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Program Description | Special Programs | Interdisciplinary Study |Requirements for the Doctorate | Tuition | Financial Aid | Housing | Contact Information

Program Description

The PhD Program in Anthropology provides doctoral training in each of the discipline's subfields: cultural anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. The program is committed to excellence in training its students for careers in research and teaching, as well as non-academic fields. In addition to course work, students have opportunities for early fieldwork experience through faculty directed practicums and summer research funding. With close faculty guidance, students in the Program receive outside funding for their research at an exceptionally high rate. Funding agencies have included the National Science Foundation, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, Social Science Research Council, L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, IREX, International Fund for Animal Welfare, The Open Society Institute, CARE Archaeology Foundation, Ford Foundation - U.S. Community Forestry Research, Foreign Languages and Areas Studies (FLAS), American Museum of Natural History, Kellogg Foundation, Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council - Canada, among others. CUNY anthropology counts more winners of the distinguished MacArthur "genius" award among its alumni than any other anthropology department save the University of Chicago. Three alumni thus far have won this award. Most students also acquire significant undergraduate teaching experience at the various colleges of the CUNY system and other colleges in the area while completing their degrees. The four-field requirement, together with these exceptional opportunities for fieldwork and teaching experience, provide CUNY anthropology graduates with credentials not commonly available from other doctoral programs.

Through CUNY's consortial arrangement with other institutions in New York City, doctoral students can take courses at Fordham, New York University, the New School for Social Research, and Columbia University. In pursuing their research, they are also able to take advantage of the great diversity of the city itself, and tap its rich resources, from the New York Public Library to the American Museum of Natural History and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The PhD Program is committed to encouraging diversity among its students, as well as applications from minorities. Enrollment of students of African and Hispanic/Latin descent remains well above the national average.

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Special Programs

New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP) [http://www.nycep.org] The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP) is an integrated graduate training and research program in primate behavioral and evolutionary biology, funded by an NSF training grant. NYCEP involves faculty from the City University of New York, Columbia University, and New York University and selected staff of the American Museum of Natural History and the Wildlife Conservation Society. This unique consortium links a group of over thirty evolutionary biologists in New York City whose research focuses on human as well as nonhuman primates from the perspectives of morphology, paleontology, systematics, molecular and population genetics, behavior and ecology, and conservation biology.

Students in this program take courses in all these areas at the three universities, attend seminars that draw upon the staff of all five cooperating institutions, and have the opportunity to engage in original research in laboratories, museums, and in the field. The array of courses and research opportunities is far greater and more comprehensive than any one of the three participating degree granting institutions in New York City could otherwise offer, or than are available in any similar program. NSF funding has permitted the inception of a unique program widely acknowledged to be successful at attracting and training top-flight graduate students, and especially minorities and women. The collaboration among public and private universities and privately endowed (and publicly assisted) institutions dedicated to bringing the natural sciences to the general public is nationally unique and only possible in New York City where these institutions are all easily accessible.

Evolutionary primatology draws upon theory, method, and empirical data from other natural sciences, especially biology, anthropology, and geology. Collaboration among specialists with diverse research interests has proven extremely fruitful, especially in large-scale field projects. For example paleoanthropological research typically involves human and primate paleontologists, paleontologists specializing in other taxonomic groups, palynologists, taphonomists, archaeologists, sedimentary geologists, and geochronologists. Similarly, studies on natural primate populations may include geneticists, behaviorists, and conservationists. It is rare for students to have the opportunity to experience all these disciplines during their graduate careers. One of the distinct advantages of NYCEP is that the faculty are active in research that combines many of these areas of study, so that the value of adopting a multidisciplinary approach to scientific problems is introduced from the start of a student's graduate career. NYCEP itself has catalyzed new, collaborative research initiatives among faculty and students at the participating institutions.

NYCEP also offers the student a chance to apply this multidisciplinary training in the field before undertaking independent research. Faculty and associates have field research programs on living primates at sites in Africa, Asia, and South America, as well as primate (including human) paleontology in East Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Many courses are taught jointly by faculty members from two different institutions or departments. This teaching collaboration provides students with a variety of viewpoints early in their careers.

