Requirements for the Ph.D. program include 48 approved course credits and 24 research credits. Within the 48 credits, all students must take the introductory 16:070:501 Proseminar in Anthropology. Students in the human evolutionary studies track also must take 01:960:401 Basic Statistics for Research or an equivalent, and either 16:070:508 Evolutionary Theory and Processes or 16:070:560 Natural Selection and Social Theory. Students in the cultural track also must take 16:070:505 History of Anthropological Theory and 16:070:506 Research Design and Methods in Social/Cultural Anthropology. Students in the environmental anthropology track also must take 16:070:543 Ecological Anthropology and 16: 070:506 Research Design and Methods in Social/Cultural Anthropology or another research-methods course that is approved by his or her adviser. In addition, these students are encouraged to take 16:070:544 Environmental Anthropology in a Changing World and 16:070:526 Urban Ethnography. They also must meet the requirements of the interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Human Dimensions of Environmental Change.
All second-year students are expected to present a scholarly paper at a day-long retreat. Ph.D. students also are expected to prepare three "field statements," textual summaries, and extensive bibliographies of three areas of research broader than, but related to, their dissertation topic. After completing their 48 credits of course work and their field statements, students prepare a dissertation research proposal on which they must pass an oral-proposal defense. When the dissertation is completed, it is evaluated in an oral-dissertation defense.
Students who enter the Ph.D. program may earn an M.A. along the way by applying for one after completion of at least 30 credits and completion of the three field statements. Students who enter the master's program are expected to take the same required courses listed above for the Ph.D. program. They may either complete a written comprehensive exam after 30 credits, or write a 6-credit master's thesis (with an oral exam) after 24 credits of course work. Students who enter the master's program may then apply to enter the Ph.D. program. A master of philosophy degree also is available to students on their way to a Ph.D., but not as a terminal degree.
Students are urged to complete their Ph.D. within five years. While there is no formal fieldwork requirement, most students find fieldwork necessary for a doctoral degree. There is no specific language requirement, but students are expected to acquire any languages necessary for successful completion of their research . Examples would include languages a student might need for field projects or library research. There is no residency requirement.
Selected courses may be taken in other programs, such as geological sciences, history, political science, women's and gender studies, psychology, sociology, urban planning, ecology, nutrition, geography, and computer science.
