Overview

Other environmental and ecological sciences are simply not theoretically or methodologically equipped to understand the culture-bearing human species with its complex behavioral patterning. Beginning in 1988, the department set out to build a first-class ecological-environmental program; we added new faculty, new physical resources, and aquired more funding. This growth continues, and the faculty is committed to continually improving the quality of the program. Since 1988 we have seen our students complete in good time (usually 5-6 years for the Ph.D.), and then move into very competitive academic and professional positions in anthropology and related environmental fields.

The programme

The Department of Anthropology offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in anthropology. These graduate programs reflect training in basic anthropological knowledge and the department’s focus on environmental and ecological anthropology.

Admission is only to the PhD program. Students may complete the requirements for an MA degree en route to the PhD or as the terminal degree in their program. Students are admitted and begin the PhD program only during Fall semester. No new admissions are permitted in the Spring semester.

Training focuses on the role of anthropology as a discipline in understanding the human-environment interface, both past and present, and from a cross-cultural perspective. The doctoral program also provides students with the flexibility to attain interdisciplinary training in other academic areas relevant to understanding issues of sustainable human ecosystems. Relevant academic areas for coursework within the university can be found in the Institute of Ecology, the Environmental Ethics Program, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and allied disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences. Graduates of the program should be qualified for teaching, research, or applied employment opportunities. Requirements for the PhD degree include satisfactory performance on written and oral comprehensive examinations, fulfillment of a research skills requirement, language requirement, and an approved dissertation which reflects the student’s specialization and the departmental focus.