Anthropology

Ph.D. Admissions

Brown University's Ph.D. Program in Anthropology offers:

  • a stimulating, challenging, yet supportive intellectual community
  • a highly productive and diverse group of faculty members with a broad range of research and teaching interests
  • close mentoring for graduate students
  • a supportive graduate student community
  • generous funding packages, with additional funds available for supplementary training and field research
  • an outstanding record of graduate student success in winning external research grants in national and international competitions
  • a strong record of placing graduates in desirable academic and professional positions around the world

The Application Deadline is December 1st of each year.  Applications are made through the Graduate School's online application portal on the Graduate School’s website. You will be asked for a personal statement of two single-spaced pages, which should convey your intellectual trajectory, describe your scholarly/research interests, and articulate why Brown’s anthropology department is the right intellectual fit for your research. Other application components are your academic transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. GRE scores are not required.  International applicants whose native language is not English must submit official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams.

More information for international applicants

Rainbow over Tunyo Sacred Landform of San Ildefonso Pueblo
Rainbow over Tunyo, Sacred Landform of San Ildefonso Pueblo. Photo by Mark Agostini.

Brown’s graduate program is Ph.D. granting, and does not admit students solely pursuing a terminal Master’s degree. Students are admitted on the basis of their excellent academic credentials; strong evidence of the capacity to conduct innovative, rigorous independent research; and interests that align with the department’s overall areas of strength. If you wish to work with particular faculty members, you should make that clear in your personal statement; however, the department makes admissions decisions collectively. Our admissions process is highly selective. Each year, the department receives over 150 applications for graduate study. We have typically made offers of admission to roughly 8-10 students per year, all of whom are guaranteed six years of stipend and tuition remission. 

If you have a special interest in the program and are visiting the Providence area, you may contact relevant faculty members well in advance to request appointments. Faculty availability for such meetings will depend on their schedules and commitments. Additionally, feel free to contact faculty members by email.  Most faculty will be happy to respond by email to inquiries from serious candidates regarding the program and individual research interests.

Director of Graduate Admissions

Student Affairs Coordinator

Departmental Faculty

Find faculty contact information, research interests and more.