List of CUNY Faculty Participants in NYCEP

• Timothy G. Bromage, Department of Biomaterials & Biomimetics, NYU College of Dentistry
• Roberto Delgado, Department of Anthropology, USC
• Eric Delson, Department of Anthropology, Lehman College, CUNY (and AMNH)
• Rob DeSalle, Department of Entomology, AMNH
• John Flynn, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, AMNH
• Katerina Harvati, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology
• Jeffrey T. Laitman, Department of Anatomy, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
• Ross D. E. MacPhee, Department of Mammalogy, AMNH
• Colleen McCann, Department of Mammals, WCS
• Jin Meng, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, AMNH
• Michael Novacek, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, AMNH
• John Oates, Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, CUNY (emeritus)
• Ekaterina Pechenkina, Department of Anthropology, Queens College, CUNY
• Tom Plummer, Department of Anthropology, Queens College, CUNY
• John Robinson, International Programs, WCS
• Robert F. Rockwell, Department of Biology, City College, CUNY (and AMNH)
• F. James Rohlf, Department of Ecology & Evolution, SUNY Stony Brook
• Alfred L. Rosenberger, Department of Anthropology & Archaeology, Brooklyn College, CUNY
• Vincent H. Stefan, Department of Anthropology, Lehman College, CUNY
• Michael Steiper, Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, CUNY
• Sara Stinson, Department of Anthropology, Queens College, CUNY
• Katherine St. John, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Lehman College, CUNY
• Larissa Swedell, Department of Anthropology, Queens College, CUNY
• Ian Tattersall, Department of Anthropology, AMNH
• John Van Couvering, Micropaleontology Project
• John H. Wahlert, Department of Biology, Baruch College, CUNY (and AMNH)

All WCS and AMNH personnel listed are CUNY Graduate Center adjuncts, as are Drs. Bromage and Delgado; members of other CUNY programs are on their respective graduate faculties.

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Interdisciplinary Study

Students in the PhD Program in Anthropology benefit from several interdisciplinary centers, academic concentrations, and certificate programs at the CUNY Graduate Center. Interdisciplinary concentrations include: Cultural Studies; Health, Society and the City; Language in Context; Latin American and Caribbean Studies; and Public Policy and Urban Studies. Certificate Programs are available in Women's Studies and American Studies. In addition, many research centers provide a nexus for students interested in Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS is the first such research center in the United States), Western Hemisphere Affairs (The Bildner Center), Jewish Studies, Studies of the European Union, and Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean, among others.

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Requirements for the Doctorate

A minimum of 60 credits of approved course work is required for a PhD in Anthropology. The student's course of study must be designed in consultation with an advisor assigned by the Executive Officer. The first level provides grounding in general anthropology, theory, and the basic concepts and methods of the student's subfield. At the second level, students pursue advanced work within the subfield, selected from the broad range of specialties represented on the faculty. The third level, after completion of 60 credits, is devoted to research for the dissertation. All students are required to complete one core course or similar basic work in each of the subfields other than their own before the completion of 45 credits. Students who have a strong background may be exempted from part or all of the requirement. At least 15 credits of advanced level seminars or courses are required, unless exempted by the Executive Officer. In cultural anthropology, students are also required to take two area courses.

First Examination: The First Examination, a general qualifying examination in the student's subfield, consists of a six-hour written portion and a one-hour oral portion with the examining committee, and includes a general evaluation of the student's progress in the program. The student will normally take the First Examination in the semester following completion of 24 credits, although an extension may be granted by the Executive Officer to no later than the semester following the one in which the student is registered for the 36th credit. Students may elect to take a First Examination that combines two or more subfields. All students are required to take the First Examination.

Language Requirement: The student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language appropriate to his or her field of specialization. The foreign language examination must be passed before the student is advanced to candidacy.

