ANTHR-MA - Anthropology (MA)
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Program Overview
Graduate training in Anthropology at Stanford is designed for students who seek the Doctoral (Ph.D.) degree, and for students who seek the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree, only. The Master's program in Anthropology offers the following options for students who seek a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree:
Coterminal degree program for current Stanford undergraduates seeking to obtain a Master's degree while completing their bachelor's degree in the same or different department.
Stanford graduate students taking advanced degrees in other departments or schools at Stanford, who are admitted to the terminal M.A. program in Anthropology.
Anthropology Ph.D. students at Stanford University who fulfill the M.A. degree requirements on the way to the Ph.D. degree.
Degree Options
Students may pursue one of two possible department tracks in the Anthropology M.A. degree program. The tracks are:
Archaeology
Culture and Society
The tracks are not declarable in Axess.
Admission to the Coterminal Master's Degree Program
The deadline for graduate applications to the coterminal M.A. degree program in Anthropology is December 6, 2022. Stanford University undergraduate majors are eligible to apply for the coterminal M.A. degree program if they have a 3.4 GPA in their department major, a 3.0 GPA in overall course work, and have no more than one incomplete listed on the transcript at the time of application. Successful applicants to the M.A. program may enter only in the following Autumn Quarter. However, the department may consider a request for early deferral of admission in the Spring Quarter by petition. Coterminal M.A. degree applicants are not required to submit their Graduate Record Examination scores.
Applicants must submit the following:
Online Application for Admission to Coterminal Master's Program
Preliminary Program Proposal, Coterminal Degree Program
Coterminal Course Approval form
Three Letters of Recommendation: Two letters should come from Anthropology faculty members. Third letter can come from an academic advisor and may be from outside Anthropology.
All relevant transcripts
A 2-3 page, singled-spaced Statement of Purpose
For further information on how to write a personal statement please contact your faculty recommenders. You may also contact current graduate students in Anthropology.
For tips on writing Statement of Purpose and Personal Statement Essays, see available resources at the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking.
Writing Sample in English: A 10-12 page paper giving evidence of both writing ability and the capacity for research, analysis, and original thought at the graduate level, and demonstrating the ability to use theory in relation to evidence. If your writing sample is longer than 10-12 pages, please indicate which 10-12 pages should be reviewed by the admissions committee.
See the department's website for additional information.
University Coterminal Requirements
Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this bulletin. University requirements for the coterminal master’s degree are described in the “Coterminal Master’s Program” section. University requirements for the master’s degree are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.
After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree. Transfer of courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case by case basis.
In this master’s program, courses taken two quarters prior to the first graduate quarter, or later, are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career. No courses taken prior to the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.
Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.
The University requires that the graduate advisor be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The University also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.
Master of Arts in Anthropology
University requirements for the terminal M.A. are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.
The Department of Anthropology offers the terminal M.A. degree to the following:
Stanford graduate students, taking advanced degrees in other departments or schools at Stanford, who are admitted to the terminal M.A. program in Anthropology.
Anthropology Ph.D. students at Stanford University who fulfill the M.A. degree requirements on the way to the Ph.D. degree.
Current graduate applicants who are taking an advanced degree in other departments or schools at Stanford apply for admission to the M.A. in Anthropology (on the way to another graduate degree program) by submitting the Intention to Apply - Anthropology M.A. (for current Stanford Graduate Students) form and the submission of the University Registrar's Graduate Authorization Petition (submitted via Axess e-forms) by December 6, 2022. If approved, an admitted M.A. applicant usually matriculates in the M.A. beginning in the following Spring Quarter, or in the following Autumn Quarter (next academic year).
Anthropology Ph.D. students choosing to take the M.A. in Anthropology on the way to the Ph.D. are governed by separate requirements described in the Anthropology Ph.D. Guide.
Graduate enrollment at Stanford University for three consecutive quarters of full tuition for at least 45 units is required of all candidates for the terminal master's degree. M.A. students in Anthropology must take a minimum of 45 units of course work with an overall minimum grade point average of 3.0. For the Masters degree, all courses must be at or above the 100 level, and, at least 23 of the required 45 units must be taken at either the ANTHRO 200 or 300-level.
The M.A. program may require more than one year of study. However, full-time students entering the program with appropriate background should complete the M.A. degree program within three consecutive calendar quarters after the student's first quarter of master's-level enrollment. The University allows no transfer units into the master's program. To provide a meaningful master's program within one year, advance planning of course work with a faculty advisor is required. Requirements for the terminal master's program must be completed within three years.
For further information about the Department's M.A. degree program requirements, please consult the Department webpages.
Admissions Information
The deadline for graduate application (via AXESS Graduate Authorization Petition, only) to the M.A. degree program in Anthropology is December 6, 2022. Successful current Stanford student applicants to the M.A. program may enter in either the following Spring Quarter or in the following Autumn Quarter (next academic year). Additional terminal M.A. degree program application procedures are required by the Department. The GRE test scores are not required by the department for admission to the M.A. degree program in Anthropology. Please consult the Department webpages.
No financial support is available to students enrolled for the M.A. degree.
Director of Graduate Studies
Requirements for the coterminal and terminal master's degree program include the following:
A faculty advisor appointed in the Department of Anthropology.
A program of 45 units, taken at the 100 level or higher with a minimum grade of 'B'. Note: At least 23 of the 45 units must be taken at the 200/300 level.
of the 45 units, no more than 15 units may be approved from related areas of study or overseas studies.
of the 45 units, no more than 10 units of directed reading-style course work may be counted towards the degree.
of the 45 units, no more than 5 units may be taken for a satisfactory/no credit grade.
A minimum grade of 'B' in one graduate-level ANTHRO Theory course from the chosen track. Please note that ANTHRO theory courses are usually considered as department review courses.
A minimum grade of 'B' in one graduate-level ANTHRO Methods course from the chosen track. Please note that ANTHRO methods courses are not considered as department review courses. [Student's seeking to fulfill the Department's requirement for methods training may petition the graduate committee for an alternate way (i.e. other course or training) to fulfill the Department methods requirement].
A minimum grade of 'B' in four ANTHRO Review courses from the chosen track, listed at the 200-level or higher, taught by Anthropology faculty, and taken as a five unit course.
A self-designed plan of study chosen from one of the following Anthropology tracks; the tracks are not declarable in Axess.:
Archaeology
Culture and Society
Submission of an approved First-year Ph.D., Ph.D. Minor, or M.A. plan of study form and an approved First-year Ph.D., Ph.D. Minor, or M.A. graduate report of degree progress form, inclusive of a field research, laboratory research or library-based paper proposal, by the last day of the first quarter of the Master's degree program.
Submission of an approved Program proposal for a Masters degree form by the last day of the first quarter of the Master's degree program.
Submission of the Master's paper reviewed by two faculty members (advisor and reader). For the Culture and Society track, the paper can be a field research or library-based research paper. For the Archaeology track, the paper can also be a laboratory research paper. For both Tracks, Masters students are required to enroll in the directed reading-style course course Master's Project in the final quarter of the M.A. degree program, and earn a grade of 'B', or better.
Presentation of the Master's research project at the Department's Master's (Honors) paper presentation event in Spring Quarter, optional.