The following constitutes introductory information regarding the graduate degree program. For a complete outline of degree requirements, see Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees available in the program office and accessible from the Graduate Division homepage at http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu.
Admission to the Master of Arts graduate program in anthropology is restricted to the Fall Quarter. All applicants are required to have a B.A. degree or its equivalent from a recognized college or university. A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 or its equivalent is also required for the last two years of undergraduate work and for any postbaccalaureate work completed. The department does not require an applicant to have a degree in anthropology, but it is highly desirable. If a student with a B.A. or M.A. from another field is admitted, a program of background studies in anthropology is formulated. Knowledge of a foreign language is not required for admission, but completion of the M.A. language requirement is recommended before beginning graduate work. The Application for Graduate Admission must be submitted by December 15 for consideration for the Fall Quarter of the following year. The following supporting material must be submitted directly to the Anthropology Department by January 5: (1) official transcripts of record, in duplicate, from each college or university at which work has been completed; (2) statement of purpose; (3) three letters of recommendation (preferably from anthropologists); (4) a research or term paper; and (5) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores sent by the testing agency.
Applicants applying for readmission to the program or petitioning to change their major to anthropology are treated in the same manner as first-time applicants. These students are required to submit (1) the appropriate application form and (2) the same supporting documents as new applicants by the stated deadline date. Graduate students who have been readmitted to the program are subject to any changes in departmental policy and regulations that have been instituted since the last time they were enrolled as an anthropology major.
The department requires that two faculty members sponsor an applicant before admission is recommended. Prospective sponsors are canvassed by the Departmental Admissions Committee, but it is also appropriate for applicants to contact potential sponsors.
For further information on the departmental program, a graduate information syllabus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Anthropology department.
Archaeology; biological anthropology; linguistic anthropology; and sociocultural anthropology.
The minimum course load is 12 units per quarter. However, this may be waived for good cause by petition with the approval of the student's committee chair and the department chair. Students must be registered and enrolled at all times unless on an official leave of absence.
An M.A. degree requires 10 courses (40 units) taken for a letter grade, with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average. The 10 required courses are distributed as follows:
(1) Two courses must be the graduate proseminar, Anthropology 200A-200B.
(2) One course must be the graduate core seminar in the student's field of specialization (200 series).
(3) Three courses must be graduate seminars (200 series).
(4) Four courses may be upper division (100 series) designated elective courses.
(5) Three courses may be outside the major with the approval of the three-member guidance committee.
(6) Two courses may be independent studies. (Eight units of course 596 taken for a letter grade may be applied toward the total M.A. course requirement, but only four of these eight units are applicable to the minimum graduate-course requirement.)
Courses taken on a S/U basis, Anthropology 598, and 300- and 400-series courses may not be applied toward the fulfillment of the M.A. unit requirement.
Core Course Requirements. The purpose of the core course requirement is to ensure that students are versed in the major fields in anthropology. Courses taken while in graduate status at UCLA may be applied toward the unit requirement of the M.A. degree. These fields and courses have been designed to meet the minimal needs of students specializing in other subfields of study.
(1) Archaeology: Anthropology 111
(2) Biological: Anthropology 120G
(3) Linguistic: Anthropology M140
(4) Sociocultural: Anthropology 130, 150
Students must demonstrate basic knowledge in all fields by exercising one or a combination of the following three options:
(1) Taking the core course with a passing grade of B or better.
(2) Petitioning that coursework completed elsewhere, or at UCLA as an undergraduate, constitutes the equivalent of such courses.
(3) Passing the subfield's core course examination given in the Spring Quarter.
A grade of B or better is required in any core course taken at UCLA. If students received a grade of B -, C+, or C, they may not repeat the core course, but must take the core course examination and pass or be subject to dismissal. If a grade of C - or below is received, students may repeat the course, but must receive a grade of B or better the second time the course is taken, or be subject to dismissal.
None.
The purpose of the master's thesis is to demonstrate students' ability to generate and assemble a body of data, to analyze it, and to indicate its relevance to established anthropological thought as well as to write lucid prose. Students must submit an original paper based on field, laboratory, or library research to all three committee members by the end of the fifth quarter of residence. The thesis committee assists students in formulating the research paper, monitoring its progress, and evaluating the paper when submitted. It is essential that students maintain close contact with all three members while preparing the M.A. thesis. Consult the Graduate Division's publication, Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation, for instructions on the preparation and submission of the thesis.
Students who are entering the graduate program with a Master of Arts degree, whether or not in anthropology, are required to demonstrate basic knowledge of the discipline before being permitted to begin the requirements for the doctorate. It is expected that students accomplish this during the first year of academic residence by completing (in accordance with the procedures and regulations stated in the M.A. degree section) the following:
(1) Nominating a three-member departmental advisory committee.
(2) Completing the core course requirement.
(3) Establishing competency in a foreign language, equivalent to the master's level requirement.
(4) Taking the graduate core seminar only in the student's field of specialization. This is required of all students even though they may already have a master's degree in anthropology.
(5) Taking the graduate proseminars, Anthropology 200A-200B. This is required of all entering students.
(6) Submitting to the student's departmental advisory committee, for evaluation, prior master's paper or a research paper that was written while in graduate status.
Only when these requisites have been met are students permitted to begin the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.
Archaeology; biological anthropology; linguistic anthropology; and sociocultural anthropology.
The minimum course load is 12 units per quarter. However, this may be waived for good cause by petition with the approval of the student's committee chair and the department chair. Students must be registered and enrolled at all times unless on an official leave of absence.
Students who received their M.A. degree from this department are expected to enroll in three seminars, each with a different faculty member, between receipt of the master's degree and taking the doctoral qualifying examinations. The department does not require any specific courses or number of courses for receipt of the Ph.D.
The Ph.D. qualifying examination is composed of a written and oral examination. The timing of these examinations are set in consultation with the members of the doctoral committee and are to be taken within a 10-week period of time. Students must be registered and enrolled to take the qualifying examinations.
Written Examination. The written portion of the qualifying examination is administered by the three-member departmental doctoral committee. Students are examined in three subfields; two fields are drawn from a list maintained in the department and the third is specific to the student's dissertation interests and needs. In addition, students are expected to demonstrate competence in general anthropological theory. The format of the written examination is to be determined by the student's departmental doctoral committee. There must be a minimum of two weeks between completing the written examination and taking the oral portion of the qualifying examination.
Oral Examination. The oral portion of the doctoral qualifying examination is primarily a defense of the dissertation proposal and is administered by the four-member Ph.D. doctoral committee.
The committee determines the conditions for reexamination should students not pass either portion of the qualifying examination.