ANTHR-PHD - Anthropology (PhD)

Financial Support and Funding Proposal Requirements

Ph.D. students are eligible to receive University funding support during the Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer Quarters in cohort year one through five of the Ph.D. degree program (i.e. students making satisfactory academic progress will receive 12 month funding support through out the first five years of the doctoral program, including the academic year and Summer Quarters and when enrolled). Funding support is provided conditionally based on the department evaluation of individual student time to degree completion and degree progress.  San Francisco Bay Area residency during the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters in academic cohort years one through five is required for eligibility to receive funding, with exceptional consideration for academic year(s)/quarters dedicated to approved dissertation-related research beginning in year three or four.  The Department of Anthropology provides financial support (through fellowships, and teaching and research assistantships) to all students who maintain satisfactory degree progress in years one through five of the Ph.D. program. Students are strongly encouraged to apply for other Stanford and extramural funding.

-submit at least one extramural funding application within the first year (deadlines are usually early Autumn Quarter and advanced planning is required). If ineligible to submit an extramural funding proposal due to previous graduate work, nationality, or other, submit a draft proposal in the style of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) to the faculty adviser. This can be the Pre-dissertation first year Summer Quarter research proposal.

First-year students who have not obtained a graduate degree previous to entering the Ph.D. program and who have not obtained extramural funding previous to entering the Ph.D. program, are required to submit one extramural funding application to a funding agency (i.e. NSF GRFP, or other similar funding application) supporting graduate doctoral training (for example, funding support for graduate training during the first three years of the Ph.D. degree program) by the first day of finals week in the Autumn Quarter of the first year. First-year students who have graduate work or who have obtained a graduate degree previous to entering the Ph.D., or who are foreign national students, may be ineligible to submit a funding application for graduate training. In this circumstance, first-year students are required to draft a funding proposal equivalent to the NSF GRFP for submission to the first-year faculty mentors by the first day of finals week in the Autumn Quarter of the first year.

-submit the Summer Quarter Funding Support in the First and Second of the Ph.D form and the First-year Ph.D., Ph.D. minor, or M.A. Plan of Study form inclusive of the research proposal by May 15th in Spring Quarter of the first year. Receive final approval for the pre-dissertation research proposal by the first day of finals week in Spring Quarter. To confirm eligibility for the standard Summer Quarter funding in the First year or Second year, Ph.D. students submit the Summer Quarter Funding Support in the First and Second of the Ph.D form, inclusive of an approved pre-dissertation research proposal, on or by May 15 in the Spring Quarter of the first and second years.

Entering Third-year students must submit three dissertation research funding proposals to the faculty adviser for approval by the first day of finals week in the Autumn Quarter. Third-year Ph.D. students must submit an approved extramural funding proposal to at least three distinct funding agencies (usually the NSF DDRIG, the Wenner Gren, and either Fulbright or Fulbright Hays...) by the end of the Summer Quarter in the third year.

To confirm eligibility for standard Summer Quarter funding in the Third year, Fourth or Fifth years, Ph.D. students submit the Summer Quarter Funding Support in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Years of the Ph.D form inclusive of the approved Dissertation research proposal, on or by May 15 in the Spring Quarter of the respective year. 

-Fifth year students who have not secured funding support from the beginning of the Autumn Quarter of the Sixth year through the end of Summer Quarter in the Sixth year, are encouraged to submit one or more funding proposals for dissertation writing funding support.

- a Department offer of sixth-year teaching affiliateship to sixth-plus year students is dependent on the availability of funds. Teaching Affiliate assignment may be given at the discretion of the Curriculum Committee. Eligibility for a teaching affiliate assignment includes confirmation of completion of the second of two instances of previous teaching assistant assignment in years three, four or five of the Ph.D. degree program.

Additional Degree Requirements

Students may pursue one of one of two possible tracks in the Anthropology Ph.D. degree program. These tracks are not declarable in Axess and do not appear on the transcript or the diploma.

The tracks are:

• Archaeology

• Culture and Society

In the first year, complete the following requirements:

-submit the First-year Ph.D., Ph.D. minor, or M.A. Plan of Study form detailing intended course enrollment to be completed in the first year of the Ph.D. program, by the first day of Autumn Quarter. This form also confirms the student's chosen track in Archaeology or in Culture and Society.

-optional: upon completion of the above requirements, and with recommendation from the faculty advisor and department chair, request the Master's degree 'on the way to the Ph.D.' by the first day of finals week in Spring Quarter, or during any other registered quarter following this time, if desired. To initiate this request for the Masters degree, submit the Graduate Authorization Petition form via Axess and submit the Program Proposal for a Masters degree form to the student service officer.

In the second year, complete the following requirements:

-by the first day of finals week in Winter Quarter, confirm the qualifying examination committee adviser for each examination committee (i.e. one committee for AREA and one committee for TOPIC) by submitting an email message to the faculty adviser confirming this information.

-by the first day of finals week in Winter Quarter, submit the Language Committee Petition form requesting approval for satisfactory completion of the department's graduate language requirement for oral and reading proficiency of a language necessary for successful scholarship in a chosen the field of study.

In the third year, complete the following requirements:

-by the last day of the third week of Autumn Quarter, confirm the committee reader for each of the qualifying examination committees (i.e. one committee for AREA and one committee for TOPIC) by submitting the Third-year Report of Qualifying Examination and Associated Oral Component Meeting Status form.

