Curriculum

The School of Human Evolution and Social Change (SHESC) aims to advance knowledge and understanding of human life, culture, and societies, and, in the process, to become an international leader in transforming the role of anthropology and interdisciplinary approaches in addressing issues of global, national, and regional concern. SHESC students identify significant research problems that relate to humankind’s past, present, and/or future, and pursue courses of study and research that allow them to address these problems. To this end, the School’s graduate curricula are designed to ensure that all students receive broad training, and to allow flexibility that facilitates the design of innovative programs.

Graduate Student Procedures This document lists changes and updates in the graduate policies and procedures for SHESC PhD programs. It will be updated periodically.

Anthropology

The documents linked below set forth the requirements for all students pursuing a PhD in Anthropology within SHESC under both the old (2009-2013) and new (2014 and beyond) curricula. Students incoming in Fall 2014 or therafter are governed by the new curriculum. Students incoming prior to that term are governed by the old curriculum, though they have the option to switch into the new curriculum upon meeting degree milestones (i.e., at the MIP, comps, and proposal stages of the degree).

Graduate Curriculum (effective Fall 2016)
Graduate Curriculum (2014-2015)
Graduate Curriculum (Historical)

Guidelines regarding the specifics of the requirements to fulfill the degree can vary among the approaches, but each approach must follow the same timeline and has the same general requirements. For example, the degree requires written exams, but the specifics of how those exams are constructed and administered is in the approach’s purview (see approach information below). Each approach has an advisory document that lists the educational goals of the approach, and the coursework and a research program that students can follow to pursue those goals. The student’s supervisory committee, in consultation with the student, ultimately determines the courses that comprise a student’s Plan of Study.

Archaeology

Roadmap, curriculum
Required coursework for the archaeology approach

Bioarchaeology

Required coursework for bioarchaeology
Field statement and proposal criteria and information

Evolutionary Anthropology

Roadmap, curriculum
Field statement and proposal criteria and information
More information about the field statement

Sociocultural Anthropology

Roadmap, curriculum (new program)
Field statement criteria and information
Proposal criteria and information

Applied Math for the Life and Social Sciences, PhD

The applied mathematics for the life and social sciences PhD focuses on the training of researchers working on scientific questions at the interface of the mathematical, life and social sciences. There are three tracks a student can follow:

Applied mathematics: more in-depth focus on the tools as applied to the life and social sciences, i.e., on dynamical systems, computational and numerical methods, simulation and mathematical analysis
Life sciences: focus on understanding the tools for representing the structure and operation of complex biological and ecological processes
Social sciences: focus on understanding the tools for representing the structure and operation of complex social systems and processes

Graduates of the program will be making innovative and far-reaching scientific contributions that rely on the cutting-edge computational mathematical and modeling approaches. The program's faculty includes mathematicians, statisticians, theoretical biologists and social scientists from five different schools at Arizona State University.

Required coursework/degree checklist

Environmental Social Science, PhD

The Graduate Program in Environmental Social Science (ESS) offers graduate students rigorous interdisciplinary training in social science approaches to investigating human-environment processes and issues. It spans a number of disciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches including but not limited to political ecology, environmental justice studies, environmental anthropology, archaeology, environmental sociology, diverse approaches in human geography, political science, political economy, environmental governance, sustainability studies, and others. The documents below set forth the requirements for all students pursuing a PhD in ESS. Within this context (i.e., meeting the baseline requirements) and working in close consultation with faculty advisors, each student designs a Plan of Study to meet her or his educational needs. In this way students can tailor the plan of study to promote the interdisciplinary research focus of their dissertation project.

Graduate Curriculum (revised October 2014)
ESS Roadmap (revised October 2014)

Global Health, MA

In this program, global health is considered to be much more and very different from international public health. It emphasizes that major health challenges stem from many factors well beyond disease itself – factors that are ecological, cultural, institutional, historical, evolutionary, social and technological. Any effective, sustainable solutions to our most pressing global health challenges will need to take all of these factors into account, including the complex ways in which they relate to each other.

Coursework requirements for the MA in global health
Applied project options
Applied project declaration form

Global Health, PhD

Our global health graduate students have diverse academic backgrounds and varied career goals, so we offer flexibility when planning the most appropriate path for you. Curricular tracks will tend to be individualized, and final determination of the most appropriate course of study or how each requirement should most appropriately be met will be determined by your advisory committee in consideration of your research and career goals. Each plan will ensure that you graduate with a strong basis in social science theory and appropriate health research methods, as well as considerable experience in community-level research and its application. The documents below set forth the requirements for all students pursuing a PhD in Global Health.

Course requirements, revised 2013
Roadmap, revised September 2013
Field statement criteria and information

Museum Studies, MA and Certificate

The master of arts in museum studies requires a total of 30 credit hours. Curricular tracks will tend to be individualized, and final determination of your most appropriate course of study or how each requirement should most appropriately be met will be made by your advisory committee in consideration of your research and career goals.

Required coursework for the MA

The certificate in museum studies requires a total of 18 credit hours and can be taken in conjunction with another graduate degree at Arizona State University or on its own as an advanced course of study by those who work in museums or intend to do so. Additionally, for students enrolled in another ASU graduate degree program, applicable certificate courses may count towards their degree program with the approval and consent of the degree-granting program.

Required coursework for the certificate

All students in the Museum Studies program are required to complete an internship component that needs to be approved by Dr. Richard Toon. The 320-hour internship (equivalent to 6 credit hours) must take place in a musuem or collection, supervised by an on-site member of staff. The internship must be approved by the director of the museum studies program and is normally expected to contribute to a project that has real significance to the institution. Up to 160 hours (equivalent to 1-3 credit hours) may be fulfilled in the form of an ASU-based practicum that contributes to a project and/or exhibit at an approved ASU museum or collection.