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Visit Anthropology for more specific information or to contact the program's staff and arrange a campus visit.
Schusterman Center For
Israel Studies
Full and partial fellowships for Ph.D. candidates focusing on Israel Studies in many disciplines. Click here.
Anthropology
About the Program
The Department of Anthropology at Brandeis offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology as well as a Joint M.A. degree in Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies. Students concentrate on one of three foci of anthropological inquiry: evolutionary processes, comparative social institutions, or systems of meaning. Training for independent research is stressed, with particular emphasis on theoretical issues and fieldwork.
Our department’s small size combines the best of both worlds: the intimacy of a small liberal-arts college department and the intellectual strength of a major research institution. Graduate training is based on required courses in the history, theory, and method of anthropology and on elective courses in the four subfields of anthropology: sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and physical anthropology.
Faculty interests include the study of complex societies, comparative methods, economic anthropology and development, gender studies, semiotic systems, global and transnational processes, linguistic anthropology, the emerging cultures of cyberspace, medical anthropology, psychological anthropology and religion and ritual. Geographic strengths include Latin America, North America, Africa, East Asia and South Asia. Graduate study in archaeology concentrates on the development of complex societies, emphasizing Mesoamerica.
Degree Options
- Ph.D. in Anthropology (full-time; for current Brandeis' master's students in Anthropology only)
- Joint M.A. in Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies (full-time)
- M.A. in Anthropology (full- and part-time)
Courses and Completion Requirements
For the most updated course listing, course descriptions, and degree requirements, please click here.
Faculty
We encourage you to explore one of the department’s greatest assets through our faculty pages. Learn more about the people who will help guide you along your graduate school path here.
Additional Resources
Consortium: Our membership in the Boston consortium allows you to take courses at Tufts University, Boston University, and Boston College, thus enhancing your Brandeis experience and the spirit of collaboration which Brandeis embodies.
Student Services: At Brandeis, you will become part of a community that is strengthened by life both within and outside of the classroom and laboratory walls. Please visit Student Services to see the array of University resources, events, and programming for graduate students, including our Graduate Student Services Center, Off-Campus Housing, Health Insurance, English as a Second Language (ESL) program, Disability Resources, Counseling Center, Career Services, and the Graduate Student Association.
Admission Information
Admission Semester:
All programs: Fall only
Application Deadlines:
Ph.D. and M.A.: Jan. 15 (Ph.D. applicants should see notes under "Admission Requirements" regarding fall matriculation)
Admission Requirements:
The Department of Anthropology is accepting doctoral applicants only as direct admissions from our anthropology master's program. Applicants interested in the Brandeis doctoral program in Anthropology are invited to apply to the Master's program. GRE scores are required for admission to the doctoral program. If accepted as anthropology master's students, students are then eligible to apply to the Ph.D. program for matriculation in the following fall with an application fee waiver. Acceptance to the Brandeis doctoral program is very competitive and not guaranteed, but faculty members also provide mentoring for students' applications to other doctoral programs. Our department has had good success in placing our master's students in doctoral programs.To apply for all programs, you need to submit:
- An application to the graduate school, which can be electronically submitted here;
- An application fee (please click here for instructions);
- Official transcripts from all universities and colleges attended; applicants must provide a final transcript indicating successful completion of an undergraduate degree program before registration;
- Letters of recommendation, which the admissions committee prefers to be submitted online (please click here for more information); M.A. applications require 2 letters of recommendation; Ph.D. applications require 3 letters of recommendation.
- A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé;
- A statement of purpose indicating your reasons for undertaking graduate study. In addition, please describe your qualifications for the academic program and your objectives in undertaking this program. Applicants to the master's program should discuss their plans for their academic and professional career and how the Graduate School will help them to attain their goals. Applicants to the doctoral program should outline their research interests and indicate how they would complement those of the faculty. Please click here for more specific notes from the program regarding the statement of purpose.
- Written Work: Please submit a sample of critical writing in hardcopy to the Graduate School or as an attachment via e-mail. Please click here for more specific notes from the program regarding this requirement.
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Our ETS institution code is 3092.
Ph.D. program: required.
M.A. programs: required.
International students: For additional requirements for international applicants (non-U.S. citizens or non-permanent residents), minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores, and important information regarding visas, please click here.
For a more comprehensive description of application requirements, please click here.
Financial Aid
Generous financial aid is available; for more information please click here.