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To earn a PhD at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; pass certain examinations; complete all requirements for doctoral candidacy; fulfill residence and Mentored Experience Requirements; write, defend, and submit a dissertation; and apply for program completion (graduation) via Workday Student.

For the details of doctoral degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Doctoral Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 42
  • Degree Length: Up to five years
    • Students are expected to complete the degree within five years (10 semesters).
    • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their coursework, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
  • Grade Requirement: B–

Universal Departmental Requirements

The following is an abbreviated list of requirements that apply to all concentrations of the PhD in Anthropology. Each concentration also has its own additional guidelines and requirements. A more comprehensive description of the requirements (including additional requirements for each of the three concentrations: archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology) can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook (PDF). All students in the PhD program are expected to satisfy the academic performance requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, which can be found in the General Requirements section of this Bulletin. Similarly, all concentration requirements are in addition to those set out here for the department as a whole.

Degree Length and Course Units

Students are expected to complete the degree within five years. All students must complete a minimum of 42 units of graduate-level coursework for the PhD. A typical semester course load for the first year of study is 12 units. The semester course load for the second year is typically 9 units. After 42 units have been completed, students will work with their advisors to identify the appropriate registration options to maintain full-time status.

Master's Degree

The department does not admit students for a standalone master's degree; completion of the MA degree along the way to the PhD is a required step in the process of earning the PhD.

Students are expected to receive their MA degree by the end of their second year or fourth semester of full-time study. 

The universal requirements for the MA in Anthropology are as follows, although each concentration has additional requirements, such as a second-year paper, project, or portfolio:

  • Theory requirement. All students are required to take ANTHRO 5473 Social Theory and Anthropology during their first year. Under special circumstances, this requirement may be delayed or waived by petitioning the departmental faculty. This request should be initiated through the student’s advisor.
  • One subfield course requirement. Graduate students earning a PhD in Anthropology are expected to have familiarity across the subfields of anthropology. To this end, all students must complete at least one course taught by a faculty member in the anthropology department in one subfield other than their own. Courses taken in other concentrations should strengthen the student's understanding of the subfield, complement their research, and, ideally, enhance their ability to teach across subfields. Students with good cause to substitute prior extensive coursework in the subfield — especially in the context of a master's degree from another university — for the other subfield requirement may petition the relevant subfield faculty to do so.
  • Credit units. The Department of Anthropology requires 42 credit units for the award of an MA degree without a thesis.
  • Petition for the award of the master's degree. Once a student has completed all requirements for the MA degree, the student and their advisor submit a petition to the chair. The chair circulates the petition to the entire faculty and reports the successful completion of requirements to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Doctoral Candidacy

Although the Department of Anthropology only accepts students who wish to pursue the PhD, students are not officially admitted to candidacy for the PhD immediately upon entry into the program. Admittance to candidacy for the PhD program requires the successful completion of the requirements of the MA degree as well as of the requirements listed below. Continuation for the PhD requires that the student be advanced to doctoral candidacy. The successful defense of the doctoral proposal and admission to doctoral candidacy are expected by the end of the third year.

  • Credit units. Students must have completed 42 units before filing the petition to advance to candidacy.
  • Forming the Doctoral Research Advisory Committee (RAC). Students are encouraged to work with a variety of faculty while shaping their dissertation proposal. Prior to scheduling their dissertation proposal defense (Qualifying Exam) during their second year, students must formally assemble a Doctoral RAC in consultation with their advisor. This committee must consist of a minimum of three full-time tenured or tenure-track members of the Anthropology faculty who must approve the dissertation proposal defense (Qualifying Exam) and also sign the RAC Form and — along with the department chair — the Notice of Title, Scope, and Procedure of Dissertation. This committee typically forms the basis of the Dissertation Defense Committee.
  • Student-specific requirements for doctoral candidacy. Prior to admission to candidacy, students may be asked by their committees to fulfill additional requirements that are directly relevant to their doctoral dissertation research. These requirements may include a foreign language or specialized training outside of the anthropology department in areas such as statistics, computer programming, or laboratory techniques. Students will be formally notified by their advisor of such additional requirements.
  • Qualifying Exam. All students must defend a doctoral proposal prior to admission to PhD candidacy. PhD proposal defenses should be carried out by December 15 of the student's third year. Proposals must be defended before the RAC.
  • Petition for admission to doctoral candidacy. After a student's doctoral proposal has been successfully defended and after all other requirements set by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences; the Department of Anthropology; the subfield; and the student's committee have been met, the student and their advisor should submit a petition to the chair for advancement to candidacy. The chair will then inform the entire faculty and report the successful advancement to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Qualifying Examinations

