Department of Anthropology, 395 Hubert H. Humphrey Center, 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-625-3400; fax: 612-625-3095)

The Department of Anthropology offers graduate education in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology. With the exception of the master's degree with an emphasis on cultural heritage management, the program admits students only for the Ph.D., although some students do earn a master's degree as part of their Ph.D. program. Major areas of faculty research and graduate student training in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology include colonial and post-colonial studies, cultures of capitalism, cultural studies of science, the anthropology of death and dying, analysis of discourse and social interaction, economic anthropology, ethnographies of the state, gender/sexuality, globalization, human/nonhuman relations, language politics, medical anthropology, philosophical anthropology, semiotic anthropology, temporality and futurity, and urban anthropology, among other specialties. Regional specializations include Europe, the Pacific, the Middle East, North America, Russia, Southern Africa, East Asia, and South Asia. The program in biological anthropology offers training and research opportunities in two main areas: paleoanthropology and behavioral biology. The paleoanthropology specialty combines biological anthropology and Paleolithic archaeology in the reconstruction of the evolution and behavior of primates, including hominins, through the application of evolutionary theory to the analysis of skeletal morphology, faunal remains, site taphonomy, and lithic technology. The behavioral ecology specialty involves the study of the behavior and ecology of living primate species, including humans, through field studies and the analysis of long-term data. Regional specializations include Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and Europe. The program in archaeology offers training and research opportunities in the use of anthropological theories and interpretive strategies in the reconstruction of historic and prehistoric pasts based on material culture, the application of faunal and lithic analysis to questions in paleoecology and evolutionary theory, and the application of archaeological science to the reconstruction of site formation. Regional specializations include Europe, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, and North America.

Other requirements to be completed before admission:

Graduate students who enter the Ph.D. program with a M.A. degree in anthropology or a closely related field from another institution will generally enter the program at the second-year level. Should second-year requirements (e.g., the research paper, preparation for the bibliography) prove overly challenging for the graduate student, in most cases the student will be required to continue their second year activities into their third year. In addition, they may be asked to take courses in areas of perceived weakness.

Three letters of recommendation and scores from the General test of the GRE should be sent to the director of graduate studies. Admission is for fall semester only; the deadline for all materials is December 1.

During the first year, students are required to take at least one graduate-level (8xxx) seminar in the Ph.D. program each semester. Students should consult the Graduate Student Handbook for special requirements for sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology. Language requirements depend upon student's special area of research.