Ph.D. Program in Anthropology

The PhD in Anthropology with General Option requires 60 credits total beyond the bachelor’s degree, completion of the coursework for one of the UM Anthropology MA Options or an equivalent 30+ credit master’s degree from another institution, completion of courses in specific areas of the curriculum, a comprehensive examination consisting of a defense of the student’s research proposal, a dissertation on a topic of relevance to Anthropology, and a defense of the dissertation.

At the heart of our program is a strong commitment to employ anthropological theory to engage contemporary relevant issues with focused research for communities. While some that are awarded a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Montana will look toward teaching careers, a goal of the program is to produce applied anthropologists who will serve in government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), tribal and ethnic associations, and businesses.

Admissions

Admission to the anthropology Ph.D. program is competitive and open to students with

  • a bachelors or master's degree
  • a GPA of 3.2
  • optional GRE scores and/or TOEFL scores
  • positive letters of recommendation
  • and a statement of purpose that indicates professional goals compatible with the research specialties of the faculty.

There is no minimum GRE score, and GRE scores are only one measure used to assess an applicant's suitability for the program. Provisional admission may be offered for promising students who do not meet the GPA standards. If the student's bachelor's degree is not in Anthropology, the student will work with their advisor to develop a course of instruction that includes developing a background in the four fields of Anthropology.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program should include a significant writing sample as part of their application. For students with a master's degree, this should be their Master's level original work such as a thesis or professional paper. For students without a master's degree, this should consist of a selection of term papers or research reports that they have completed.

Students in an M.A. or B.A./B.S. program (at the University of Montana or another institution) may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program up to one year before completing the M.A. degree, but their admission to the program will be provisional, contingent upon finishing their M.A. or B.A./B.S. program.

Graduate student applicants may apply online through the Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

Both the General Option and the Cultural Heritage Option require coursework, a reviewed portfolio, a comprehensive examination, and a defended dissertation. The faculty expects completion of the Ph.D. within three years of earning the master’s degree. All students entering the Ph.D. program must have the equivalent of an M.A. degree before they can proceed to Ph.D. status. For students accepted into the program with only an undergraduate degree, they must complete the requirements of an M.A. degree prior to moving into the Ph.D. program. Students initially accepted into the M.A. program can continue into the Ph.D. program, but they must complete the M.A. degree prior to continuing; those students must also apply for the Ph.D. program during the regular application cycle (even though they are extant M.A. students).

The faculty will assign the student a Ph.D. committee chair upon acceptance into the Ph.D. program; and the student, in consultation with the chair, will select at least two more members for the committee within their first semester in the program. The Ph.D. committee chair will guide the student in choosing appropriate courses and research experiences to accomplish their desired educational outcomes, including serving as the dissertation committee chair. If a student’s interests change to the extent that another faculty member would be more appropriate as the dissertation committee chair the student may present a written petition to the Graduate Program Coordinator, who will consult with the student’s existing committee chair, the prospective new committee chair, the Department Chair, and any other relevant faculty in making a decision to grant the student’s request.

Graduate Contract and Portfolio

The student and their Ph.D. committee will formulate a plan of study, in the form of a graduate contract, tailored to the student’s specific goals and consistent with Graduate School policy (section D.2000), within the student’s first semester of entering the program. The contract will state the student’s desired educational outcomes, the way in which the outcomes will be achieved, and the manner in which the outcomes will be assessed. The contract may only be altered with the approval of the student’s Ph.D. committee. The student will create and maintain a portfolio of work documenting progress toward fulfillment of the graduate contract

Coursework

Coursework for the Ph.D. General Option requires 30 credits beyond those required for the master’s degree, for a total of 60 credits. At least 20 of these credits must be in ANTY or LING. A maximum of 10 credits in research courses (ANTY 593, 597, 599, 697, 699) may be applied to these 30 credits. No more than 9cr total in any combination of Independent Studies and Internship courses may be applied to these 30 credits.

Curriculum

The curriculum for the 60 credits required for the General Ph.D. Option focuses on a solid grounding in anthropological theory, methods for generating or collecting anthropological data, and methods for the analysis of anthropological data. All students must take (or have taken) ANTY 500, ANTY 601, and a course in introductory statistics such as ANTY 401. In addition, at least one course must be taken from each of the areas below. Reasonable substitutions of courses, including courses from other departments and institutions, may be approved by the student’s committee.