Progress toward the PhD is contingent upon the student passing examinations that are variously called preliminary, qualifying, general, comprehensive, or major field exams. The qualifying process varies according to the program. In some programs, it consists of a series of incremental, sequential, and cumulative exams over a considerable time. In others, the exams are held during a relatively short period of time. Exams may be replaced by one or more papers. The program, which determines the structure and schedule of the required examinations, is responsible for notifying the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, of the student’s outcome, whether successful or unsuccessful.

The completion of the Qualifying Exam in the Anthropology is the successful defense of the dissertation proposal.

Doctoral Candidacy

Candidacy marks the transition from coursework and initial study to independent research and dissertation writing. At this stage, the student is considered prepared to contribute to their field through independent scholarship.

The status of candidacy for WashU Arts & Sciences doctoral students indicates a student has, at minimum, completed and passed their qualifying exam/paper and pre-candidacy requirements. Pre-candidacy requirements are determined by each PhD program. Those requirements may include, for example, completion of required coursework; completion of required foreign language exams; completion of the Mentored Experience Requirement; successful submission of the Title, Scope and Procedure form; and completion of the oral presentation to propose the dissertation to their Research Advisory Committee.

Mentored Experience Requirement

Doctoral students, MFA in Writing students, and MFA in Dance students at Washington University must complete a department-defined Mentored Experience Requirement. The Mentored Experience Requirement is a degree requirement that is notated on the student's transcript when complete. Each department has an established Mentored Experience Implementation Plan in which the number of units that a student must earn through Mentored Teaching Experience(s) and/or Mentored Professional Experience(s) is defined. Each Mentored Experience Implementation Plan outlines how doctoral students within the discipline will be mentored to achieve competencies in teaching at basic and advanced levels. Some departments may elect to include Mentored Professional Experiences as an avenue for completing some units of the Mentored Experience Requirement. Doctoral students will enroll in ASGS 8005 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience, ASGS 8010 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience, or ASGS 8015 MTE - Assistant in Instruction Experience; ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience; or ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience to signify their progression toward completing the overall Mentored Experience Requirement for the degree.

The Doctoral Dissertation

A Research Advisory Committee (RAC) must be created no later than the end of the student's second year; departments may set shorter timelines (e.g., by the end of the student's third semester) for this requirement. As evidence of the mastery of a specific field of knowledge and of the capacity for original scholarly work, each candidate must complete a dissertation that is approved by their RAC.

A Title, Scope, and Procedure form for the dissertation must be signed by the committee members and by the program chair. It must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, at least one year before the degree is expected to be conferred or before beginning the eighth semester of full-time enrollment, whichever is earlier.

A Doctoral Dissertation Guide and a Dissertation Template that give instructions regarding the format of the dissertation are available on the website of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Both should be read carefully at every stage of dissertation preparation.

The Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, requires each student to make the full text of the dissertation available to the committee members for their review at least one week before the defense. Most degree programs require two or more weeks for the review period; students should check with their faculty.

