Master Program Learning Outcomes
The purpose of the Master of Arts degree program is to further develop knowledge and skills in Anthropology and to prepare students for a professional career or doctoral studies. This is achieved through completion of courses in the primary field, as well as related areas, and through experience with independent work, area specialization and field research.
Download the Department of Anthropology Graduate Program Flyer and the Department of Anthropology Graduate Handbook for information concerning the Anthropology Graduate degree programs. These references can be found on the Graduate Forms and References page.
For more detailed description of the Anthropology Master of Arts Program, please refer to the Stanford University Bulletin Explore Degrees .
Eligibility
The Department of Anthropology offers the terminal master's degree to the following:
- Graduate applicants who apply from outside the University for admission to the terminal M.A. program in Anthropology.
- Stanford graduate students, taking advanced degrees in other departments or schools at Stanford, who are admitted to the terminal M.A. program in Anthropology.
- Anthropology Ph.D. students at Stanford University who fulfill the M.A. degree requirements on the way to the Ph.D. degree.
Graduate applicants who apply from outside the University and whose ultimate goal is the Ph.D. degree should apply directly to the Ph.D. degree program. Applicants who are offered admission to the terminal M.A. degree program may not transfer to the Ph.D. degree program; they must reapply on the same basis as other Ph.D. applicants and in competition with the Ph.D. applicants.
Graduate students taking an advanced degree in other departments or schools at Stanford and who apply for admission to the M.A. in Anthropology are governed by separate requirements as described in the Anthropology Graduate Handbook and can be downloaded HERE.
Anthropology Ph.D. students who decide to take the M.A. in Anthropology on the way to the Ph.D. are also governed by separate requirements described in the Anthropology Graduate Handbook which can be downloaded HERE.
Graduate enrollment at Stanford University for three consecutive quarters of full tuition for at least 45 units is required of all candidates for the terminal master's degree. M.A. students in Anthropology must take a minimum of 45 units of Anthropology course work beyond the undergraduate degree with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher. 45 units constitute the University minimum for the M.A. degree, and courses must be at or above the 100 level.
The M.A. program may require more than one year of study. However, full-time students entering the program with appropriate background should complete the M.A. degree program within three consecutive calendar quarters after the student's first quarter of master's-level enrollment. The University allows no transfer units into the master's program. To provide a meaningful master's program within one year, advance planning of course work with an adviser is required. Requirements for the terminal master's program must be completed within three years.
Tracks within the M.A. Program
Students may pursue two different tracks in the Anthropology M.A. degree program. The tracks are not declarable in Axess; they do not appear on the transcript or the diploma. The tracks are:
