Program Overview

Anthropology Program Details

Overview

The doctoral program in Anthropology at Brown University will not be accepting graduate applications during the 2025/2026 admissions cycle.

About the Program

Brown's graduate Anthropology program encourages a diversity of doctoral research agendas in sociocultural anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and linguistic anthropology. All doctoral students complete a core curriculum stressing comprehensive grounding in the field’s key methods and theories, and specialize in one of three areas of faculty strength:

• socio-cultural anthropology
• anthropological archaeology
• linguistic anthropology Some students further specialize in one of the particular areas of strength, including:
  • demographic anthropology
  • the anthropology of development
  • Mesoamerican archaeology
  • Andean archaeology
  • historical archaeology
  • medical anthropology
  • urban anthropology
  • environmental anthropology
  • gender

Additional Resources

The department has strong ties to various institutions, including:

• Brown's Population Studies and Training Center
• The School of Public Health's Global Health Initiative
• The Watson School of International and Public Affairs
• The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
• The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
• The John Carter Brown Library
• The Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women
• The Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
• The Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America
• The John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage

Application Information

Application Requirements

• GRE Subject: Not required
• GRE General: Not required
• Writing Sample: Required (in area of intended specialization)

Completion Requirements

To complete the program, students must:

• Earn an A.M. in anthropology or its equivalent
• Demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language (based on committee requirement)
• Complete two semesters of teaching
• Pass preliminary examinations
• Develop a research proposal
• Complete a dissertation based on independent field research

Leadership

The department is led by:

• Department Chair: Jessaca Leinaweaver
• Director of Graduate Studies: Parker VanValkenburgh
• Director of Graduate Admissions: Ieva Jusionyte
• Director of Graduate Training: Shanti Morell-Hart

Alumni Careers

Brown University's Anthropology graduates are employed in a range of teaching, research, and museum positions, as well as in nonacademic fields where anthropological expertise is required.