PhD Anthropology at Stanford University

Programme overview

Education in Anthropology provides excellent preparation for living and working in a multicultural and globally-interconnected world. It equips students for careers in various fields, including law, medicine, business, public service, environmental sustainability, and resource management. The Department of Anthropology at Stanford approaches the rich legacy and ambitious scope of Anthropology through a shared commitment to long-term and embedded ethnographic, historical, and empirical studies of societies, communities, and mobile networks of people, things, and ideas.

Faculty: School of Humanities and Sciences | Department: Anthropology | Duration: 135 units minimum | Study mode: full-time | Location: Stanford, CA, United States

What you will study

Programme load is 135 units minimum. Requirements are organised into: Program Requirements; Teaching Requirement; Research Requirements; Advancement to Candidacy; Oral Exam; Dissertation; Language Requirement.

Career pathways

It equips students for careers in various fields, including law, medicine, business, public service, environmental sustainability, and resource management.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

University-level graduate admission (Graduate Admissions): a U.S. bachelor's degree or international equivalent, transcripts for every institution attended, a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, and TOEFL/IELTS scores unless exempt (U.S. citizens and permanent residents, native English speakers, or applicants with English-medium degrees). Each graduate programme sets its own GRE policy (required, optional or not considered). Programme-specific criteria are set by the department.

Tuition is charged for Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters (Summer quarter also billed separately). Graduate programmes such as PhD and Master's in Computer Science admit for Autumn entry only; Education PhD and Master's programmes begin September 20, 2027.

The graduate application fee is $125, nonrefundable. Deadlines are set by each programme: Computer Science PhD December 8, 2026; Education PhD November 16, 2026.

Apply through the official page: https://gradadmissions.stanford.edu/apply

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