Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

The degree program is offered in two options: with thesis or with report. The thesis option requires thirty semester hours of coursework; the report option requires thirty-three. Both options require students to complete the following: six semester hours of core coursework in anthropology, including the core course in the student’s subdiscipline; a minimum of twelve semester hours of coursework in anthropology; a minimum of six semester hours of coursework in a minor outside the Department of Anthropology; and either the report or thesis course. Recommended minors include Asian studies, art history, biology, communication, comparative literature, computer science, economics, English, geography, geological sciences, government, history, Latin American studies, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, statistics, Middle Eastern studies, American studies, women’s and gender studies, cultural studies, and ethnomusicology.

Doctor of Philosophy

A Master of Arts or an equivalent degree in anthropology or a closely related field is required for admission to the doctoral program. The student must complete three of the following core courses: Anthropology 392K,392J,  392L, 392M, 392N,  392P, 392R, 392S, and 392T. Students are required to complete the core course(s) in his or her subdiscipline of archaeology, cultural forms, linguistic anthropology, social anthropology, or physical anthropology. Students with an extensive background in a subfield may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for exemption from the core courses in that area.

Students in the cultural forms subdiscipline must include Anthropology 392M and 392P among their core courses and must complete the graduate portfolio in cultural studies. Additional information about the graduate portfolio in cultural studies is published by the Américo Paredes Center for Cultural Studies at http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/culturalstudies/ .

All students must fulfill a foreign language requirement; information about this requirement is available from the graduate adviser. A comprehensive examination is given in three areas of specialization. The topics are selected by the student in consultation with an examination committee. The student must also write and defend a detailed prospectus on his or her dissertation research. After completing the comprehensive examination(s), the student files an application for candidacy and writes and defends the dissertation.