financial aid is available through the University for students enrolled in the M.A.P.A. program. For information on federal and private educational loans, please visit the  GRS page on  aid for M.A. students . International students are urged to apply for support to their governments or international agencies.

Are International students eligible for financial aid?

All incoming Ph.D. students are offered Dean’s Fellowships, which include full tuition, a living stipend, and health insurance for five years (10 semesters).  However, no financial aid is available through the University for international students enrolled in the M.A.P.A. program. International students are urged to apply for support to their governments or international agencies.

We would also like to call your attention to the ever-changing guidelines for obtaining a United States student visa. For more information, visit www.bu.edu/isso/ .

GRADUATE HOUSING

Does BU offer housing for graduate students enrolled in the University?

BU offers limited graduate student housing, right on the main campus in a newly built apartment complex. The building is purely graduate housing and has over 200 studios and 11 one-bedroom apartments. Prices range from $1400 to $1800. There is more information about BU graduate housing at the Rental Property Management website. Students can contact the Office of Rental Property Management at 617-353-4101, or the Office of Off-Campus Services at 617-353-3523 or [email protected] , for assistance finding off-campus housing.

Anthropology

Share this page, fall 2024 admissions update.

Admissions to the PhD in social anthropology and the AM in medical anthropology have been paused and will not be accepting applications for fall 2024. The PhD in archaeology will be accepting applications.

The Department of Anthropology is one of the world’s leading institutions for anthropological research. Our PhD programs provide in-depth conceptual and methodological training in archaeology and social anthropology , with faculty whose work covers every time period—from the Paleolithic to the present—and every major world area. The department also offers an AM in medical anthropology .

You will have the unique opportunity to work with a world-renowned faculty that has a long tradition of foundational research across nearly every continent. You will have access to a wide range of resources including the Harvard Medical School, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, various area centers such as the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Korea Institute, Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Asia Center, and Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. You will also have access to extensive archaeological and anthropological collections of the Peabody Museum, an important resource for both research and teaching.

Projects that students have worked on include “Archaeology of the 19th and 20th Century Chinese Labor Migrants,” “Zooarchaeology in Ancient Mesopotamia,” and “Mass Media in Indonesia.” Our PhD graduates are now on the anthropology faculties at some of the top universities in the world. Others have secured positions with Facebook, the World Bank, and various museums.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Anthropology , and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Archaeology (PhD only) | Medical Anthropology (AM only) | Social Anthropology (PhD only)

Admissions Requirements

Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Anthropology .

Academic Background

Previous concentration in anthropology is not required; however, applicants must be able to clearly state their interests in anthropology and demonstrate familiarity with intellectual issues in current anthropological theory and method.

Writing Sample

For PhD applicants, a writing sample is required as part of the application and can be a term paper or thesis no longer than 20 pages (double-spaced) not including bibliography. Do not submit a longer sample with instructions to read a particular section. Applicants should select an example of their best academic writing that demonstrates their capacity for rigorous analysis and independent work. It is not essential that the writing sample be directly related to the topics or areas that you are proposing to study in the future.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose should demonstrate a geographic cultural region and/or a particular topical or theoretical interest in anthropology. Language skills related to an applicant’s intended area or areas of specialization should be explained in the statement of purpose.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not Accepted

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Anthropology

Anthropology Faculty

See list of Anthropology faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

Anthropology MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

An Anthropology MPhil/PhD means being an unrivalled expert on human life, culture, society, ecology, biology, or some combination of those. Sustained fieldwork is normally required and graduates of this programme specialise in a wide range of research methods. Doctoral-level anthropologists are sought for work in government, policy, social research, design and high-tech industries, development, heritage, marketing and journalism, as well as academia.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

Ideal candidates will have a Master's degree with Distinction in Anthropology or a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of equivalent standard. Minimum entry requirements are a Master's degree with Merit or a Bachelor's Honours degree with Distinction in Anthropology or a relevant discipline. Applicants must contact their proposed supervisors prior to applying to secure support for their application.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Research may be pursued in or across five main areas, each of which is the focus of separate sections in the department: Evolutionary and Environmental Anthropology; Social Anthropology; Material Culture; Medical Anthropology; and Public Anthropology. We offer a wide range of specialisations within these fields.

