Program Overview

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Anthropology, PhD, Sociocultural Anthropology Concentration

The PhD in Anthropology with a concentration in Sociocultural Anthropology is a comprehensive program designed to equip students with advanced knowledge and skills in the field. The program requires a total of 60 units, which can be completed within six years.

Degree Requirements

• Total Units Required: 60
• Degree Length: Up to 6 years
• Grade Requirement: B-
• Residence and Mentored Experience Requirements: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status.
• Mentored Experience Implementation Plan: The plan outlines how doctoral students will be mentored to achieve competencies in teaching at basic and advanced levels.

Universal Departmental Requirements

The following requirements apply to all concentrations of the PhD in Anthropology:

• Degree Length and Course Units: Students are expected to complete the degree within six years and must complete a minimum of 60 units of graduate-level coursework.
• Master's Degree: The department does not admit students for a standalone master's degree; completion of the MA degree is a required step in the process of earning the PhD.
• Theory Requirement: All students are required to take ANTHRO 5473 Social Theory and Anthropology during their first year.
• Subdisciplinary Course Requirements: Graduate students earning a PhD in Anthropology are expected to have familiarity across the subdisciplines of anthropology.
• Courses with Six Faculty: All graduate students are required to have had courses with at least six different departmental faculty members.

Doctoral Candidacy

To earn a PhD at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department, maintain satisfactory academic progress, pass certain examinations, fulfill residence and Mentored Experience Requirements, write, defend, and submit a dissertation, and apply to graduate via Workday Student.

Qualifying Examinations

Progress toward the PhD is contingent upon the student passing examinations that are variously called preliminary, qualifying, general, comprehensive, or major field exams.

Mentored Experience Requirements

Doctoral students at Washington University must complete a department-defined Mentored Experience. The Mentored Experience Requirement is a doctoral degree requirement that is notated on the student's transcript when complete.

The Doctoral Dissertation

A Research Advisory Committee (RAC) must be created no later than the end of the student's third year. As evidence of the mastery of a specific field of knowledge and of the capacity for original scholarly work, each candidate must complete a dissertation that is approved by their RAC.

The Dissertation Defense

The Doctoral Dissertation Committee that examines the student during the defense consists of at least five members. Normally, the members of the RAC also serve on the Doctoral Dissertation Committee.

Concentration Requirements

Master's Degree Requirements for Sociocultural Anthropology

• First-Year Mentoring Meeting: All students are required to meet with the Sociocultural Anthropology faculty by the end of the first year.
• Required Coursework: Students must complete at least two of the following three Anthropology courses: ANTHRO 5124, ANTHRO 5473, and ANTHRO 5010.
• Second-Year Paper: During the third semester, the student will write a second-year paper.

Requirements for Advancement to PhD Candidacy in Sociocultural Anthropology

• Required Courses: The student must complete the following required courses in Sociocultural Anthropology: 5124, 5010, and 5473.
• Second-Year Mentoring Meeting: The student is required to have a mentoring meeting no later than the end of the second year of study.
• Third-Year Mentoring Meeting: The student is required to have a mentoring meeting no later than the end of the third year of study.
• Doctoral Proposal and Hearing: The student is required to complete and receive approval of a doctoral proposal in the form of one of the major external grant proposals.

Post-Candidacy Requirements

• Fieldwork Write-Up Outline: Within 60 days after the final field season, a detailed outline of the dissertation must be provided to the student's Research Advisory Committee (Doctoral Committee).
• Post-Fieldwork Meetings: The student must meet with their dissertation committee every semester.

Mentored Experience Requirements (MERs)

Philosophy of Teaching

Teaching is a central part of graduate training, and this intellectual development is important for those seeking careers as academics or citizen scholars.

Preparatory Engagement

Preparatory Engagement activities are those that represent an introduction to the foundational skills associated with teaching or communication.

Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs)

• Assistant in Instruction (AI): An Assistant in Instruction (AI) is a PhD student who is directly engaged in the organization, instruction, and/or support of a semester-long course primarily taught by a faculty member.
• Mentored Independent Teaching (MIT): MIT is a semester-long experience for PhD students who engage as the primary instructor or co-instructor of a course under the mentorship of a faculty member as part of the MER.

Mentored Professional Experiences (MPEs)

The MPE is an unpaid professional experience for PhD students that allows students to develop skills and experiences relevant to their intended career outcomes.

Required Pathways for Completion

Students work with their faculty mentor and their Director of Graduate Studies to plan how and when they will complete their MERs. Students register during the normal registration period for courses in accordance with one of these approved pathways.