The Dissertation Defense

Approval of the written dissertation by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) is strongly recommended before the student can orally defend the dissertation. The Doctoral Dissertation Committee that examines the student during the defense consists of at least five members. Normally, the members of the RAC also serve on the Doctoral Dissertation Committee. The dissertation committee is then additionally augmented to ensure that the following criteria are met:

  1. Three of the five members (or a similar proportion of a larger committee) must be full-time Washington University in St. Louis faculty members or, for programs involving Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partners, full-time members of a Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partner institution. All members must be authorized to supervise PhD students and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study. One of these three members must be the PhD student's primary thesis advisor, and one may be a member of the emeritus faculty.
  2. All other committee members must be active in research/scholarship and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study whether at Washington University in St. Louis, at another university, in government, or in industry.
  3. At least one of the five members must bring expertise outside of the student's field of study to the committee, as judged by the relevant department/program and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The approval processes outlined in the RAC section of the Doctoral Council bylaws also apply to the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including approval of each dissertation committee by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The student is responsible for making the full text of the dissertation accessible to their committee members for their review in advance of the defense according to program rules. Washington University in St. Louis community members and guests of the student who are interested in the subject of the dissertation are normally welcome to attend all or part of the defense but may ask questions only at the discretion of the committee chair. Although there is some variation among degree programs, the defense ordinarily focuses on the dissertation itself and its relation to the student's field of expertise.

Attendance by a minimum of four members of the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including the committee chair and an outside member, is required for the defense to take place. This provision is designed to permit the student's defense to proceed in case of a situation that unexpectedly prevents one of the five members from attending. Students should not plan in advance to only have four members in attendance. If four members cannot attend, the defense must be rescheduled. The absence of all outside members or of the committee chair also requires rescheduling the defense.

Students, with the support of their Doctoral Dissertation Committee chair, may opt to hold their dissertation defense in person or by utilizing a virtual or hybrid format.

Submission of the Dissertation

After the defense, the student must submit an electronic copy of the dissertation online to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, by the established deadline for their graduation term. Dissertations must be submitted no later than three months after the oral defense of the dissertation. Petitions for an extension to the three-month limit may be submitted to the director of graduate studies for consideration and approval. 

The submission website requires students to choose among publishing and copyrighting services offered by ProQuest's ETD Administrator. Students are asked to submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates separately. The degree program is responsible for delivering the final approval form, signed by the committee members at the defense and then by the program chair or director, to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Students who defend their dissertations successfully have not yet completed their PhD requirements; they finish earning their degree only when their dissertation submission has been accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Concentration Requirements

In addition to the degree requirements outlined in the Universal Departmental Requirements for the PhD degree, students specializing in Biological Anthropology have other requirements and deadlines to satisfy and guidelines to follow, as described below. The Biological Anthropology faculty reserves the right to allow exceptions to any of the below rules in special cases.

Master’s Degree Requirements for Biological Anthropology

First-Year Mentoring Meeting

All students are required to meet with the full Biological Anthropology faculty at the end of the first year (second semester) to present and discuss previous and planned coursework, progress on developing their research ideas, summer plans, any completed research projects or research presentations, any other professional/academic activities, and progress toward the dissertation proposal.

Committee

With the advice of the faculty advisor, the student is expected to have formed a doctoral research advisory committee consisting of three Anthropology faculty members (an external committee member may be substituted for an Anthropology faculty member if approved by the Biological Anthropology faculty) prior to the end of the first semester of the second year (third semester). The faculty welcomes co-advising and encourages students to utilize research opportunities and resources from different faculty based on projects and faculty expertise.

Research Prospectus

A research prospectus will be submitted to the student's committee by the end of the first semester of the second year (third semester). The prospectus should outline the key background, hypotheses, and planned methods that will be incorporated into the dissertation proposal. For the student to remain in good standing, the prospectus must be accepted by the committee (including revisions, as needed) prior to the onset of the fourth semester, at which time the student will be notified in writing of prospectus approval. If the prospectus is not accepted by the committee, then the student will be placed on probation.

Requirements for Advancement to PhD Candidacy in Biological Anthropology

Items 1 through 4 below must be completed before the student's committee and the department can recommend to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, that the student advance to PhD candidacy.