Who this course is for

The programme is suited both for ambitious researchers who want to pursue an academic career and professionals who aim to continue their professional development.

What this course will give you

The advantage of undertaking advanced research in UCL Anthropology is the breadth of expertise available within the sections of the department. Most anthropology departments specialise in the sub-disciplines of social or biological anthropology. However, students at UCL can tackle research in interdisciplinary areas and expect to receive expert supervision in social and cultural, biological and medical anthropology, as well as material, visual and digital culture. Additionally, each of these sections in the department offers a diverse range of theoretical, methodological, topical and geographic interests and specialisms.

One factor that supplements this breadth and interdisciplinarity is the existence of a flourishing Research and Reading Group (RRG) culture in which staff and students informally come together outside of area sections to share knowledge and discuss individual research on subjects of shared interest. This leads to formal workshops, conferences, and publications that engage broader audiences and offer platforms for students to present their work.

Studying at UCL Anthropology also offers opportunities to post, edit and publish original work in the numerous academic journals and blogs associated with or managed by the department, as well as in Anthropolitan, the scholarly magazine edited by students. Other opportunities for research students include generous support for organising conferences and events, teaching assistantships and assistant curatorships, and research within the department's special collections and labs.

UCL Anthropology ranks fourth in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 , making it the top ranked institution in London, and third in the UK and Europe for the subject.

The foundation of your career

A majority of our MPhil/PhD graduates have taken up lectureships in universities in the UK and abroad, or continue their research interests through fellowships and other research posts.

Anthropology as a profession has become more sought-after in recent years. UCL graduates work in a range of areas. These include:

• Social and market research
• Government and policy (including senior levels of Government in the UK)
• Digital and high-tech design
• Development
• Heritage, museums and environmental reserves

Employability

The MPhil/PhD cultivates advanced skills in qualitative and quantitative methods, expert knowledge of the anthropological issues pertinent to their field of study and original data collection. Anthropology doctorates are valued by employers for not only providing empirical data for known situations, but critical thinking skills enabling them to reflect on and re-think social, economic, medical, environmental, biological and political situations as they change.

Our graduate students attend and participate in seminars, workshops and conferences within the department and interdisciplinary research centres across UCL, providing opportunities to network with leading academics across a variety of research fields.

Teaching and learning

You will have continuous support to develop your research throughout the programme. In the first year, you will undertake rigorous training in research methods (Methods Seminar) and will explore the academic skills required to plan and carry out a successful PhD (ResDesPres Seminar), with a focus on writing skills, research ethics, wellbeing and policy and media engagement, etc.

The PhD is examined by a viva committee comprising of two experts in the field, an external examiner who can be based anywhere in the world, and an internal examiner who is normally from the University of London. You should not have had much prior contact with either examiner. Your supervisor nominates suitable examiners during your final year, in consultation with you, and the nominations are scrutinised by UCL’s examinations office who may approve or reject them. 

The examiners have several weeks, or sometimes months, to read your thesis in detail. The viva exam is a meeting in which the examiners and yourself discuss your work, both through direct questions and more informal conversation, and it normally takes two or more hours.

We expect you to use 15 hours each week for the taught element of the programme, and 20 hours for self-directed study and research planning.

Research areas and structure

The department provides supervision in the following areas, among others:

