Information for Prospective Graduate Students

The Florida budget crisis and budget reductions to FSU have resulted in temporary online application restrictions. If you are interested in applying to the graduate program please contact the chair of the department. Glen H. Doran.

We hope you will take the time to get to know our department and faculty by exploring the various sections of our website. Our department is in a very exciting phase of expansion. In the last five years we have added five new faculty members to the department and developed a Ph.D. track of graduate studies. The faculty are proud of the department's history, accomplishments, and future vision. The faculty are active research anthropologists who publish in current journals, write books, and participate in national meetings of various  anthropologically oriented associations of scholars. Faculty members are also proven and dynamic teachers dedicated to training students in methods as well as current theory. The department operates in a professional and friendly atmosphere of collegiality. Students will be able to take advantage of a dynamic intellectual culture of four-field and interdisciplinary commitment.

The Department of Anthropology at Florida State University is committed to the education, research and training of master's (MA, MS) and doctoral students (PhD). Our department emphasizes an empirical approach in archaeology, biological anthropology and socio-cultural anthropology anthropology which allows for collaborative work among anthropology faculty, students and the community. In addition to the extensive resources and collections available in the department, the department has strong ties with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Southeast Archaeological Center of the National Park Service.

Programs and Admissions

The Department of Anthropology offers a doctoral program as well as masters of arts and master of science degrees.

To be competitive for admission in the doctoral program, an applicant should have: 1) for undergraduate students applying to the doctoral program, a cumulative undergraduate Grade Point Average of 3.4 and combined GRE scores (verbal and quantitative) of 1200, or; 2) for students who have a Master's degree from another institution, an M.A. or M.S. degree in anthropology from an accredited college or university, a graduate GPA of 3.5, and combined GRE scores (verbal and quantitative) of 1100. 

The absolute minimum academic standards for admission to the graduate program are an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the Junior and Senior years of undergraduate work and a total score of 1000 or better (verbal and quantitative) on the GRE.

Each student who applies will declare a major field within anthropology and prepare a statement of intent detailing research interests to be submitted with the admissions packet (application forms, Graduate Record Examination data, three recommendations, and transcripts).  A writing sample also is required.  Prospective graduate students must be accepted by both the University and the Department of Anthropology in order to be formally admitted into a program of studies.  Prospective students must apply to both the Department and to the University.

Additional information regarding the graduate program in anthropology is available in the Graduate Student Handbook, which is available online. Prospective students to graduate programs at Florida State University should consult the online General Bulletin 2003-2005 available from the University Registrar's Office for information regarding admissions, tuition and fees, estimated housing costs, student housing, university graduate degree requirements, academic regulations, student services, and other frequently asked questions.

Funding Information

Our department makes every effort to fully fund graduate students during their tenure in our program. Most of our funding opportunities are in the form of graduate assistantships that include a stipend and a tuition waiver. Other funding opportunities include internships at the National Park Service and teaching assistantships. We attempt to allot two years of funding for masters students and three years of funding for doctoral students. In 2007-2008 masters students received stipends of $6,216 per academic year, and doctoral students received stipends of $12,950, in addition to in-state or out-of-state tuition waivers.

Additional Information

To receive additional information about the department and the university, please contact the Departmental Assistant, Ms. Shannon Tucker, via e-mail. We strongly encourage all prospective graduate students to contact directly those faculty members who have research interests similar to their own.

Application Information

The department is currently not accepting online applications please contact Glen H. Doran with your query and interest in the program.