Apply to the Program
For information on applying to our graduate programs, contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Claire Terhune at anthgrad@uark.edu.
Deadline for application is December 1, 2024 for the Fall 2025 semester.
All eligible students are welcome to apply to the MA or PhD programs in the Department of Anthropology. The deadline for receipt of applications to both the Graduate School and the Department of Anthropology is December 1 for admission in the following fall semester. Students are not typically admitted for the Spring semester. Students wishing to defer admission to the Spring would need to keep in mind that graduate assistantships are granted as an annual appointment, making it difficult to offer such financial support for only a single semester.
Program Requirements
Admission decisions are based on grade point average (GPA), letters of recommendation, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, writing samples, and the department’s ability to accommodate an applicant’s interests. No student will be accepted if they do not have a faculty sponsor willing to provide program guidance. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to individual faculty members to discuss their interest in the graduate program well in advance of the application deadline.
All students interested in applying to either the MA or PhD programs in the Department of Anthropology must first be admitted to the Graduate School. Requirements for admission to the Graduate School are outlined on the Graduate School website.
Additionally, students applying to the Department of Anthropology must meet the following requirements:
- Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree by the first day of their first semester in the graduate program;
- Satisfactory undergraduate preparation in anthropology (or another related field as determined by the graduate admissions committee);
- Satisfactory GPA and/or GRE scores
Students who do not meet these requirements may be admitted conditionally. Students with course deficiencies may be required to enroll in undergraduate courses to make up for these deficiencies. Decisions regarding deficiencies will be made by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the faculty advisor.
Application Process
Application for the Department of Anthropology is made through the University of Arkansas Graduate School. For guidelines on how to apply to the Graduate School, please visit the Graduate School website.
To apply to the Department of Anthropology, the following items are required:
- A completed application form (available at https://applygsie.uark.edu/apply/) including materials specific to the Department of Anthropology.
- Please note that you will be asked to list up to two anthropology faculty with which you are interested in working. These faculty members should be either tenure or tenure stream faculty (i.e., assistant professors, associate professors, or full professors), or research faculty affiliated with the Arkansas Archaeological Survey. Please see the list of faculty provided on the departmental website.
- A statement of purpose (no longer than two pages in length) describing your interest in your chosen field and your research goals in the program.
- A single writing sample demonstrating your ability to produce original, analytical work.
- Three letters of reference from persons competent to judge your potential for graduate studies.
- Official copies of transcripts from every college attended.
- An official report of your GRE score(s) (optional, but required for PhD students to be considered for additional funding opportunities outside of the department).
Though GRE scores are not required to apply to the MA or PhD programs in anthropology, we strongly encourage students to submit GRE scores as part of their application packet to be considered for all possible funding opportunities through the graduate school (see below).
All application materials should be uploaded to the Graduate Application portal through the graduate school. All documents should be provided in Adobe pdf or Microsoft Word format. Letters of reference, official transcripts, and official GRE score reports should all be provided and uploaded to the application portal.
The deadline for receipt of applications to both the Graduate School and the Department of Anthropology is December 1.
Students are strongly encouraged to contact faculty with which they are interested in working prior to submitting their application to the program.
Questions regarding the application process may be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies at anthgrad@uark.edu.
The current Director of Graduate Studies is:
Claire Terhune
Office: Old Main 340
E-mail: anthgrad@uark.edu
Phone: 479-575-3529