• Anthropological Issues in Education and Learning (AIEL)
• Art and Anthropology
• Biosocialities, Health and Citizenship
• Built Environment, Landscape and Public Spaces
• Cognition and the Anthropology of the Mind
• Cultures of Consumption and the Home
• Cosmology, Religion, Ontology and Culture (CROC)
• Culture and Human Wellbeing
• Design Anthropology
• Digital Anthropology
• Dirt, Excrement, and Decay (DEAD)
• Documentary Film and Film Ethnography
• Ethics and the Person
• Fashion and Clothing
• Finance, Money, and Social Systems
• Human Ecology Research Group (HERG)
• Human Evolutionary Ecology Group (HEEG) London Latin America Seminar
• Materials and Making
• Medical Materialities
• Object-based Research
• Palaeoanthropology and Comparative Anatomy (PACA)
• Pastoralism
• Performance, Theatre and Ethnography of the Imagination
• Politics, Criminality and the State
• Primate Sexualities: Beyond the Binary
• Reproduction and Sexuality
• Risk, Power and Uncertainty
• Social Media
• Space, Exploration and Planetary Futures
• Sustainability, Environment and Cultures of Materials (SEM)
• Technology and Infrastructure
• Visual Culture

Regional strengths include the UK, Caribbean, Central and Latin America, the Central Congo Delta, East Africa, Europe (East and West), Mongolia, Oceania, South Asia, and the US. Staff also regularly supervise beyond these areas and in conjunction with supervisors in other departments.

Research environment

The MPhil/PhD takes place in a research environment that includes the following components. These are:

• Weekly research seminars, organised according to sub-disciplinary section. Doctoral Researchers are strongly expected to attend their seminar series every week.
• RRGs – Research & Reading Groups which PGRs set up and/or join.
• Supportive courses, notably Research Design and Presentation (Year 1); Thesis-Writing Seminar (Years 2 & 3); Research Methods (Year 1)
• Peer-group interaction facilitated by common-room and hot-desk office spaces

Workshops organised in the department at the rate of up to 10 per year.

In Year One, you will crystallise your project with your Primary Supervisor, select a Secondary Supervisor and prepare for upgrade from MPhil to PhD as UCL requires. The upgrading normally comprises in a panel of staff, chaired by your subsidiary supervisor, who probe your detailed research review and proposal. This panel normally takes place after 9 months, before fieldwork commences but (a) may occur at 12 months and sometimes (b) after the period of fieldwork.

You will usually spend between 12 and 15 months undertaking data collection. For ethnographic projects this means being  ‘in the field’, but data collection can also take place in laboratory or archive settings (for example in Biological Anthropology or some Material Culture work). For some projects, shorter periods in the field are appropriate. Undertaking fieldwork is subject to approval as regards data protection, ethics, and risk issues.

You will usually return from fieldwork to write up in your third year and during the final CRS year (CRS means Completing Research Status, during which you do not pay fees). Your third year should ideally be devoted to writing exclusively. Assuming your PhD progresses well during that year, you are encouraged to gain teaching experience during your CRS writing-up year, or to undertake some similar vocational experience such as publications. Minor variations of this structure occur within the sub-disciplinary sections of the Department.

The degree promotes advanced skills in qualitative and quantitative methods and expert knowledge of the anthropological issues pertinent to their sub-disciplinary field of study. You will collect original data through methodologies that include but are not limited to participant observation, formal and informal interviews, ethnographic recordings, surveys, object and visual analyses, archival research, auto-ethnography, oral and genealogical histories, laboratory work, excavation, and participatory action research.

The MPhil/PhD programme is expected to be completed by full-time researchers in three years plus one in CRS (ie. it is officially three years of registration but researchers are permitted to take up to four years). For part-time researchers, the work is to be completed in five fee-paying years, plus two in CRS. You enter CRS when you are judged to be within less than one year of submitting, so if you have not made sufficient progress at the end of the third year, you may not be able to enter CRS.

A part-time MPhil/PhD takes place over five years, plus two in CRS.

There is no standard placement programme. Some anthropologists do work in institutions for up to a year as a part of their fieldwork, and many form collaborations with other institutions.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

For unfunded researchers, fieldwork is normally undertaken at their own expense.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

To apply for funding through the department, you must first apply for the MPhil/PhD.

