Admission Requirements

Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. Only a limited number of applicants who have demonstrated superior ability can be accepted in this program.

In addition to the transcripts and other materials required by the Graduate School, the Department requires all materials cited above for admission to the Master of Arts program; curriculum vitae; writing sample, three letters of recommendation, and letter of intent.  An applicant's admissibility into the doctoral program will not be reviewed until all these materials have been received.

All application and admissions materials must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions by January 15 to begin in the Fall semester.

The Plan of Work must be submitted before forty credits have been completed and before the qualifying examination is scheduled.

The Doctor of Philosophy requires 68 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, 18 of which must be earned as dissertation credit.

A minimum of thirty credits of graduate work must be at the 7000-level or above (excluding dissertation credits). Students must petition the Graduate Committee for course equivalents, substitutes, or any other exceptions to the Ph.D. requirements. The student is expected to command in detail theories, concepts, methodology, and research techniques in common usage in the student's subfield of concentration (cultural anthropology, linguistics, archaeology, or biological anthropology).

In the Qualifying Examinations, the student must demonstrate, by written examination, competence in depth in at least three areas of specialization relating to the dissertation topic, including mastery of a broad range of theoretical materials and an ability to think and write analytically. After passing the Qualifying Examinations and prior to beginning fieldwork, the student must submit the following documents:

1. an oral defense of the dissertation prospectus and an approved doctoral dissertation outline and record of approval form;
2. a prospectus; and
3. a Human Investigations Committee Behavioral Protocol Summary Form, when applicable.

Students must register for 9000-level dissertation credits (ANT 9991, ANT 9992) through the Graduate Office and must fulfill a total of 18 credits in these courses. They are repeatable with variable credits. Students should consult their advisors and Director of Graduate Studies before registering for these credits. All course work completed to satisfy the following degree requirements must be done in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Additionally, the student is expected to:

1. complete substantial field research, which will ordinarily be of sufficient duration and scope to provide materials for the student’s dissertation (in the case of biological anthropology and some other specializations, the dissertation may be based on laboratory research); and
2. submit an acceptable dissertation and present a final lecture.

Coursework: The following courses, or their equivalents, must be completed:

Foreign Language Requirement:

Before achieving PhD candidacy, you must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. Competency in at least one language other than English is essential for doctoral students. Even if you are planning fieldwork in an English-language setting, many conferences, papers, and publications are in languages other than English. Also, proficiency in additional languages will permit you to conceptualize post-dissertation projects in other settings. We encourage all doctoral students to fulfil the language requirement as soon as possible.

In conjunction with your faculty advisor, you will identify the language other than English that is most relevant to your work. This can either be a language that has a substantial scholarly literature, such as a relevant academic journal, or a language local to your field site necessary for successfully conducting fieldwork. Some projects may require demonstrated proficiency in more than one language. The need for additional language requirements is determined by the advisor. Once the language (or languages) is selected, all other matters will be conducted through the graduate committee. 

Language requirements can be satisfied by coursework, native language competency, or examination. The following are typical examples of how students fulfill language requirements, but alternate arrangements can be made through student petition to the graduate committee.

• Coursework: Students can meet their language requirement by taking an upper-division (4000-level or higher) course in composition or literature in another language within the past five years. Students must earn a grade equivalent to a B or higher. 
• Native language competence: Examples include a degree or diploma from an institution taught in another language, demonstrated proficiency from a research paper or similar work written in another language, or demonstrated conversational fluency. 
• Examination: Examination can be done either through translation or presentation.   

• Translation: Your advisor, or another faculty member in the department, will select a scholarly passage in the selected language, roughly 300 words in length, on a subject related to your dissertation research. If no member of the department is competent in the selected language, another WSU faculty member may select the passage. The examination is held in the Department and should be scheduled with the Graduate Coordinator. You have 90 minutes to complete the examination with the aid of a printed bilingual dictionary, but no electronic aids. 
• Presentation: Students can provide a recording of a presentation to, and dialogue with, a community in the selected language. Students must also provide the name of a fluent speaker who can provide assessment to the graduate committee by emailing it to the Graduate Coordinator. 

Students may petition the graduate committee to make other arrangements to fulfill the language requirement, including, but not limited to, instruction at another institution or an immersive training program. 

Additional Information: A more detailed discussion of the doctoral program is available from the department. Students should also consult the Graduate School's general requirements for doctoral degrees.