Anthropology

About Anthropology

Our Department places high priority on research and on maintaining distinguished graduate programs. Each year, we admit only a small number of highly qualified applicants for studies leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology. These students benefit from a lively and nurturing intellectual environment, close supervision by our faculty members, and a diverse and vibrant student cohort in one of North America's most unique and exciting cities.

Anthropology Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Admission Requirements

The Graduate Admissions Committee assesses applications to both the M.A. and Ph.D. programs on the basis of the following required materials:

1. Personal Statement: 1 to 2 pages, single spaced (approx. 500–1000 words) describing your reasons for applying to our graduate program in anthropology and indicating your significant qualifications, qualities, or circumstances as an applicant. This statement should also include information about your educational and professional goals and explain your interest in your desired field of study. For our thesis degrees, students should—commensurate to their level of study—propose a robust, feasible, and timely anthropological research project; they should also be able to articulate how it fits with departmental strengths and the research interests of potential supervisors and committee members.
2. A current curriculum vitae (CV)
3. Two letters of reference
4. A sample of your written work of no more than 15 pages. For example, a graded essay, chapter of your M.A. thesis, or an article of conference paper you have written. It can be written in French or English
5. Transcripts from ALL institutions attended after secondary school
6. If your mother tongue is not English and you have not graduated from a university or college where English is the main language of instruction, you must provide proof of language competency, i.e., a copy of your official Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) scores. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 is required on the paper-based test or 100 on the Internet-based test (iBT), with each component score not less than 20. For further information, see McGill's requirements on English language proficiency. International students may also contact McGill's International Student Services at 514-398-4349 for more information.
7. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for admission to the Anthropology program.

Master's

Admission to the M.A. program is open competitively to students holding an Honours or Major B.A. in Anthropology or Archaeology. Outstanding candidates with B.A. degrees in other disciplines but with substantial background related to anthropology are sometimes admitted on the condition that they complete a specified number of additional courses in Anthropology. The applicants admitted usually have undergraduate grade point averages (GPA) of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0-point scale.

Ph.D.

Admission to the Ph.D. program for year Ph.D. 2 is open competitively to students with a master's degree in Anthropology or Archaeology. In special circumstances, candidates with a master's degree in related disciplines may be admitted to Ph.D. 2. Exceptional students may apply for the Ph.D. program after a bachelor's degree in Anthropology or Archaeology; they then enter the program as Ph.D. 1 and take an additional year of coursework.

Application Procedures

McGill’s online application form for graduate program candidates is available at mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply. Department of Anthropology's application documents, deadlines, and fast facts are found at mcgill.ca/anthropology/graduate/admissions.

See University Regulations & Resources > Graduate > Graduate Admissions and Application Procedures > Application Procedures for detailed application procedures.

Application Dates and Deadlines

Application opening dates are set by Enrolment Services in consultation with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), while application deadlines are set by the Department of Anthropology and may be revised at any time. Applicants must verify all deadlines and documentation requirements well in advance on the appropriate McGill departmental website; please consult the list at mcgill.ca/gps/contact/graduate-program.

Information on application deadlines is available at mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/how-apply/application-steps/application-deadlines.

Admission to graduate studies is competitive; accordingly, late and/or incomplete applications are considered only as time and space permit.

Note: The Department Admissions Committee announces its selections by mid-March and the end of April.

Available Programs

Program Overview

The Master of Arts (M.A.) Anthropology (Thesis): Development Studies Option (DSO) is a cross-disciplinary M.A. program that is unique in Canada, if not the world, because it is designed to provide students with a strong practical and theoretical foundation for engaging in genuinely cross-disciplinary research. The option is offered within existing M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the departments of Geography, History, Political Science, Anthropology, Economics, and Sociology. This thesis option is open to master's students specializing in development studies. Students enter through one of the participating departments and must meet the M.A. or Ph.D. requirements of that unit. Students will take an interdisciplinary seminar and a variety of graduate-level courses on international development issues. The M.A. or Ph.D. thesis must be on a topic relating to development studies, approved by the DSO coordinating committee.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Anthropology: Neotropical Environment is a specialized, interdisciplinary program made possible by collaborating institutions in Canada, Panama, and the United States. Students will complete their research in Latin America, and NEO's core and complementary courses will be taught in Panama. NEO is aimed at students who wish to focus their graduate research on environmental issues relevant to the neotropics and Latin American countries. Students work under the supervision of researchers from McGill and/or the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). This is a research-based option for Ph.D. students in the departments of Anthropology, Biology, Bioresource Engineering, Geography, Natural Resource Sciences, Plant Science, and Political Science at McGill University.

Location

Department of Anthropology
Stephen Leacock Building
855 Sherbrooke Street West, Room 712
Montreal QC H3A 2T7
Canada
Telephone: 514-396-2134
Fax: 514-398-7476
Email: gradprogram.anthropology@mcgill.ca
Website: mcgill.ca/anthropology