Terminal M.A. Programs in Cultural Anthropology

[anthro]

I am interested in pursuing a master's degree in sociocultural anthropology to strengthen my application to doctoral programs. (I had very high grades from a top tier research university for my B.A. but I am switching disciplines and my previous research and fieldwork was diverse and does not relate to my current interests.) I have a fair amount of undergraduate debt and will have no family support, so it is essential that funding is available. Is anyone familiar with any funded M.A. programs in anthropology (or very closely related programs that allow you to specialize in anthro)? I know there is one at UT-Austin, that Stanford and Columbia have unfunded programs, and I am familiar with MAPSS at UChicago. I'd love to hear any experiences or insights that anyone has. I would also be curious to hear about fellowships or other special programs that would help one strengthen an application (I am 25 now so I am too old for a few of the major ones). I live in the U.S. but I would be willing to go to any other country that is willing to fund Americans. Can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

[anthromind]

I am interested in pursuing a master's degree in sociocultural anthropology to strengthen my application to doctoral programs. (I had very high grades from a top tier research university for my B.A. but I am switching disciplines and my previous research and fieldwork was diverse and does not relate to my current interests.) I have a fair amount of undergraduate debt and will have no family support, so it is essential that funding is available. Is anyone familiar with any funded M.A. programs in anthropology (or very closely related programs that allow you to specialize in anthro)? I know there is one at UT-Austin, that Stanford and Columbia have unfunded programs, and I am familiar with MAPSS at UChicago. I'd love to hear any experiences or insights that anyone has. I would also be curious to hear about fellowships or other special programs that would help one strengthen an application (I am 25 now so I am too old for a few of the major ones). I live in the U.S. but I would be willing to go to any other country that is willing to fund Americans. Can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

Hey friend,

FYI, Stanford's MA program is mostly for people who are NOT interested in phd programs. For people who are in careers who would like an anthro background. They take a small number (like 4) people for this purpose.

I would recommend applying directly to phd programs (and a couple masters, MAPSS and Columbia most saliently) and seeing what happens.

[lily_]

Hunter College has a terminal MA and appears that some graduates from that have gone on to study at top universities for PhD's afterward. They have a lot of people there for cultural and arch. It's also linked into the CUNY school system.

[zachidacki]

I am interested in pursuing a master's degree in sociocultural anthropology to strengthen my application to doctoral programs. (I had very high grades from a top tier research university for my B.A. but I am switching disciplines and my previous research and fieldwork was diverse and does not relate to my current interests.) I have a fair amount of undergraduate debt and will have no family support, so it is essential that funding is available. Is anyone familiar with any funded M.A. programs in anthropology (or very closely related programs that allow you to specialize in anthro)? I know there is one at UT-Austin, that Stanford and Columbia have unfunded programs, and I am familiar with MAPSS at UChicago. I'd love to hear any experiences or insights that anyone has. I would also be curious to hear about fellowships or other special programs that would help one strengthen an application (I am 25 now so I am too old for a few of the major ones). I live in the U.S. but I would be willing to go to any other country that is willing to fund Americans. Can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

If you're willing to go out of the country, I would look at some international fellowships. Most programs in Europe are one year, so it wouldn't be much time lost, and it would definitely be a step in the right direction for the PhD. Look at the Mitchell (http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=34), the Marshall (http://www.marshallscholarship.org/), Gates-Cambridge (http://www.gatesscholar.org/), the Clarendon (http://www.clarendon.ox.ac.uk/about/), and perhaps the Sauvé Scholars program (http://www.sauvescholars.org/). The Sauvé is independent research, but you work on getting published, which could be favorable in the PhD app process. All of these deadlines are early Fall typically, so you have plenty of time to prepare a great application.

The other option is to look at MA and PhD programs that are a bit more interdisciplinary. I'm not sure what your particular interests are, but take a look at American University's PhD in Anthro program (http://www.american.edu/cas/anthropology/PHD-ANTH.cfm) and Arizona State's PhD program with the Justice and Social Inquiry program (http://justice.clas.asu.edu/). Those are just two examples that come at the social sciences from a very mixed perspective, which could be a good stepping stone from your undergraduate experiences. Also, I know that George Washington University's MA in Anthropology offers funding, so check them out (http://www.gwu.edu/~anth/grad/index.cfm). It's also a good option to build some Anthropology connections and foundational skills because it's more of a general MA, while the PhD is very specific.

The third option I can think of is by doing a joint degree. Again, not sure what your interests are, but there are plenty of Anthropology programs that do joint degrees with public health, public policy, education, etc. You could get funding from the second department and, since some classes overlap, some of your MA in Anthro classes would be covered.

Hope this is helpful! If you have any questions about international fellowships send me a PM; I have a whole list bookmarked I could share with you.

Edited March 21, 2010 by zachidacki

[modernity]

The University of Denver,George Mason, and George Washington University have programs that are terminal MAs with the possibility of funding

There are a lot of available programs in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, however - since they are only one year - when you apply for your PhD (if you do so to attend directly after), you'll have less than a quarter/semester of work behind you when you apply and it may not be enough to help with your application.