Anthropology

Master of Arts

Of the 30 credits required for the degree, students working toward the M.A. degree are expected to complete 24 credits of graded coursework, including ANTH 7010 (History of Anthropological Theory I) and one course in each of two fields among archaeological, linguistic and socio-cultural anthropology.

Students are expected to demonstrate competency in a second language by providing evidence of satisfactory completion of two years of undergraduate coursework in that language, passing a test administered by the appropriate language department at the University of Virginia, or by presenting evidence of comparable proficiency to a person acknowledged by the department to be capable of evaluating competence in that language. Students whose first language is not English may use proficiency in English to satisfy this requirement. Students may obtain approval from their advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies to substitute statistics for their second language and pass an advanced graduate statistics course.

Students are expected to complete a comprehensive examination or one Critical Review Essay relevant to their academic interests. 

Doctor of Philosophy

Of the 72 credits required for the degree, students are expected to complete a minimum of 48 credits of graded coursework, including ANTH 7010 and ANTH 7020 (History of Anthropological Theory I & II) during the first year of study and one course each in archaeological, linguistic and socio-cultural anthropology at a pace of at least one such course per year. In addition, students are expected to complete a one-credit Graduate Advising Seminar in each of the first six semesters.

By the conclusion of the first year of study, students are expected to submit a First Year Portfolio consisting of a one-page cover letter that summarizes the student’s research interests and three student-selected, unrevised UVA graduate course papers (of a minimum of five pages each) that demonstrate the quality of their performance in coursework during that year.

By the conclusion of the second year of study, students are expected to submit a Topical Critical Review Essay and a Regional Critical Review Essay that relate to their planned dissertation research.
 
Students are expected to present their doctoral projects at a third year symposium, defend dissertation proposals, and have their research approved by the UVA IRB and/or other relevant institutions, including those in the country where the research is to be conducted,  as appropriate to their project, by the conclusion of the third year of study.

Students are expected to demonstrate competency in a second language by providing evidence of satisfactory completion of two years of undergraduate coursework in that language, passing a test administered by the appropriate language department at the University of Virginia, or by presenting evidence of comparable proficiency to a person acknowledged by the department to be capable of evaluating competence in that language. Students whose first language is not English may use proficiency in English to satisfy this requirement.

Students are expected to complete all requirements stated above by the conclusion of the sixth semester of study.

Students are expected to complete a fieldwork project that generates the data upon which they will base their dissertation.

Students are expected to develop and teach their own course in anthropology.

Students are expected to demonstrate competency in a third language through the means described above or mastery of their second language through the means described above, excluding the undergraduate coursework option. Students may obtain approval from their advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies to substitute statistics for their third language and pass an advanced graduate statistics course.

Students are expected to write and defend a dissertation.