Statistics Requirement: For archaeology and physical anthropology, one course in statistics, to be approved by the student's advisor and the Executive Officer, must be completed with a grade of B or better. Students in linguistic anthropology may present a second language (which may be a field language) instead of statistics. In cultural anthropology, students may take a research methods course in lieu of statistics.

Second Examination: The Second Examination is a three-hour oral examination in which the student must demonstrate thorough knowledge of two areas of specialization within the subfield, generally one topical and one area specialty. Normally the Second Examination takes place upon completion of 60 credits. A three-member faculty advisory committee is appointed to assist the student in preparing for the Second Examination, which includes the preparation of selective bibliographies for the two specialties. One additional faculty member is appointed to the committee for the actual examination.

Research Proposal: With the assistance of the advisory committee, the student prepares a research proposal setting forth the proposed dissertation research. The proposal must be defended before the committee for the Second Examination, either at the time of the examination or within three months after the specialities portion is taken.

Upon completion of all the above requirements, including approval of the research proposal by the examining committee, the student will be advanced to doctoral candidacy.

Dissertation: The candidate must write a dissertation on an approved subject, under the supervision of a dissertation committee composed of the student's principal advisor, two other faculty members, and an outside reader. Approval by a majority of the committee constitutes successful completion of the dissertation requirement.

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Tuition

(as of Fall 2005)
Tuition is $2,860 per semester for full-time incoming students who are New York State residents; tuition is $560 per credit for full-time (7 or more credits) incoming students from out-of-state. Tuition per semester for Second Level Doctoral students (from the semester following the completion of completion of 45 credits, fully earned and evaluated, and the First Examination to Advancement to Candidacy) is $1,793 for New York State residents, and $3,983 for out-of-state residents. Tuition per semester for Doctoral Third-Level students, from the semester following the advancement to candidacy to completion of degree, is $710 for New York State residents and $1,423 for out-of-state residents. Tuition and fees are subject to change without notice at any time by action of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York. Tuition decreases as the student fulfills various requirements for advancement.

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Financial Aid

Financial aid consists of fellowships, assistantships, lectureships, and tuition waivers. Special fellowship programs administered by The Graduate School include the MAGNET Program Fellowships designated for minority applicants, and the Robert E. Gilleece Fellowship available to incoming full-time doctoral students who demonstrate exceptional academic promise. Each of these fellowships, competitive awards for which qualified students in all programs may apply, includes a four-year stipend of $16,000 per year, plus full tuition for qualified students. University Fellowships, annual awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, are available to full-time doctoral students based on academic merit and financial need. A limited number of dissertation awards and fellowships, other grants, and adjunct lectureship positions also are available.

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Housing

The Assistant Director of Admissions assists students in locating convenient and affordable housing.

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Contact Information

For further information, please contact the PhD Program in Anthropology at:

PhD Program in Anthropology
City University Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10016
Telephone: 212-817-8005
Fax: 212-817-1501
e-mail:

Professor Gerald Creed, Executive Officer
email: gcreed@hunter.cuny.edu

For information about the four sub-fields, please contact:

• Professor Thomas McGovern, Archaeology sub-field coordinator, email
• TBA, Cultural Anthropology sub-field coordinator.
• Professor Miki Makihara, Linguistic Anthropology sub-field coordinator, email miki.makihara@qc.cuny.edu
• Professor Eric Delson, Physical Anthropology sub-field coordinator and NYCEP coordinator, email

For other information, please contact:

Ellen DeRiso, Assistant Program Officer

For general information regarding admissions, please contact:
Office of Admissions
The Graduate Center
The City University of New York
365 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: 212-817-7470
Fax: 212-817-1624

Please note that Anthropology has one admissions cycle per year, for enrollment of new students every Fall.  The Anthropology application deadline (postmark, not receipt) is January 8 for students who are applying for financial aid. April 1 is the deadline for students not applying for financial aid. Also note that it is now possible to download an application form.

PhD Program in Anthropology - The CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4309
phone: 212.817.8005 fax: 212.817.1501 email:

This departmental publication supplements the official Bulletin of The Graduate School as well as the current Graduate Center Student Handbook and "Announcement of Courses."