Common sources of funding, which our researchers have benefitted from, include:

• ESRC/ UBEL Doctoral Partnership (DTP): the UK's funding body for normal social science work.
• AHRC/ LAHP DTP: Funding for Arts and Humanities, projects submitted here often have an artistic, design or material culture angle.
• London NERC DTP: Funding for Environmental Science and related areas, for more scientific and environmental projects.
• BBSRC: Biological Sciences funding, worth considering for Biological Anthropology work.
• Soc-B CDT: a UCL Centre of Doctoral Training, relevant for some BioSocial projects.
• Wellcome Trust: funds medical-related research, worth considering for medical anthropology and related areas.
• Leverhulme Trust: charitable scheme funding annual Doctoral Research Scholarships.
• Wolfson Awards: UCL scholarship scheme for work relating to History, Literature or Languages.
• Mary Douglas Scholarships: scholarship scheme specific to our department, which may not run each year, depending on the benefactor.
• Collaborative Awards: if your research envisages a collaboration between the university and another institution, check for collaborative awards (a collaborative student may have a supervisor at UCL, and another in a company/Government body). Both ESRC and AHRC have collaborative schemes.
• The ESRC also has specific awards for Quantitative Projects (AQM awards, Biological Anthropology or Digital projects using quantitative data); and Interdisciplinary Awards.

Research students in the department have also received funding from CONCIETAS, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, as well as studentships provided by numerous governments.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship (ROS)

Deadline: 12 January 2024 Value: UK rate fees, a maintenance stipend, conference costs and professional development package (3 years) Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need Eligibility: UK

We take account of three things in an application:

• CV (ie. Does the candidate have the background to execute this work to a world-class standard of excellence).
• Project proposal (ie. Is it anthropological and does it have academic merit for new knowledge).
• Prospective supervisor (ie. Whether we have the expertise to advise on this research).

Every anthropology project is a little different. Normally candidates require the support of a prospective supervisor in the department, with whom they have talked through their proposal, their interests, experience and ideas.

It is not an official requirement to have a previous academic background which includes anthropology, but the project and the candidate should clearly be equipped to undertake research in an anthropology department and which contributes to anthropology. In general, projects supervised in the Social and Cultural Anthropology and in the Medical Anthropology subsections do tend to require you to have an anthropology background. Biological Anthropology and Material Visual & Digital Culture are more mixed, with some candidates coming from areas such as biological sciences, palaeontology, archaeology, design, design history, HCI, and museum studies.

Advice on these issues can be sought from prospective supervisors and from the departmental PhD handbook.

Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements so check with the department or academic unit to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. You must identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. For more information see our How to apply page.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions get in touch.

Anthropology

[email protected]

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• Admissions Information

For matriculation in the Fall of 2024, the Department of Anthropology at Harvard will be accepting PhD applications for the  Archaeology program only . Applications for the PhD in Social Anthropology, including for the MD-PhD program, as well as for the AM in Medical Anthropology will not be accepted. The temporary pause on graduate-level Social Anthropology admissions is due to limited advising capacity among departmental faculty.

Admissions decisions.

Decisions on admission are made by a faculty committee. The graduate admissions committee selects well-qualified applicants who represent a range of interests and backgrounds to form a diverse cohort. The committee reads and evaluates all applications and consults with other departmental faculty on areas of specific theoretical, topical, or regional expertise. There is no automatic allocation of slots in the program for specific areas. The committee also attempts to balance advising loads and priorities across the members of core departmental faculty who are actively engaged in graduate training.

Admissions Numbers 

The Anthropology Ph.D. program receives over 300 applications each year, of which only 1-2% lead to offers of admission. Each year the program receives many more applications than we can possibly accept and with great regret must turn down many very well qualified candidates. The number of students we can admit each year is determined by the Dean of theHarvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. We do not learn the final number of admissions until March of each year.  

Statement of Purpose

A statement of purpose is not a biographical narrative. A persuasive statement of purpose (1) clearly describes the applicant’s proposed areas of research; (2) justifies the applicant’s research interests in terms of the relevant existing scholarship, the applicant’s personal intellectual motivation, and the applicant’s background and/or training; (3) explains why the Anthropology faculty and curriculum at Harvard are ideal for supporting the applicant’s training and research. We strongly encourage applicants to read the publications of the faculty they are applying to work with. A clear connection with faculty research and teaching is the best gauge of an applicant’s potential “fit” with the Department.

