The Curriculum
The curriculum combines core courses in the theoretical and methodological foundations of social and cultural anthropology with an emphasis on a critical and historical approach to how ethnographic sensibilities matter in the world today.

The master's program is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the development of anthropology within the social sciences and introduces students to key concepts and current issues that shape the contemporary field of knowledge production. Master's-level students are therefore expected to complete the required core courses as well as twelve credits, preapproved by their advisor, which may include courses in other departments.

The PhD program is designed to prepare students for creative independent research and teaching. At the PhD level, we encourage students to develop their own theoretical and geographic specializations through participation in a doctoral seminar, a required methods course, and tutorial work with individual faculty.

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MA in Anthropology
Students must successfully complete 30 credits of course work, of which 18 credits must be listed or cross-listed in Anthropology.
These must include the following four required courses:

• Critical Foundations of Anthropology I (GANT 6051)
• Critical Foundations of Anthropology II (GANT 6062)
• Sites of Contention in Contemporary Ethnography (GANT 6053)
• Anthropology as a History of the Present (GANT 6050)

Transfer Credit
A maximum of three credits taken at another university may be granted toward the credit requirements for the master’s degree to students entering the program with an equivalent master’s degree in a cognate field.

MA Written Examination
After completion of a minimum of 27 credits, students may petition to sit for the MA written examination, which consists of questions based primarily on the required course sequence. The exam is offered twice per year, once in fall semester and once in spring. See the academic calendar for examination dates.

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PhD in Anthropology
Students matriculated in the Anthropology master’s program at The New School for Social Research may petition for entry into the PhD program upon successful completion of the MA written examination and submission to the department of a brief written proposal indicating an area of future research. Entry into the PhD program is contingent on faculty evaluation of the applicant’s MA exam and overall performance in the master’s program, as well as an assessment of the fit of the proposed project within the department and of the applicant’s preparedness for doctoral-level work in anthropology.

Transfer Students
All students wishing to transfer to The New School for Social Research Anthropology Department for doctoral work are required to apply for entry into the master’s program. Before petitioning for entry to the doctoral program, they must complete the same requirements as all other New School Anthropology MA students applying to the PhD.

Transfer Credit
After admission into the doctoral program, students with prior master’s degrees in a cognate field may petition to transfer up to 30 graduate credits toward their PhD credit requirements.

PhD Program Requirements
Students admitted to the PhD program are required to take the sequence of three doctoral proseminar courses offered by the department: a course in project conceptualization, a course in ethnographic research methods, and a grant-writing workshop. In addition, students are also required to take at least one course in the history and one course in the ethnography of the area in which they will be working. These area courses may be taken either at The New School or through the Inter-University Consortium. In all, students must complete 30 doctoral credits. This total may include eligible transfer credits.

Doctoral students are required to attend the bimonthly department workshop. The content of the workshop is determined by students in consultation with workshop faculty, and has included presentations by anthropology faculty on such topics as publishing, grant-writing, and job talks; as well as presentations by students of research proposals, dissertation chapters, and reports from the field. The workshop is also often the catalyst for student-organized themed conferences. In addition, doctoral students are required to attend the department colloquia series of invited speakers.

Language Requirement
Each PhD student, regardless of specialization, must demonstrate reading knowledge of one language other than English by passing a language examination administered by the department. Some area specializations will require further language study to be determined in consultation with faculty. If further study is recommended, arrangements will be made through The New School’s foreign language program or the Inter-University Consortium.

Qualifying Examination and Thesis
All Anthropology doctoral students are required to pass the Qualifying Examination to advance to candidacy and continue towards the doctoral degree. In general, students are expected to take the exam within two years of entering the doctoral program.

The Qualifying Examination consists of two parts: a written proposal and a three-hour oral examination. The written component has three elements: a detailed prospectus that describes the student’s proposed research project and two bibliographic essays on fields selected and developed in consultation with the student’s advisor and Qualifying Examination Committee. Following successful completion of this exam, the PhD candidate normally begins an extended period of ethnographic fieldwork. The written thesis and its defense constitute the remaining requirements for the PhD. See the academic calendar for examination dates.

For more information on the master’s and doctoral programs, see the Department of Anthropology Graduate Handbook.

At the completion of coursework, the doctoral student submits the research proposal for departmental approval. This proposal must be approved by the department at least one month before the student takes the oral exam. A written thesis and its defense constitute the remaining requirements for the PhD. See the academic calendar for examination dates.

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