-by the last day of third week in Winter Quarter, submit the updated Third-year Report of Qualifying Examination and Associated Oral Component Meeting Status form reaffirming the committee members, and confirming the exam dates, preliminary qualifying bibliographies, and the proposed question set for each examination.

-by the last day of finals week in Winter Quarter, complete the qualifying examinations for area and for topic (two separate examinations to be scheduled one week apart), inclusive of the final bibliographies.

-by the last day of the second week in Spring Quarter, confirm a scheduled meeting with the qualifying Examination committee and the dissertation reading committee (usually the same committee members) for the oral component meeting associated with both the qualifying examinations as well as with the review and approval of the dissertation proposal.

-if necessary, successfully complete a second or third of three possible attempts to re-write/re-take the qualifying examinations for area and topic no later than the last day of Autumn Quarter in the fourth year, following the Spring Quarter of the third year.

In the fourth year, complete the following requirements:

-if necessary, successfully complete a second or third of three possible attempts to re-write/re-take the qualifying examinations for area and topic no later than the last day of Autumn Quarter in fourth year, following the Spring quarter of the third year.

Research and Ethics Requirements

In the first year, complete the following requirements:

-as scheduled by the Department, attend the Department ethics workshop for review of ethics in Anthropology. Confirm attendance and participation in the department review of ethics workshop on or by May 15th in Spring Quarter of the first year.

-complete the appropriate CITI tutorial for non-medical human subjects, and, either submit a non-medical human subjects protocol, based on the pre-dissertation research proposal, to the Institutional Review Board before departing for Summer Quarter field research in the first year, or confirm approval for exempt status. Alternatively, a notice of determination may be confirmed with the Institutional Review Board for a pilot study proposal that does not require protocol submission.

-complete the appropriate CITI tutorial for Responsible Conduct of Research on or by May 15 in Spring Quarter of the First-year.

-submit the Summer Quarter Funding Support in the First and Second Year of the Ph.D. form inclusive of the research proposal by May 15th in Spring Quarter of the First year and receive final approval for the pre-dissertation research proposal by the first day of finals week in Spring Quarter.

-for both tracks, submit the pre-dissertation proposal by the first day of finals week in Spring Quarter. Receive approval for the draft proposal of the second-year summer pre-dissertation research before departing for field research.

-before departing for field research in the Third-year, students should receive approval for the non-medical human subjects protocol from the Institutional Review Board.

The deadline for graduate application to the Ph.D. degree program is December 6, 2022. Successful applicants for the Ph.D. program may enter only in Autumn Quarter of the following academic year. It is the Department of Anthropology's policy not to defer graduate admission. The GRE test scores are not required by the department for admission to the Ph.D. degree program in Anthropology. Additional department application requirements and procedures are required. Please consult the department Graduate Admissions webpage.

Under supervision by a faculty advisor and committee, the Department allows Ph.D. students to develop a flexible program reflecting special research interests chosen by the student. Students are encouraged to plan for completion of all work for the Ph.D. in five years. Matriculation in the Ph.D. is full-time, only. In order to be eligible for University funding support, students must reside in the Bay Area during the Autumn, Winter and Spring Quarters of academic years one through three, and through the academic year five. Ph.D. students in Anthropology must complete a minimum of 135 quarter units with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B).

The maximum allowable number of transfer units is 45. Students who completed graduate coursework at another institution may initiate the process of transferring course units in the Winter quarter of their first year of doctoral study. Transfer of units will be evaluated by the Director of Graduate Studies on a course by course basis. Graduate work accepted for transfer of residency does not automatically exempt a student from having to complete a course requirement for the degree. University policies related to transfer of  credit for graduate work done elsewhere is located in GAP 3.2.1 Residency Policy for Graduate Students.

The Department of Anthropology is committed to providing academic advising supportive of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity. The department strongly encourages Ph.D. students to work with a variety of faculty throughout their degree program at Stanford. This expectation begins with the entering first-year Ph.D. student. First-year Ph.D. students are encouraged to meet with a number of faculty including those who work outside of the student's proposed area of geographic/topical foci. This ‘big tent’ style of advising should include faculty members, both within and outside of the department.

Entering first-year Ph.D. students are assigned one or more first-year Ph.D. faculty mentor(s). Faculty mentors serve as guides by suggesting academic and research training, providing feedback for development of a (pre)dissertation proposal, making referrals, writing letters of recommendation, and reminding students of their academic and administrative responsibilities.

At the end of the first year and no later than the end of the Autumn Quarter in the second year, Ph.D. students are expected to select a primary faculty advisor: someone who will thereafter serve as a confidant and sounding board in numerous ways, such as when it comes to selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing of teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students should be active contributors to advising relationships, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility to the best of their ability for informing themselves of academic policies and degree requirements for their graduate program. For additional information, please see the department reference, Best Practice Reference for Academic Advising: Guidelines for Graduate Students and Faculty.

For a statement of University policy on professional conduct, see the section of the bulletin, guidelines for addressing graduate student professional conduct.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the Graduate Advising section of the bulletin.

The Ph.D. degree is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated substantial scholarship and the ability 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.