Personal Statement

A core part of the Harvard Griffin GSAS mission is to identify and attract the most promising students to form a dynamic and diverse community. We are committed to educating individuals who reflect the growing diversity of perspectives and life experiences represented in society today and who will contribute to our commitment to sustain a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment. Please share how your experiences or activities will advance our mission and commitment. Your statement should be no longer than 500 words.

Writing Samples 

The admissions committee pays particularly close attention to the writing samples submitted by applicants. Applicants should carefully select an example of your best academic writing that demonstrates your capacity for rigorous analysis and independent work. It is not essential that the writing sample be directly related to the topics or areas that you are proposing to study in the future.

Letters of Recommendation 

All letters of recommendation are due at the same time as the application. Applicants must provide the email addresses for three recommenders when you apply.  Harvard Griffin GSAS requires your recommenders submit their letters via an online recommendation system. We are unable to accept letters submitted through a recommendation dossier service.  

All students admitted to the PhD programs in Archaeology and Social Anthropology receive five years of full funding which includes four years of summer research funding. Typically, the first two years of graduate study are fully funded (tuition, health insurance and stipend), during the third and fourth years, tuition and health insurance are covered and students receive their stipend via teaching fellowships. Full funding (tuition, health insurance and stipend) is also provided during the dissertation completion year. Students are expected to obtain external funding for their field research. For more information on funding and aid, please refer to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Funding webpage .

Language Proficiency 

Prior preparation in languages related to an applicant’s intended area or areas of specialization is advantageous. Current language abilities should be explained in the application essay. Students in the graduate program are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient abilities for research in both a language they will use for conducting fieldwork and in a language in which there is a body of anthropological writing relevant to their proposed research.

Test Scores

• GRE Scores - Not Accepted  
• English Proficiency - Required (may not be waived) 

TOEFL or IELTS examinations are required of all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not received a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university where the primary language of instruction is English; a master's degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency. The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences sets the regulation that "a minimum score of 80 on the Internet based test (IBT) on the TOEFL i or a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS is required for consideration by the Graduate School." We will not waive this requirement.  

Applicants who took tests more than two years ago (i.e. before September 1, 2021, for fall 2023 admission) must retake them. No test other than the iBT TOEFL , TOEFL Home Edition, IELTS Academic, or IELTS Indicator will be accepted as proof of English proficiency; a master’s degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency.  For more information on sending TOEFL/IELTS scores, please refer to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions Webpage .

Faculty Research Interests

Potential applicants who have substantive questions about the research interests of faculty and/or their own preparation and background for graduate study at Harvard may write directly to faculty members with whom they believe they share interests. 

Please be aware, however, that because of the high volume of inquiries about the program and the large number of applicants, it may not always be possible for faculty to fully answer all inquiries. 

Retired, Affiliated, and Visiting Faculty

Retired faculty (emeritus and emerita professors) do not normally teach courses nor are they involved in training new graduate students. Student should not apply with the intention of studying with retired faculty.  

Although we encourage our students to work and take courses with faculty from across the university, applicants should not list visiting faculty, faculty affiliates, lecturers, or college fellows as faculty of interest in their applications. 

As part of the admissions process, the admissions committee invites semi-finalists for a virtual interview. There is no other interview. 

Visiting the Department 

Potential applicants may visit Harvard prior to submitting an application, but it is not necessary. Applicants considering a visit to campus should make arrangements well in advance. 

Individual faculty members handle their own calendars and appointments, so a visitor should contact faculty members directly to arrange appointments. 

Application Information 

The deadline to apply for Fall 2024 is December 1, 2023. Late applications will not be accepted. 

How to Apply

All application materials and instructions are available on the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website . Most questions can be answered on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website or the information below. Additional questions about applying to the Ph.D. program in Anthropology should be sent to [email protected] .  When applying to the Ph.D. program in the Anthropology Department, you must upload all supporting documents to your online application prior to submission - do not send any materials to the Anthropology Department. 

