Mar 29, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

Applied Anthropology, Ph.D.


College of Arts and Sciences  
Department: Anthropology 

Concentrations:

  • Archaeological and Forensic Sciences
  • Bio-cultural Medical Anthropology
  • Cultural Resource Management
  • Heritage Studies

Also offered as a Concurrent Degrees  

 


The Ph.D. in Applied Anthropology, initiated in 1984, was the first doctoral major of its kind and has to date awarded more than 140 degrees. The major is designed to prepare students to conduct research, teach, and practice in both academic and nonacademic settings. Students participate in either a structured research internship or independent field research for two consecutive semesters. Students must choose one of four tracks, which guide curriculum and required courses: Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, or Medical Anthropology. In addition, students can select elective courses to fulfill an optional concentration in Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, Biocultural Medical Anthropology, Cultural Resource Management, or Heritage Studies.

Major Research Areas:
Human biology; biocultural medical anthropology; nutrition/diet; growth and development; population genetics; forensic anthropology and human rights; neuroanthropology; stress; immune function; maternal and child health; reproductive health; HIV/AIDS; disasters; water and sanitation; migrant health; health policy; sociocultural and historical anthropology; transnational migration; labor; neoliberal globalization; citizenship; media and visual anthropology; environmental anthropology; urban anthropology; pedagogy and educational anthropology; heritage and memory studies; Florida archaeology; Eastern U.S. prehistory; Mesoamerican archaeology; Mediterranean prehistory; archaeological science; bioarcheaology; cultural resource management; public archeology.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

  • Master’s degree in Anthropology or related field
  • Concurrent Degree applicants (Anthropology/Public Health) must also meet GRE requirements for the MPH)
  • a statement of purpose
  • a signed research ethics statement
  • at least 3 letters of recommendation
  • a curriculum vitae
  • supplemental department application form
  • writing sample (optional)

Curriculum Requirements


Total minimum required hours - 42 hours beyond the M.A.

  • Core Requirements - 6 Credit Hours
  • Track - 30 Credit Hours
  • Internship/Dissertation Research- 3 Credit Hours
  • Dissertation - 3 Credit Hours Minimum
  • Concentration – Optional – 9-12 hours minimum*

*students have the option of earning a concentration through courework options within the track.

Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours)


Tracks (30 Credit Hours)


Students select one of the following tracks:

Archaeology Track:


Biological Anthropology Track


Cultural Anthropology Track


Medical Anthropology Track


External Curriculum Requirement


The external curriculum requirement for each track is designed to promote interdisciplinary perspectives. As part of each track students are expected to enroll in graduate-level courses in departments other than Anthropology, selected on the basis of professional interests and in consultation with the major advisor (if the student takes only two external courses, he/she must take an additional anthropology elective). Refer to each track for specific requirements.  Students who enter the Ph.D. program with post-baccalaureate degrees in disciplines other than Anthropology may be able to use that expertise to satisfy the requirement, after consultation with the major advisor and approval of the Graduate Director. In these cases, the remaining credit hours will be fulfilled through additional coursework in Anthropology.

Concentration Requirements (Optional, not required)


Credit hours used toward the concentration would take the place of discretionary courses in the track.

Concentration in Archaeological and Forensic Sciences (12 Credit Hours)


Two required courses:

And two additional courses (3 Credits each)

Selected from the following; one may be outside of Anthropology

External courses that also qualify

(only 1 can count towards concentration):

Concentration in Bio-Cultural Medical Anthropology (12 Credit Hours)


Four graduate medical anthropology courses with the ANG prefix:

Concentration in Cultural Resource Management (9 Credit Hours)


Required:

And one of the following:

Graduate Class in Geographic Information Systems (3 Credit Hours)

The GIS course can be offered in Anthropology or another department.

Concentration in Heritage Studies (9 Credit Hours)


Required

Two electives from among the following options:

Language Requirement


All Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, the specifics to be determined by the student and the supervisory committee, taking into account the nature of the student’s research. Minimal proficiency is demonstrated by the ability to satisfactorily translate a selection of the scholarly literature in the foreign language, with the occasional aid of a dictionary or completion of an advanced level langauge study course. The supervisory committee may assess or require additional levels of proficiency depending on the nature of individual student research. The language requirement must be satisfied no later than the date of the dissertation defense.

Qualifying Examination


Qualifying examination covering area of specialization within applied anthropology and external specialization.

Internship/Dissertation Research (3 Credit Hours Minimum)


Two-semester internship or dissertation research.

Dissertation (3 Credit Hours Minimum)


Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program in Applied Anthropology for Returning Peace Corps Volunteers


Students in the Coverdell Program are required to complete internships related to the program of study in underserved American Communities.

 

For more information on the Fellows Program:

https://www.peacecorps.gov/volunteer/university-programs/coverdell-fellows/

Concurrent Degree


Also available as a Concurrent Degree