Applied Anthropology PhD

A Graduate School of Education, Health & Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Anthropology


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. 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 Applied Anthropology PhD Requirements.

Students should be familiar with the Checklist of Steps for Doctoral Certification.

Please review the full Anthropology Program Handbook for further program details.

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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 AvailablePriority DeadlinesFinal DeadlinesExtended Deadlines
SpringN/AN/AN/A
SummerDecember 1, 2024December 1, 2024N/A
FallDecember 1, 2024December 1, 2024N/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.

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