A full account of degree requirements and procedures is contained in the Anthropology student handbook.
PhD candidates must earn 30 credits in addition to the 30 credits taken in the Anthropology MA program, for a total of 60 credits. Students in the Anthropology MA program may apply for entry into the PhD program upon successful completion of the MA written examination and submission to the department of a brief written proposal indicating an area of future research.
To earn the PhD in Anthropology, a student must complete 30 credits beyond the MA, including:
- Three doctoral proseminar courses in the Anthropology department: a course in project conceptualization, a course in ethnographic research methods, and a grant-writing workshop
- At least one course in the history and one course in the ethnography of the area in which they will be working (these area courses may be taken either at The New School or through the Inter-University Consortium)
Department Workshops
Doctoral students are required to attend the bimonthly department workshop. The content of the workshop is determined by students in consultation with workshop faculty, and has included presentations by anthropology faculty on such topics as publishing, grant-writing, and job talks; as well as presentations by students of research proposals, dissertation chapters, and reports from the field. The workshop is also often the catalyst for student-organized themed conferences. In addition, doctoral students are required to attend the department colloquia series of invited speakers.
Language Requirement
Each PhD student, regardless of specialization, must demonstrate reading knowledge of one language other than English by passing a language examination administered by the department. Some area specializations will require further language study to be determined in consultation with faculty. If further study is recommended, arrangements will be made through The New School's foreign language program or the Inter-University Consortium.
Graduate Minors
Students can use elective courses toward completing one of the university’s graduate minors. These structured pathways of study immerse master's and doctoral students in disciplines outside their primary field and expose them to alternative modes of research and practice. Completed graduate minors are officially recorded on students' transcript.
Qualifying Examination and Dissertation
All Anthropology doctoral students are required to pass the Qualifying Examination to advance to candidacy and continue towards the doctoral degree. In general, students are expected to take the exam within two years of entering the doctoral program.
The Qualifying Examination consists of two parts: a written proposal and a three-hour oral examination. The written component has three elements: a detailed prospectus that describes the student's proposed research project and two bibliographic essays on fields selected and developed in consultation with the student's advisor and Qualifying Examination Committee. Following successful completion of this exam, the PhD candidate normally begins an extended period of ethnographic fieldwork. The written dissertation and its defense in front of a committee of four faculty members constitute the remaining requirements for the PhD.