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Graduate Program
For Anthropology admission inquiries, please contact: Ms. Suphronia J. Cheek, Student Services Manager; sjcheek@email.unc.edu; 919-843-8977.
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Graduate Program in Anthropology
The department offers advanced work leading to the master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees. Students admitted into the graduate program are admitted for the Ph.D. degree. A master's degree may be taken as part of the program leading to the Ph.D. degree; however, a master's degree is not an essential part of the doctoral program. Incoming graduate students are required to complete two two-semester core courses, Sociocultural Theory and Ethnography (Anth 701, 702) and Evolution and Ecology (Anth 703, 704). Remaining courses are selected from a list of concentration courses, field research courses, and professional preparation courses. Students are expected to take at least three courses from within their chosen area of concentration or from a set of courses designated by the program in Medical Anthropology or the program in Archaeology.
During the second year of study, graduate students are required a produce a substantial piece of independent research, advised by three-member faculty committee and presented to the entire faculty at the end of the fourth semester. Graduate students are advised to take their written and oral Ph.D. exams by the end of the sixth semester.
The Ph.D. degree requires specialization in a defined area of study and the completion of an acceptable dissertation treating some problem within this area. The Ph.D. program is quite flexible; any area or problem can be selected for study, provided it meets the approval of the student's adviser, Ph.D. committee, and the faculty. Part of the training of a professional anthropologist is based on a minimum of one year's fieldwork, which provides the context for the dissertation data in sociocultural anthropology or human ecology. For students concentrating in archaeology or physical anthropology, the Research Labs in Anthropology offer opportunities for student-led investigations as well as analysis of existing collections of archaeological material .
In order to organize constellations of research interest, five paths of study have been identified, which consist of three Concentrations and two Programs. Concentrations include: the Anthropology of Meaning; Archaeology, Ecology, and Evolution; and Social Systems, and Programs are offered in Medical Anthropology and Archaeology.
Programs are distinguished from Concentrations by their institutional links to other faculty and administrative units on campus, and by their greater specificity for certain course requirements. Students interested in one or the other Program are advised to so declare when they enter the department if they have not yet done so. Students interested in choosing a Concentration may make this choice after beginning their graduate work. The choice of Concentration or Program must be made by the end of the student's third semester. Whichever path the student chooses, the faculty expect all students to obtain broad training in anthropology. To this end, graduate students may take courses offered by other departments or institutions such as Duke University. Departmental policy is to help the student select courses that supplement and strengthen the specialization in anthropology.
The Department of Anthropology works closely with the Institute for Research in Social Science, the Institute of Latin American Studies, the Carolina Population Center, and the Research Laboratories of Archaeology.
Concentrations:
Programs:
For a more detailed elaboration of requirements for programs and concentrations, see the Guide to Graduate Studies in Anthropology at UNC-CH.