Doctor of Philososphy [Ph.D] [Anthropology] From The New School

Students matriculated in the Anthropology master's program at The New School for Social Research must apply for entry into the PhD program upon successful completion of the MA written examination and submission to the department of a brief written proposal indicating an area of future research.

Entry into the PhD program is contingent on faculty evaluation of the applicant's MA exam and overall performance in the master's program, as well as an assessment of the fit of the proposed project within the department and of the applicant's preparedness for doctoral-level work in anthropology.

Transfer Students

All students wishing to transfer to The New School for Social Research Anthropology Department for doctoral work are required to apply for entry into the master's program. Before petitioning for entry to the doctoral program, they must complete the same requirements as all other New School Anthropology MA students applying to the PhD.

Transfer Credit

After admission into the doctoral program, students with prior master's degrees in a cognate field may petition to transfer up to 30 graduate credits toward their PhD credit requirements.

PhD Program Requirements

Students admitted to the PhD program are required to take the sequence of three doctoral proseminar courses offered by the department: a course in project conceptualization, a course in ethnographic research methods, and a grant-writing workshop. In addition, students are also required to take at least one course in the history and one course in the ethnography of the area in which they will be working. These area courses may be taken either at The New School or through the Inter-University Consortium. In all, students must complete 30 doctoral credits. This total may include eligible transfer credits.

Doctoral students are required to attend the bimonthly department workshop. The content of the workshop is determined by students in consultation with workshop faculty, and has included presentations by anthropology faculty on such topics as publishing, grant-writing, and job talks; as well as presentations by students of research proposals, dissertation chapters, and reports from the field. The workshop is also often the catalyst for student-organized themed conferences. In addition, doctoral students are required to attend the department colloquia series of invited speakers.

Language Requirement

Each PhD student, regardless of specialization, must demonstrate reading knowledge of one language other than English by passing a language examination administered by the department. Some area specializations will require further language study to be determined in consultation with faculty. If further study is recommended, arrangements will be made through The New School's foreign language program or the Inter-University Consortium.

Qualifying Examination and Thesis

All Anthropology doctoral students are required to pass the Qualifying Examination to advance to candidacy and continue towards the doctoral degree. In general, students are expected to take the exam within two years of entering the doctoral program.

The Qualifying Examination consists of two parts: a written proposal and a three-hour oral examination. The written component has three elements: a detailed prospectus that describes the student's proposed research project and two bibliographic essays on fields selected and developed in consultation with the student's advisor and Qualifying Examination Committee. Following successful completion of this exam, the PhD candidate normally begins an extended period of ethnographic fieldwork. The written thesis and its defense constitute the remaining requirements for the PhD.