Getting a masters in anthro?

[cschwartz]

So a lot of people have been stating that a good plan B is to apply for a masters, however I haven't seen very many schools that offer that option. I have been very careful in trying to make sure that I had a good fit with the schools that I applied to this last year and none of them accepted applications for a masters in anthro. So do most people attend a masters program in a field that they are not intending to continue or am I just crazy to think I will get to study what I want?

[truc]

So a lot of people have been stating that a good plan B is to apply for a masters, however I haven't seen very many schools that offer that option. I have been very careful in trying to make sure that I had a good fit with the schools that I applied to this last year and none of them accepted applications for a masters in anthro. So do most people attend a masters program in a field that they are not intending to continue or am I just crazy to think I will get to study what I want?

I don't know what it is exactly you want to study, but Columbia and the New School both offer MA programs.

[cschwartz]

I don't know what it is exactly you want to study, but Columbia and the New School both offer MA programs.

Yeah that has been my problem, the program I applied to at Columbia (Ecology and Evolutionary biology) does not have a MA. And that has been the case the whole way around. I might have just managed to find a bunch of programs that don't give MAs.

[truc]

Yeah that has been my problem, the program I applied to at Columbia (Ecology and Evolutionary biology) does not have a MA. And that has been the case the whole way around. I might have just managed to find a bunch of programs that don't give MAs.

Ahh, I'm in cultural anthro and can't give much help as far as bioanth goes I'm afraid. However, I do have a shameless plug for my undergrad institution (Michigan) where I took an EEB course to fulfill my bioanth requirement. Searching their website, it looks like they have a master's in EEB http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/graduates/traditional.html.

Good luck!

[tanshp]

GWU has an MA program in Anthropology...

Yeah that has been my problem, the program I applied to at Columbia (Ecology and Evolutionary biology) does not have a MA. And that has been the case the whole way around. I might have just managed to find a bunch of programs that don't give MAs.

[riceandbeans]

Yeah that has been my problem, the program I applied to at Columbia (Ecology and Evolutionary biology) does not have a MA. And that has been the case the whole way around. I might have just managed to find a bunch of programs that don't give MAs.

Columbia has a MA in Conservation Biology that is housed in the Ecology and Evolutionary biology department. There are quite a few masters only programs in bioanth, but you might have to search a little bit for them (Penn, Northern Illinois, Cal State Fullerton come to mind immediately, but there are definitely more).

[cschwartz]

Columbia has a MA in Conservation Biology that is housed in the Ecology and Evolutionary biology department. There are quite a few masters only programs in bioanth, but you might have to search a little bit for them (Penn, Northern Illinois, Cal State Fullerton come to mind immediately, but there are definitely more).

I guess I am worried that if I get off topic with my education I will look like a bad candidate for my phd schools. I am interested in brain evolution and not very many schools seem to have a anthro department that has any focus on that or at least it has been hard for me to find them. Is it just better to have an MA no matter what?

[riceandbeans]

I guess I am worried that if I get off topic with my education I will look like a bad candidate for my phd schools. I am interested in brain evolution and not very many schools seem to have a anthro department that has any focus on that or at least it has been hard for me to find them. Is it just better to have an MA no matter what?

I think a MA in general four-field anthropology (like the one offered at GWU) wouldn't hurt you. For something like brain evolution, a psych MA or bio MA also likely wouldn't hurt (and many brain evolution people are in psych departments anyway). You also might want to consider masters programs in the UK (Oxford's MSc in cognitive and evolutionary anthro or Durham's MSc in evolutionary anthro?), since a few well-respected researchers who study brain evolution from an anthro perspective are over there. But the general idea behind getting an MA is to prove that you are capable of graduate level work and/or to make up for any holes in your background (ie, you don't have an related degree, you don't have stellar grades or GRE scores, or you don't have much research experience). The work as a lab grunt backup plan is also valid for bioanth people. Reapplying next year and getting some work experience in the mean time won't hurt your application, especially if it's work that teaches you some research or teaching or life skills. Basically, as near as I can tell, if it will make you a better graduate student (and you can articulate that in your personal statement), it won't hurt your application, even if it isn't exactly the very specific thing you want to study.