Graduate Studies

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The School of Human Evolution and Social Change offers unprecedented opportunities for students who seek advanced scholarship and deeper engagement in hands-on research, fieldwork and teaching. Known the world over for its top-ranked archaeology and physical anthropology programs, the school continues to excel in these areas as it opens up new paths for students to take on real-world challenges. Choose from these exciting programs:

• Ph.D. in Anthropology (sociocultural anthropology, physical anthropology and archaeology), with cross-cutting programs in bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, and medical anthropology, and a concentration in urbanism.

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics for the Life and Social Sciences , exploring the new and exciting frontier at the intersection of mathematics, natural and social sciences to help find solutions to complex social and environmental problems.

• Ph.D. in Environmental Social Science, providing students with an opportunity to explore the interaction between environmental issues and human social dynamics and its impact from a transdisciplinary perspective, ranging from cultural constructs and perceptions to demography and environmental equality. A concentration in urbanism is offered.

• Ph.D. in Social Science and Health, a collaborative degree program integrating medical anthropology with a broader take on social sciences relevant to global health. This doctoral program aims for a sophisticated understanding of how social processes, cultural knowledge and disease are related. A concentration in urbanism is offered.

• M.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Museum Anthropology and a Certificate in Museum Anthropology, a unique interdisciplinary Museum Anthropology program. (Please click here for an admissions update.)

• Certificate in Immigration Studies, a graduate program focused on understanding the causes and consequences of international migration through the social sciences and humanities.

These innovative graduate degree programs are among the most contemporary examples of the school's dedication to cutting-edge research and compulsory academia.

Students will find the School of Human Evolution and Social Change an ideal environment with a wealth of resources and opportunities—from its distinguished faculty and world-class research centers to fully equipped laboratories, extensive collections, and support for obtaining funding.

The school's newly designed curriculum gives students the flexibility to design a program to meet their educational and research needs. Our faculty and staff offer a supportive atmosphere for scholars, including an exceptional group of 150 graduate students who remain the school's strongest testament of success. In recent years, nearly every student who applied for an NSF dissertation improvement grant received the award and, in the past 11 years, five of the Society for American Archaeology Dissertation Awards went to our students.

But the fact that increasing numbers of Arizona State University's anthropology Ph.D.s have obtained faculty positions at other universities is perhaps the most powerful piece of evidence that, indeed, the school and its alumni are actively making a difference long after they leave our halls.