Graduate Admissions

The UConn Department of Anthropology welcomes applicants to our graduate program for the 2024-2025 academic year.

We encourage applications from all prospective students, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); first-generation; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA); and international students.

Application Deadline

December 20

Application Process and Timeline

Prospective students apply for graduate study in the UConn Department of Anthropology via the Graduate School’s online application.

Students who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. should apply to the Ph.D. program even if they do not yet have a Master of Arts (MA). Students should apply to the MA program only if they wish to complete just a Master of Arts in Anthropology at UConn.

Please note that the department accepts students to complete a terminal MA degree only in rare cases, such as when a student’s interests are closely aligned with faculty expertise in the department, and the student’s chosen career path requires a master's degree but not a Ph.D. If you are interested in earning only a master’s degree at UConn, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies to discuss your situation and options.

Admission to the anthropology graduate program is highly competitive. Admissions decisions are made by the Graduate Program Committee, chaired by the Director of Graduate Studies, with input from all faculty. In reviewing applications, the committee evaluates each applicant’s academic background and experience, research interests, professional goals, and achievements.

Admission decisions are based primarily on three criteria:

  • Academic excellence.
  • Preparation in the discipline.
  • Goodness of fit between the student and our program.

Admission decisions are typically made between January and March. Acceptance letters will contain information about any offers of financial aid.

Required Materials

Please note that GRE scores are not required.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is an especially important component of the application and should convey:

  1. The student’s reasons for pursuing graduate study.
  2. The student’s broad research interests and professional goals.
  3. The specific research issues and/or questions that the student wishes to address.
  4. The coursework, training, and research experiences that have prepared the student to undertake graduate work.
  5. Any experiences and/or challenges that have influenced the student’s academic trajectory.
  6. The UConn faculty with whom the student would like to work.

These details help the committee evaluate the student’s preparedness for graduate study and allow them to determine which faculty members could serve as the student’s major advisor or on the student’s advisory committee.

Visit our faculty directory to learn more about the research interests of faculty in our department.

Resume or Curriculum Vitae

Please submit your resume or CV through the Graduate School’s online application system.

Transcripts

Please provide transcripts for all undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree coursework that you have completed.

Writing Sample

The writing sample can be of any length and on any topic, although it can be helpful to provide a writing sample on a topic related to the area of anthropology in which you hope to work.

References

Please provide contact information for at least three references who know you well and are well placed to evaluate your likely success in graduate school.

Application Fee

Applicants pay a one-time fee of $75 through the online application system via credit card.

The Graduate School will waive the $75 application fee for applicants associated with certain organizations to help increase diversity in the graduate community at UConn. Visit the Graduate School Fee Waiver Policy page and/or contact the Graduate School admissions office for more information.

If an applicant does not qualify for the Graduate School’s fee waiver but feels that it would be a financial hardship to pay the application fee, the applicant may email the Director of Graduate Studies for anthropology to request a fee waiver. As part of this request, please provide your CV, a sentence describing your research interests, and 1-3 sentences explaining your situation. No extensive personal details are required.

English Proficiency for Applicants Whose Primary Language is Not English

Applicants whose primary language is not English must show evidence of proficiency in the English language by one of the Graduate School’s preferred methods.

A primary language is defined as a language used to communicate since childhood. U.S. citizens and applicants with permanent resident status are not required to provide test scores showing English-language proficiency. In addition, the following categories of applicants are not required to provide test scores showing English-language proficiency:

  1. International applicants whose primary language is English.
  2. International applicants who have received a degree from a post-secondary institution outside of the United States whose language of instruction for the entire degree is English. Official documentation will be required from the institution’s Registrar’s Office stating that the medium of instruction for the degree received was English.
  3. International applicants who have completed one year or more of full-time coursework at a post-secondary institution in the United States (30 credits undergraduate work or 18 credits graduate level work). The total amount of academic work completed must be officially graded by the registrar of that institution and have a cumulative GPA value of 3.0 or higher.
  4. Current UConn graduate or UConn Health students.

Before You Apply

Learn About the Department

We encourage you to explore our website to learn more about the department as well as the courses and research specialties we offer.

Contact Prospective Faculty Advisors

We encourage you to email the faculty members with whom you would like to study. You may also set up a meeting with them by phone, videoconference, or in person during a campus visit. These meetings are important for helping both parties determine whether the program is right for you and whether you are right for the program.

Please note that if a faculty member is traveling for work or research, they may not have regular access to email. If you do not receive a reply to your inquiries, please email Andrea Booth to ask how to best reach the faculty member.

Meet Our Current Graduate Students

In addition to browsing our graduate student directory, you can reach out to the department’s graduate student peer mentors, who have volunteered to help incoming or prospective graduate students.

We encourage prospective students to email a graduate peer mentor who is working in a similar area of anthropology to arrange a time to meet by phone, videoconference, or in person during a campus visit. They can answer your questions about our graduate program, life in Connecticut, and the application process at UConn.

Please note that graduate peer mentors cannot review application materials, but they can provide general recommendations about expectations for the required materials.

Questions? Contact Us!

For questions about applying to our program, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies:

Deborah Bolnick