Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology and Education
The Doctor of Education (EdD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees are for students who plan to engage in scholarly writing and research, applied research and evaluation, or teaching and administrative responsibilities at colleges, universities, professional schools of education and medicine, research institutes, or state, federal, and international agencies and bureaus.
Each student, in collaboration with the faculty, develops a program of study in anthropology designed to establish a high level of competency. A minimum of 75 points of acceptable graduate credit is required for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Of these 75 points, a maximum of 30 points may be transferred in courses from other recognized graduate schools.
These courses prepare students with the requisite knowledge of epistemological, theoretical, methodological, ethnographic, and substantive areas of anthropology. They aim to develop competency in the discipline, while addressing the specific intellectual interests of the student.
For more detailed information about requirements, please see the Anthropology and Education PhD Requirements section of the Anthropology Student Handbook.
Students should be familiar with the Checklist of Steps for Doctoral Certification.
Please review the full Anthropology Program Handbook for further program details.
Admission Information
Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.
Doctor of Philosophy
- Points/Credits: 75
- Entry Terms: Summer, Fall
- Enrollment Formats: Full-Time Campus-Based, Part-Time Campus-Based
Application Deadlines
| Entry Term Available | Priority Deadlines | Final Deadlines | Extended Deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Summer | December 1, 2024 | December 1, 2024 | N/A |
| Fall | December 1, 2024 | December 1, 2024 | N/A |
Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines, such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.
Application Requirements
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume | |
| Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed | |
| Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable) | |
| $75 Application Fee | |
| Two (2) Letters of Recommendation | |
| GRE General Test is optional |
For admission-related inquiries, please contact ITSadmission@tc.columbia.edu.
Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2024-2025)
Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree program in Anthropology and Education is for students who plan to engage in scholarly writing and research, applied research and evaluation, or teaching and administrative responsibilities at colleges; universities; professional schools of education and medicine; research institutes; or state, federal, and international agencies and bureaus.
Each student develops, in collaboration with an advisor, a program of study in anthropology designed to establish a high level of competency. A minimum of 75 points of acceptable graduate credit is required for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
Of these 75 points, a maximum of 30 points may be transferred in courses from other accredited graduate schools. Forty-five points of Anthropology courses are required overall. Of these, up to 15 points in anthropology courses may be taken at other graduate institutions which are members of the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium.
These courses prepare students with the requisite knowledge of epistemological, theoretical, methodological, ethnographic, and substantive areas of anthropology. They aim to develop competency in the discipline, while addressing the specific intellectual interests of the student.
Within the major course requirements, 30 points in required courses must be taken: the four-semester sequence of colloquia and summer field research, which represents the core training module of the program (a minimum of 12 points); two additional research methods courses outside of the first semester colloquium (6 points); and two area courses, one within and one complementary to one’s focus (6 points); and two sub-discipline courses outside of sociocultural anthropology (6 points), in linguistic anthropology, linguistics, or sociolinguistics.
The remaining 15 points of electives are used to increase competence in comparative, regional, or international studies, or to enhance technical skills used in conjunction with but outside the major course of study. At least three of these courses (8-9 points) must be taken in fields foundational to anthropology (economics, history, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, sociology). Of the 75 graduate points required for the degree, a minimum of 45 must be taken for an evaluative letter grade.
Certification Requirements
Certification is the means of indicating that the student is regarded as having attained the expected competencies of the program. An overall grade average of B+ is expected. In addition, students must complete a set of written examinations on topics relevant to Anthropology and Education or Applied Anthropology.
Dissertation Requirements
After passing the written certification examination, the candidate prepares a dissertation proposal to be defended in oral examination. One or two years of anthropological field research is required for the collection of original field data based on the dissertation research proposal.
Foreign Language Requirement
Each candidate must satisfy the foreign language requirement by demonstrating a high level of proficiency in one language other than English.