(for Ph.D. students entering with bachelor’s degrees)
- The student must earn a minimum of 75 semester hours of graduate-level credit beyond the B.A. degree. This will not include remedial courses. These credits must be in the field of anthropology unless otherwise approved by the department and the Graduate College.
- The 75 credits and any remedial work must be passed with a grade of B– or better. Classes in which a student receives a C+ or lower will not count toward a degree, and any student receiving more than one C+ or lower will be separated from the graduate program.
- Within the 75 credits, there will be a cap of three credits each of independent study (ANTH 799), directed readings (ANTH 701), and thesis (ANTH 797) — which may be taken only if the students followed the thesis option for completing the M.A. degree — and a cap of 12 dissertation credits (ANTH 798).
- Thirty of the 75 credits presented for the degree must be credits with the prefix ANTH at the 700 level or above, excluding ANTH 701 (Directed Readings), ANTH 797 (Independent Study), ANTH 797 (Thesis) — which may be taken only if the students followed the thesis option for completing the M.A. degree — and ANTH 798 (Dissertation).
- The 30 units must include the following courses: ANTH 700A (Proseminar I), ANTH 700B (Proseminar II), ANTH 703 (Core Concepts in Anthropology), and ANTH 790 (Research Design, Professional Ethics, and Grant Writing). ANTH 700A and B are one-credit, pass/fail seminar courses that require a “pass” grade for students to continue in the program. ANTH 703 and 790 are three-credit seminars.
- The student must demonstrate a competence in statistics by passing an appropriate advanced class, such as ANTH 770.
- In consultation with an advisor, a student will organize a dissertation committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member outside the department will be assigned by the Graduate College. Another outside member may be added at the department’s discretion.
- In consultation with the student, and as approved by the student’s committee, the student will complete one of three options for an M.A. in anthropology en route to receiving a Ph.D.: a) write a publishable professional paper, or b) write a thesis. In consultation with the student, the student's committee will decide which option the student will take. Each of these options will require a committee defense and department defense.
- The student must pass a comprehensive examination with a grade of B– or better. This exam will cover three topics, selected to relate to the student's dissertation research area. The topics will relate to an area of (a) theory, (b) methodological or topical specialty, and (c) culture area. Students who fail in any portion of the exam may retake that portion any time prior to the end of the semester following the semester the exam was taken. A second failure results in termination from the doctoral program.
- After passing the doctoral comprehensive examination, the student must submit to the department a written dissertation proposal approved by the dissertation committee prior to the commencement of fieldwork or research. The student also must present a defense of this proposal to the academic community. After successfully completing these tasks, the student is advanced to candidacy.
- The student will then conduct approved anthropological research to gather data needed for writing the dissertation. This may involve fieldwork, laboratory research, or research on a theoretical topic but in any case must represent an original contribution to knowledge.
- The student must submit and successfully defend the dissertation. This defense is open to the public.