Program Overview

Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology

General Information

• Faculty working with students: 15
• Students: 18
• Students receiving Financial Aid: 100% for 5 years
• Part-time study available: No
• Application terms: Fall
• Application deadline: Not accepting applications for 2026 enrollment

Program Description

The graduate program in Cultural Anthropology aims to provide students with a thorough grounding in both current theory and methods of research. Issues that concern the faculty include transnational and national processes; political economy and history; identity and ethnicity; popular culture, the media and advertising; culture and the individual; religion; public health; aesthetics; class, gender, and race relations; and environment and ecology. The program as a whole takes a comparative perspective that encourages field research in diverse societies, including the contemporary United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the African Diaspora, South Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Interdisciplinary work in other departments and programs is encouraged.

Application Information

• Application Terms Available: Fall
• Application Deadline: Not accepting applications for 2026 enrollment
• Graduate School Application Requirements:
  • Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
  • Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
  • Statement of Purpose: Required
  • Résumé: Required
  • GRE Scores: GRE General (Optional)
  • English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required for applicants whose first language is not English
  • GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Department-Specific Application Requirements

• Statement of Purpose Guidelines: The statement of purpose is an especially important part of the application because it gives applicants a chance to describe their research interests. At the beginning of the statement of purpose, applicants must also list three keywords best describing their research interests and geographical area of study.
• Writing Sample: Applicants must upload a roughly 10-20 page (double-spaced) sample of relatively recent written work.

Statistics

• Cultural Anthropology: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Cultural Anthropology: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Cultural Anthropology: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Cultural Anthropology: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Notice

Due to budgetary pressures, PhD admissions at the Cultural Anthropology Department are paused for the 2026–2027 academic year. The department plans to resume admissions in the following cycle and is working closely with the university to ensure that this does not impact the department's intellectual mission or future PhD student cohorts.