A completed application consists of the following:

• Admissions Form (submitted online)
• Statement of Purpose (not to exceed 1000 words)
• Personal Statement (not to exceed 500 words)
• A copy of you transcript from each college/university attended
• Writing sample that should not exceed 20 pages (double-spaced), not including bibliography; do not send a longer sample with instructions to read a particular section
• Three letters of recommendation (must be submitted via the link provided. Do not send hard copies and we are unable to accept letters via dossier services)
• Recent TOEFL and/or IELTS scores  (if required). If you are unsure, please refer to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions website

A previous background of study in anthropology is not a prerequistite for admissions. However, successful candidates, whether they have studied anthropology previously or not, must be able to state clearly their interests in anthropology and demonstrate familiarity with intellectual issues in current anthropological theory and method. 

Harvard Griffin GSAS does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.

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Applying to the Graduate Program

Admission to the graduate program in anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology admits students only for full-time study (at least nine credit hours per term) toward the Ph.D. degree. The Anthropology Department does not offer a terminal Master's Degree. Admission decisions are made once a year and all students are admitted for the fall semester. The deadline for application is December 1 for the following academic year. We are a highly selective department and normally admit three to four students per subfield (archaeology, biological anthropology and sociocultural anthropology) each year from a competitive pool of U.S. and international applicants.

In addition to an excellent academic record and letters of support, faculty are looking for a good research fit with prospective students. Once you have reviewed faculty research areas, you should contact faculty whose research interests most closely fit your own to let them know of your interest in the program (See “Finding a Faculty Advisor”). The more you can refine your research interest, the better the faculty can assess your match with their interests. You may contact potential advisors directly, or if you are unsure which faculty member(s) you might work with, contact the faculty representative for your subdiscipline. The current faculty representatives for each subdiscipline are: Dr. Xinyi Liu (archaeology), Dr. EA Quinn (biological anthropology), and Dr. John Bowen (sociocultural anthropology).

We do not have data available to share on the average GPA, GRE, or TOEFL for our applicants. The GRE is not required.

The Application Process

Applications must be submitted online to the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences . More information about the process can be found here on the Office of Graduate Studies' Admissions page .

Required Materials:

• ONLINE application form submitted through the SLATE application system that includes the following:
• 3 letters of recommendation uploaded electronically through the SLATE application system. Recommendation requests should be sent to recommenders via email through the SLATE application system.
• Transcripts from all institutions of higher learning attended are required. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted for the applicant review process and may be uploaded through SLATE. Official transcripts are not required for applicant review, however, students who would like to send official transcripts should send them directly to the department courier address:

Department of Anthropology Washington University McMillan Hall, Room 112 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899   Please note that if made an offer of admission, applicants will be required to submit official transcripts to the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences. Please see the following FAQ for more information: Admissions FAQ | The Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences .

• Submit a personal statement of approximately 2 pages in length which describes interests, relevant experience, anticipated plans for dissertation research, and faculty with whom applicant would hope to collaborate.
• GRE scores are not required for application to the graduate program in anthropology. (Rev. 10/2019)
• TOEFL and IELTS - For application to the graduate program in the department of anthropology the TOEFL/IELTS is waived for native English speakers and applicants who meet specific criteria. More information regarding the criteria needed for waivers can be found on the FAQ page of the Office of Graduate Studies linked above.

*Please note that if the applicant accepts an offer of admission to the anthropology program, the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and/or U.S. immigrations officials may require official TOEFL scores prior to matriculation.

• Please do not submit writing samples unless requested.

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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  Dr. Adriana Petryna , Dr. 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]

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Alumni Spotlight Spring 2024

Jamie Forde (PhD Anthropology 2015 )

Dr. Forde is a Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in History of Art at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Trained as an anthropological archaeologist at CU, he employs both art historical and archaeological methods in studying Indigenous Mesoamerican material and visual culture during the periods surrounding colonial encounter with Europeans. His work has been focused in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, particularly the site of Achiutla, where he has directed an interdisciplinary field project. His research has been published in journals including  Ancient Mesoamerica, Colonial Latin American Review,  and  Ethnohistory .

• Spotlight Spring 2024