Anthropological theory:

  • ANTY 510*: Seminar in Human Variation & Evolution
  • ANTY513*#: Seminar in Bioarchaeology & Skeletal Biology
  • ANTY514*#: Seminar in Paleoanthropology & Evolutionary Analysis
  • ANTY515: Theory & Methods in Biological Anthropology
  • ANTY520*: Seminar in Ethnology
  • ANTY521: Applied Anthropology
  • ANTY522: Medical Anthropology
  • ANTY550: Seminar in Archaeology
  • ANTY551: Seminar in Historical Archaeology
  • ANTY552: Power, Prestige & Things
  • ANTY553: Seminar in Evolutionary Archaeology
  • ANTY600: Issues in Cultural Heritage
  • LING 570*: Seminar in Linguistics
  • LING573: Language & Culture

Methods for generating or collecting anthropological knowledge:

  • ANTY 412: Osteology
  • ANTY413: Forensic & Mortuary Archaeology
  • ANTY416: Dental Anthropology
  • ANTY431: Ethnographic Field Methods
  • ANTY451: Cultural Resource Management
  • ANTY466*: Archaeological Survey
  • ANTY467*: Archaeological Field School
  • ANTY476: Methods for Native Languages
  • ANTY495*: Field Experience
  • ANTY501: Historical Anthropology
  • ANTY512*: Advanced Forensic Anthropology
  • ANTY602: Cultural Heritage Policy & Practice
  • LING 571: Phonetics & Phonology
  • LING575: Linguistic Field Methods
  • LING584: North American Indigenous Languages
  • LING589: Morphology

Analysis of anthropological data:

  • ANTY402: Quantitative Ethnographic Methods
  • ANTY408: Advanced Anthropological Statistics
  • ANTY452: GIS in Archaeology
  • ANTY454: Lithic Technology
  • ANTY455: Artifact Analysis
  • ANTY513*#: Seminar in Bioarchaeology & Skeletal Biology
  • ANTY514*#: Seminar in Paleoanthropology & Evolutionary Analysis*
  • LING 574: Historical Linguistics

Advisor

The faculty will assign the student a Ph.D. committee chair upon acceptance into the Ph.D. program; and the student, in consultation with the chair, will select at least two more members for the committee within their first semester in the program. The Ph.D. committee chair will guide the student in choosing appropriate courses and research experiences to accomplish their desired educational outcomes, including serving as the dissertation committee chair. If a student's interests change to the extent that another faculty member would be more appropriate as the dissertation committee chair the student may present a written petition to the graduate advising coordinator, who will consult with the student's existing committee chair, the prospective new committee chair, the Department Chair, and any other relevant faculty in making a decision to grant the student's request.

Graduate Contract and Portfolio

The student and their Ph.D. committee will formulate a plan of study, in the form of a graduate contract, tailored to the student's specific goals and consistent with Graduate School policy (section D.2000), within the student's first semester of entering the program. The contract will state the student's desired educational outcomes, the way in which the outcomes will be achieved, and the manner in which the outcomes will be assessed. The contract may only be altered with the approval of the student's Ph.D. committee. The student will create and maintain a portfolio of work documenting progress toward fulfillment of the graduate contract.

Coursework

Students are expected to complete the following course requirements:

Please refer to the Graduate Student Manual for the specific curriculum that is required for the General Option Ph.D.

Dissertation Research Proposal

Before accumulating 45 postbaccalaureate credits and before enrolling in ANTY699 the student will develop a detailed dissertation research proposal. A funding proposal to an appropriate source may be substituted for the research proposal. At a minimum the proposal should include:

  • The goal of the scholarly work, including hypotheses to be tested;
  • The materials and methods to be used;
  • A significant annotated bibliography or literature review;
  • A completed, but not submitted, the University of Montana Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects in Research checklist form if the scholarly work involves living human subjects;
  • A complete, but not submitted, Graduate School Application for Graduation.

Dissertation Committee

After completion of the dissertation proposal, the candidate will form a dissertation committee consisting of five members who meet the requirements listed in Graduate School Policy (sectionsD4.100 and D4.300), including one University of Montana -- Missoula faculty member who is outside Anthropology.

Comprehensive Examination

Each student will orally present their research proposal at a meeting with their dissertation committee. During this meeting, the committee will ask questions designed to assess whether the proposal and the student's background demonstrate the likelihood of successful completion of the dissertation research. The committee will also review the student's portfolio to assess the student's progress toward their desired outcomes. If the student has demonstrated substantial progress toward fulfillment of their graduate contract and is, in the opinion of the committee, prepared to undertake dissertation research, then they will be invited to continue work toward the completion of their dissertation. If deficiencies exist the committee may prescribe remedial action or direct the student toward graduation with a terminal M.A. degree. However, students may not earn a second M.A. degree in Anthropology from the University of Montana by this mechanism.

Dissertation Defense

After the dissertation is completed, the student's dissertation committee will review it and ask the student to defend it following the process described in Graduate School policy (section D5.000).

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