Department of Anthropology

Prospective Students

Master’s Degree Requirements:

M.A. candidates may submit either a thesis or a term paper. If the latter is chosen, 6 credits in 500-level courses in the major field must be scheduled in lieu of thesis credits. The M.A. degree may be bypassed by exceptional candidates for the Ph.D. degree.

Doctoral Degree Requirements:

The communication and foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree includes a reading knowledge of a foreign language plus an option from among additional foreign languages, field languages, linguistics, or statistics.

Admission Requirements:

• Completed Graduate School Application.

• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or from a comparable substitute examination accepted by a graduate program and authorized by the Dean of the Graduate School, are required for admission.

• All international students whose first language is not English or who have not received baccalaureate or masters degrees from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the paper test, a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based test or a minimum score of 80 on the on-line test is required for admission.

• Two official transcripts from each institution attended. (graduate and undergraduate.)

• Statement of Purpose. This is a 1-2 page essay describing your reasons for considering graduate study, your goals after completion of your degree, and the specific areas of interest.

• Three letters of recommendation. These should be from people who are best qualified to evaluate your ability to succeed in Graduate study. This may include your academic advisor, instructors who are familiar with your work from their classes, supervisors from research projects, a supervisor from your place of employment, or anyone else who is able to evaluate your academic ability and motivation. There are no forms for these letters. Use standard letter format.

Student Funding:

All applicants will be considered for appropriate fellowships, traineeships, and graduate assistantships. Most types of financial aid are awarded on a competitive basis and are limited. Students should consider alternative methods of financially supporting their graduate education.

NOTE: Please do not submit information with your application that cannot be used in the admission decision process, e.g., Individual Education Plans (IEPs), medical records, statements from physicians or psychologists, or legal documents. Such information will be returned.

A Message from the Department Head

Welcome to the Department of Anthropology at Penn State! We are a vigorous, stimulating and itellectually active group of faculty and students engaged in training and research in several areas of importance to anthropology. Our department is focused on a limited number of problem areas, but within them we are very interactive, collaborative, and productive. Graduates from our program generally find that they have received excellent training, and go on to successful and influential careers in anthropology and related disciplines.

More

Applying to the Anthropology Graduate Program

The process for applying for admission to graduate school at Penn State requires the following application materials. Please see Apply to the Anthropology Graduate Program below:

Apply to the Anthropology Graduate Program

---

Graduate Affairs Committee Chair: Dr. Kenneth Hirth

The department offers the M.A. and the Ph.D. degrees in anthropology. Students normally enter the graduate program with the goal of receiving the Ph.D, with the M.A. degree being prerequisite for the Ph.D.  The master's program is designed to train students in general Anthropology. The doctoral program is structured to train students in the following areas of specialization: archaeology (with subspecialization in cultural ecology, analytical approaches, technological methods, and spatial anthropology); biological anthropology (with subspecialization in human adaptability, genetics, biological demography, human evolution, and human behavioral biology); and demographic anthropology.

Archaeology : focuses upon past societies, both ancient and historic, in order to understand and explain the processes causing cultures to change over large spans of time.

Biological Anthropology : seeks to describe and explain human biological variation today and in the past.

Demographic Anthropology : provides expertise and skills in demographic theory, methodologies, and policy analysis through a dual degree program.