Program Overview
Admissions | Advising |Department Funding| Faculty
The Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington recognizes three principal sub-fields of anthropology into which its graduate programs are divided: archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. We currently offer several graduate programs, listed below, within these subdivisions.
PhD in Anthropology: Archaeology
The Archaeology graduate program is designed to train students in archaeological method, theory and practice, critical thinking, the scientific analysis of the physical content of archaeological sites, and ethical engagement at the doctoral level. The program is also designed to train professional archaeologists capable of working in a wide variety of contexts. For more information about this program please visit PhD in Anthropology: Archaeology.
PhD in Anthropology: Biological Anthropology
The curricular goal of the Biological Anthropology PhD program is to foster understanding of human biological adaptation and its evolutionary basis through study of ecological, demographic, genetic, developmental, paleontological, behavioral, and epidemiological dimensions of human adaptation. Comprehensive training in theory and topical research provides the base from which a student’s specialization can be developed under the direction of a supervisory committee. For more information about this program please visit PhD in Anthropology: Biological Anthropology.
PhD in Anthropology: Sociocultural Anthropology
The Sociocultural Anthropology PhD program is designed to train professional anthropologists to work in either academic or non-academic settings. Each student is expected to achieve high levels of competence in the theories and methods of the discipline through successful completion of a series of requirements. Some of the fields of interest of the Sociocultural faculty include: African American Studies, Agriculture, Animal Studies, Black Studies, Decolonization, Eastern Europe, Embodiment, Ethnography, Feminism & Feminist theory, Global Health, Health Disparities, Indigenous Archaeology, Medical Anthropology, Politics of Representation, Public Health, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Visual Culture, Queer Studies. For more information about this program please visit PhD in Anthropology: Sociocultural Anthropology.
MA in Archaeological Heritage
Established in 2021, the MA in Archaeological Heritage program is designed to provide graduate training and credentials to qualify students for careers in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) in the US, as well as archaeological heritage globally. These career areas employ the majority of archaeologists in the US and beyond. For more information about this program please visit MA in Archaeological Heritage.
Master of Public Health & PhD in Anthropology (MPH/PhD)
This concurrent degree program offers students the opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary curriculum in the fields of public health and anthropology. We have developed this degree program with the departments of Epidemiology, Global Health, and Health Services. Our program allows students to pursue a Masters of Public Health (MPH), in one of four MPH programs, and a PhD in Anthropology, in either Biological Anthropology or Sociocultural Anthropology. For more information please visit MPH/PhD program.