Graduate Studies Programs

Welcome to the Graduate Studies Program in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign! We offer the following graduate studies programs in our department: 

• PhD in Anthropology

• Graduate Minor in Museum Studies

• Graduate Minor in Heritage Studies

The Department of Anthropology offers MA and PhD degrees and professional training in Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, and Sociocultural and Linguistic Anthropology. We do not have a terminal MA program, and a formal master’s degree is not required for advancement in the program. Graduate students typically request the award of an MA in the course of their doctoral program participation. The MA degree is usually a first stage toward the doctorate or may be used by students to apply knowledge of anthropology to a related field. Our Department also offers graduate minors in Museum Studies and Heritage Studies. Details about our graduate curricula are available in our Illinois Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook.

We are committed to a rigorous funding philosophy that enables us to recruit, train, and graduate outstanding students. Our admissions process is highly selective and all admitted students are offered six years of funding. Regular faculty reviews and mentorship of graduate students help to ensure our students’ prompt and significant progress. We are committed to training that instills the highest scholarly, professional, and ethical standards. In addition to our curriculum, we offer workshops on research ethics, grant writing, academic publishing, teaching strategies, non-academic careers, and the job search process.