Frequently Asked Questions for both the Master's and Doctoral Programs
1. Is there any information you can mail to me that is not online?
2. Do you accept students in both the Fall and Spring semesters?
3. What are the minimum GPA and GRE scores needed to apply?
4. When will admissions decisions be made?
6. What if I am an undocumented immigrant already in the United States?
Frequently Asked Questions about the Doctoral Program:
6. Do I need to have a Master’s degree to apply to the Doctoral program in Anthropology?
7. Will my M.A. from another school be counted toward an NYU Ph.D.?
8. Are all
9. What do you mean by fully-funded? And, how does the MacCracken Program work?
11. What is the job placement record for graduates from the doctoral program?
12. How many people apply to the Doctoral program each year? How many are accepted?
15. What is the structure of advising doctoral students?
16. How long does it usually take to complete the Ph.D. in Anthropology?
17. Can I do the Certificate Program in Culture and Media separately from the Ph.D. Program?
Frequently Asked Questions about the Master's Program in Anthropology
18. What kind of financial support is available for students in the MA in Anthropology Program?
20. How many people apply to the
21. What kinds of research do MA students do and what do MA alumni do with their degrees?
Further Contact Information
Frequently Asked Questions for both the Master's and Doctoral Programs
1. Is there any information you can mail to me that is not online?
In the interests of going green and making information publicly available, we have placed all information about applying to our graduate programs online. We do not
2. Do you accept students in both the Fall and Spring semesters?
No, we only admit students in the Fall semester.
3. What are the minimum GPA and GRE scores needed to apply?
Please note that GREs are not required. There is no minimum GPA that the admissions committee looks for. The Admissions
4. When will admissions decisions be made?
For the
The graduate admissions process (Ph.D., M.A., and Certificate) is handled by the GSAS Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. They should be your primary point of contact for all admissions-related issues, including departmental admissions requirements, the admissions process, and deadlines.
6. What if I am an undocumented immigrant already in the United States?
NYU Anthropology strongly supports the work of the Immigrant Defense Initiative, run by the NYU School of Law. The department encourages any undocumented student, upon entry to the university, to learn more about their resources.
Graduate Enrollment Services
One-Half Fifth Avenue,
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
(212) 998-8050
fax: (212) 995-4557
gsas.admissions@nyu.edu
Please direct your inquiries as follows:
For all questions regarding admission, please contact gsas.admissions@nyu.edu or visit
GSAS Application Resource Center
For questions regarding your graduate application, please contact gsas.admissions@nyu.edu .
For general questions about the program, please contact grad.anthro@nyu.edu
Frequently Asked Questions about the Doctoral Program
6. Do I need to have a Master’s degree to apply to the Doctoral program in Anthropology?
No, an MA is not required to apply to the Doctoral program. Some of our students enter the Doctoral program with a previous MA, and many do not.'
7. Will my M.A. from another school be counted toward an NYU Ph.D.?
An M.A. in a discipline other than anthropology often provides a useful complement, but generally cannot replace NYU coursework in anthropology. A prior M.A. in anthropology MAY be counted toward the NYU Ph.D. if it is comparable in strength of training. In that case, students take 2 fewer semesters of coursework than do those preparing the NYU MA/Ph.D. The decision about transferring credit for a prior M.A. in anthropology is made after the first semester in residence at NYU, and is based on faculty judgment of the student's readiness to successfully design and undertake a dissertation project. Financial support from NYU is adjusted accordingly.
8. Are all PhD students fully-funded?
Yes. All students admitted into the
While teaching is no longer required in the graduate program, all students are encouraged to undertake some form of teaching assignment as part of their professional training, normally beginning in the spring of their second year. The teaching receives compensation that is separate from (and in addition to) the MacCracken award.
9. What do you mean by fully-funded? And, how does the MacCracken Program work?
Fully-funded MacCracken supported
10. Can I study part-time?
Not in the
11. What is the job placement record for graduates from the doctoral program?
We strive to help our doctoral graduates achieve placement in tenure track
12. How many people apply to the Doctoral program each year? How many are accepted?
We receive almost 400 applications annually. We generally enroll 8-10
13. Do I need to have a BA in Anthropology in order to apply to or be considered for the Doctoral program?
You do not necessarily need to have been an Anthropology major during your undergraduate career in order to be accepted to the Doctoral program. Students in closely allied disciplines (natural sciences for biological anthropology and archaeology and other social sciences and humanities for sociocultural anthropology, archaeology
14. Can I apply to the Doctoral program even if I only have a BA/BSc degree? Don’t I need to have an MA first?
You do not need to have an MA in order to apply or be accepted into the Doctoral program. Many of our students did not obtain an MA before applying to the Doctoral program. If you are accepted to the Doctoral program and you decide to attend the Doctoral program, you will receive the MPhil degree on the way to completing your PhD. If you obtained an MA in Anthropology prior to attending our PhD program, you will not obtain a second MA in Anthropology. You will obtain your MPhil, however. If you have an MA in discipline other than Anthropology prior to attending our PhD program, you will obtain both you MA and MPhil degrees in Anthropology on the way to completing your PhD.
15. What is the structure of advising doctoral students?
Doctoral students are assigned three advisors when they arrive in the program who will advise them during the first year and a half. At that point, the student selects her/his advisors from among the faculty based on his/her areas of research for the dissertation.
16. How long does it usually take to complete the Ph.D. in Anthropology?
As in other doctoral programs in anthropology, students usually require 6-7 years to complete the Ph.D. Our program of preparation for life as a professional anthropologist typically includes 3 years of coursework; 1 year spent designing a dissertation project, applying for research funding, and preparing for and completing Ph.D. comprehensive examinations; 1-2 years of field research; and 1-2 years to write the dissertation. Students in Biological Anthropology, especially those whose research is primarily lab-based, may be able to finish more quickly.
17. Can I do the Certificate Program in Culture and Media separately from the Ph.D. Program?
We do not accept applicants for the Certificate Program in Culture and Media apart from the Ph.D. Program. The Certificate is a specialization within the Ph.D. Program in Socio-cultural Anthropology. All students interested in that Certificate are part of the general Socio-Cultural Ph.D. Program. Please visit that section of our website for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Master's Program in Anthropology
18. What kind of financial support is available for students in the MA in Anthropology Program?
There is a small amount of competitively awarded funding for the first year of the MA program. If awarded, it is the equivalent of 8 units worth of tuition credit in the first year. This funding is not renewable. Most of our students either work full or
19. Can I study part-time?
In the MA
20. How many people apply to the
We receive 50-70 applications annually. We generally enroll 5 MA students per year.
21. What kinds of research do MA students do and what do MA alumni do with their degrees?
The MA program in is designed to serve as a training program for students interested in working in applied settings, gathering expertise for professional schools and those desiring to purse
For a complete listing of Master’s theses and research, please visit: Completed MA Theses
For a listing of Master’s alumni and their current placements, please visit: MA Alumni
Further Contact Information
For further questions regarding graduate study in:
Socio-cultural and linguistic anthropology, please contact grad.anthro@nyu.edu
Certificate Program in Culture and Media, please contact Prof. Faye Ginsburg at faye.ginsburg@nyu.edu
MS in Anthropology, please contact Prof. Scott Williams at sawilliams@nyu.edu
Biological and Archeological Anthropology, please contact Prof. Shara Bailey at shara.bailey@nyu.edu
To contact individual professors whose work is of interest to you, follow the link to faculty interests on our departmental home page where emails and phone numbers are listed.
For all other inquiries, contact Aisha Khan, Director of Graduate Studies.