  1. Requirements: The student must complete the requirements for the MA as described above, including 42 units of coursework, the completion of the first-year reviews, and the approval of the research prospectus by their committee. 
  2. Second-Year Mentoring Meeting: The student is required to have a mentoring meeting no later than the end of the second year of study. This meeting will usually coincide with the dissertation proposal defense. The purpose of this meeting is to review the student's progress and to update the mentoring plan submitted during the first year.
  3. Dissertation Proposal: The student must defend their dissertation proposal to their doctoral committee by the end of the fourth semester (second semester of the second year). Advancement to PhD candidacy will be given upon formal acceptance of a written research proposal and an oral defense of that proposal before the doctoral research advisory committee. The research proposal will be written in the form of a grant proposal to a funding agency (the specific funding agency to use as a model will be determined in consultation with the committee). Students who fail to successfully defend their dissertation proposal by the end of the fourth semester will be placed on probation during the fifth semester (first semester of the third year). 
  4. External Funding: After the successful defense of the dissertation proposal, the student should submit their dissertation grant proposal — as well as any other grant proposals deemed appropriate by the dissertation research advisory committee — at the first available opportunity. These may include (but are not limited to) the Fulbright Program, the Leakey Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation. It is generally recommended (but not required) that students who do not receive funding during the first submission utilize all opportunities to resubmit revised grants; opportunities will vary by granting agency.

Post-Candidacy Requirements

  1. Post-Fieldwork Meetings: The student must meet with their dissertation committee every semester. Scheduling semester meetings with the candidate's committee is the responsibility of the candidate.

Deadlines and Time Frames for Submission of Hard-Copy Drafts for PhD Dissertations

A printed copy of the dissertation draft must be submitted a minimum of one month in advance of the defense during the academic term (either the fall or spring semester). A doctoral dissertation must demonstrate the student's ability to make a scholarly contribution in the discipline and to handle theoretical issues. It must conform to the directives of the department and to the regulations of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Dissertation defense guidelines require an external reviewer (i.e., from outside of the Department of Anthropology) on the dissertation committee. Faculty in Neuroscience and Anatomy are, as of 2023, considered external committee members.

The internal members of the dissertation committee (i.e., from within the Department of Anthropology) are required to review the dissertation draft and to certify to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, that it is "ready to come to defense" before it is distributed to an external reviewer. Internal departmental committee members must have two weeks to read and review the dissertation draft to reach the decision of whether to certify the document as being "ready to come to defense." The external reviewer must also receive the dissertation draft at least one month before the dissertation defense.

After certification by internal members of the dissertation committee that the document is "ready to come to defense," the student will provide draft copies to the external reviewers and submit the requisite forms and materials to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Academic Coordinator, who will schedule the defense with the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. The minimum total elapsed time to secure a defense date is one month: two weeks as required for internal departmental review, plus 15 more days as required by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Guidelines for Oral Defenses

At the beginning of an oral defense of a research proposal, an MA thesis or paper, or a PhD dissertation, the student should provide a short oral synopsis of the research, the length of which will vary with the document coming to defense. Such a synopsis should include the following:

  • A short resume of the problem, including a description of how and why the student selected the problem
  • A discussion of data collection methods
  • A summary of the analytical techniques employed
  • A short recap of the results of the research
  • A case for the significance of the research

For a research proposal defense, all the above topics except results should be addressed. The oral defense of the doctoral dissertation will consist of the following:

  1. A formal presentation to the department and the university community (at which the committee will be present)
  2. A question session by the whole audience
  3. A closed session for the candidate and committee
  4. An executive session of the dissertation research advisory committee.

Please consult the Graduate Student Handbook (PDF) for more information regarding specific requirements for each concentration.

Master's Degree Along the Way/
In Lieu of a PhD

The Department of Anthropology does not offer a standalone master's degree, but completion of the master's degree along the way to the PhD is a required step in the process of earning the PhD. The Department of Anthropology requires 42 credit units for the award of an MA degree without a thesis. If a student fails to maintain satisfactory progress toward the completion of the PhD, they may withdraw from the PhD program with a master's degree in lieu of a PhD if all aforementioned requirements for the MA have been met.

Visit the Anthropology page
for additional information about this program.

As part of their degree requirements, PhD students must complete a program-defined Mentored Experience Requirement (MER) as per these guidelines. The Mentored Experience Implementation Plan (MEIP) is the written articulation of a program-defined degree requirement for PhD students to engage in mentored teaching activities and/or mentored professional activities, collectively referred to as the MER.

