Admission
PhD Admission Information
Students must be admitted to the Graduate
School before they can be enrolled in the Department of Anthropology.
For information on admission, see the graduate school web site. The website also provides an annual academic
calendar, information on financial aid, tuition, and other basic matters.
The Department relies on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), letters of
recommendation, transcripts, and a personal Statement of Purpose in
making choices for admission and financial aid. GREs are required for
admission to the Department whether or not the applicant is seeking
financial aid. The required Statement of Purpose is a brief statement
of career plans that must be submitted to the Department. A writing sample is optional,
but students who have relevant samples of writing are encouraged to
submit them. For more information on graduate study in the department see The Anthropology Department's Guide to Graduate Study.
Students whose first language is not English are required to take the
TOEFL examination, and to score 600 or higher on the paper-based test, 250 or higher on the computer-based test, or 100 or higher on the internet based test in order to be considered
for the graduate program.
The institutional code assigned to The Graduate School at Northwestern by ETS is 1565. If you are taking the TOEFL or GRE be sure to include this number on your test form. If your results are not sent to this code, we will not receive them. Students taking the Paper-based TOEFL should reference department code 01. This will ensure that the TOEFL scores are sent to The Graduate School and not the undergraduate college. TOEFL code rules are posted on the TGS website http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/admission/materials/.
To ensure that test scores are received in a timely manner, applicants are encouraged to take standardized tests (GRE and TOEFL) at least three months before the December 31st application deadline.
Departmental requirements supplement, but do not supersede, Graduate
School regulations. Students with well-defined interests should study
the list of courses offered by the Department of Anthropology and related
departments to ascertain the availability of courses in their desired
specializations. Bear in mind that not all courses are offered every
year.
Admission Qualifications
The following
should be submitted to the Department of Anthropology, by the December 31st deadline:
- The
Graduate School Application (submitted on
line)
- A
Statement of Purpose (this should include
research interests, methodologies, and world
area interests)
- All
official
transcripts from all universities attended
- Current
GRE Scores
- TOFEL (international students only)
- Letters of Recommendation (2 or more)
- A writing
sample is desirable (submitted on line or by mail)
- A CV should be submitted if available (submitted on line or by mail)
All
supplemental materials not submitted on line, should be mailed directly to the Anthropology Department at the following address:
Attention: Tracy Tohtz
Northwestern University
Anthropology Department
1810 Hinman Ave
Evanston, IL 60208
Materials submitted in support of an application become property of The Graduate School and cannot be released for other purposes or returned.
Prospective students may direct any further questions about our program to
Tracy Tohtz.
THE GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY
CLUSTER INITIATIVE
Graduate students in Humanities and related fields are encouraged to participate in the Interdisciplinary Cluster Initiative, a program designed to help graduate students
during their academic career at Northwestern by fostering connections with students and faculty in other programs with whom they might have natural intellectual affinities. Interdisciplinary clusters in different areas of intellectual
inquiry have been developed by faculty across schools and programs and will provide a second intellectual home for incoming and current graduate students. Clusters offer their
own discrete courses as well as sponsor a number of
activities and events for students and faculty. Students interested in pursuing dedicated interdisciplinary
study should visit http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/academics/interdisciplinary/ for more information about the intellectual activities of these programs. Prospective students have the opportunity to select on their application to graduate school the cluster with which they would like to affiliate, though choosing a cluster is not a requirement for admission. Students may affiliate with a cluster at any point during their study at Northwestern.
Current interdisciplinary clusters are:
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