Mentored Experience Requirement (MER)

Philosophy of Teaching

Teaching is a central part of graduate training, and this intellectual development is important for those seeking careers as academics or citizen scholars. The Department of Anthropology maintains a program of Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs) as well as other professional development opportunities for graduate students in our academic programs. These experiences represent a collaborative mentoring process between graduate students and faculty members to reflect on and interpret disciplinary knowledge; to find multiple ways to represent disciplinary content; to adapt content to students’ abilities and prior knowledge; and to develop methods to assess and improve the teaching and learning process in the discipline.

Preparatory Engagement

Preparatory Engagement activities are those that represent an introduction to the foundational skills associated with teaching or communication. Pedagogical preparation engagement activities are normally completed before students are permitted to engage in assisting or teaching in a classroom.

All graduate students in Anthropology are required to attend the Center for Teaching and Learning’s workshop for students preparing to have their first MTE. The department will also require students to take at least two of the following courses (or equivalents, as approved by the chair of the department) through the Center for Teaching and Learning prior to their second year of MTE participation:

  • How to Build a Clear Map to Your Course
  • Planning and Organizing a Class Session
  • Constructing Effective Collaborative Learning Opportunities
  • Teaching a Laboratory Class
  • Motivating Student Learners
  • Crickets in the Classroom: Quick Tips for Jump-Starting Conversation When Participation Lags
  • Who’s in Charge? Negotiating Your Role and Establishing Authority in the Classroom

Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs)

Assistant in Instruction (AI)

An Assistant in Instruction (AI) is a PhD student who is directly engaged in the organization, instruction, and/or support of a semester-long course primarily taught by a faculty member. An AI receives mentorship from a faculty member related to best practices in classroom engagement, instruction in the field, interpersonal engagement, and other relevant skills. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each AI experience. To complete each AI assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for course numbers and details.

Given the role of the AI, courses will carry either 10 or 15 MER units per engagement.

Mentored Independent Teaching (MIT)

MIT is a semester-long experience for PhD students who engage as the primary instructor or co-instructor of a course under the mentorship of a faculty member as part of the MER. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MIT experience. To complete each MIT assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8020 MTE - Mentored Independent Teaching Experience) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

Students who wish to participate in an MIT (20 MER units) must have completed 40 MTE units and be approved by program faculty to teach independently.

Mentored Professional Experiences (MPEs)

The MPE is an unpaid professional experience for PhD students that allows students to develop skills and experiences relevant to their intended career outcomes. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MPE. To complete each MPE assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must submit the Mentorship Registration Request form for approval and register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8120 MTE - Mentored Professional Experience) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

The MPE in Anthropology should offer a way for the student to develop new skills and knowledge bases. As such, MPEs cannot be related to the student's dissertation data collection. Learning analytical skills that relate to the analyses needed for the dissertation may be permitted, but dissertation data analyses must be completed outside of MPE hours.

The scope of the MPE will be determined in conversation among student, external mentor, dissertation supervisor, and Director of Graduate Studies. Prior to the start of the semester in which the MPE occurs, the student and external mentor will submit a Mentorship Registration Request. During the course of the semester, the mentor and mentee should meet frequently (weekly or biweekly) to track the progress of the student's work. At the end of the MPE, the student and mentor will provide an assessment for the overall learning experience.

Required Pathways for Completion

Students work with their faculty mentor and their Director of Graduate Studies to plan how and when they will complete their MER. Students register during the normal registration period for courses in accordance with one of these approved pathways.

  • 60 to 75 MER units (20 of which can be MIT or an MPE) completed via one of these 12 pathways
  • Preparatory Engagement completed prior to the second year of the program

Pathway #1
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take one time

Pathway #2
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take one time

Pathway #3
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take four times

Pathway #4
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take one time

Pathway #5
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take three times

Pathway #6
ASGS 8015 Take four times

Pathway #7
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8020 Take one time

Pathway #8
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8020 Take two times

Pathway #9
ASGS 8010 Take three times
ASGS 8015 Take two times

Pathway #10
ASGS 8010 Take one time
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #11
ASGS 8010 Take two times
ASGS 8015 Take two times
ASGS 8120 Take one time

Pathway #12
ASGS 8015 Take three times
ASGS 8120 Take one time