The Master’s of Arts (MA) Degree is part of the PhD program. Although students may proceed directly to the PhD without obtaining the MA degree, they are encouraged to take the option of completing an MA along the way.  The MA degree in Anthropology certifies that the recipient is qualified to teach General Anthropology at the college undergraduate level.  Therefore, a candidate for the MA degree is expected to be familiar with the basic concepts, major developments, and current problems in each of the four subfields of Anthropology (Anthropological Archeology, Biological [Physical] Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology).

Penn Anthropology has a self-directed Masters Program. Applicants will not be considered without first reaching out and securing the support of a member of the Standing Faculty of the Anthropology Department prior to submitting a formal application. Please note: our MA program is not structured to support students who do not have clearly defined research interests, instead centering the mentorship between a faculty member and their student advisee. Please reach out to both a faculty mentor and the Graduate Chair if you are considering applying for the Masters Program.

The application cycle for the 2026-2027 Academic Year is open, as of October 1st, 2025 and will remain open until December 15th, 2026.

*Please note that the applications closes at exactly December 15th, 2026 at 11:59:59 PM. 

You can find the application at the link below:

https://apply.graduateadmissions.upenn.edu/apply/

For more information on the centralized application process please see the SAS Graduate Division website.

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 How To Apply

Follow this link for information about applying and to fill out an online application:

https://www.sas.upenn.edu/graduate-division/prospective-students/application-information. The department does not use paper applications; all applications must be submitted online. Please do not mail any documents to the Department of the University; we will not use any paper documents in our review of applications. 

The application deadline is December 15th, 2026 for both Masters and PhD.

 

The application fee is $90.00. Payments must be made by credit card. 

NOTE: Application fee waivers are managed entirely by the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences, and individual departments do not have the power to grant them. Requests should be made no later than December 1st.

Please be advised that applicants must demonstrate a clear and compelling case of financial hardship.

 

To request a fee waiver: 

 

Application Requirements

Following are the required components of the application:

• Personal statement (1,000 words maximum.) Please describe how your background and academic experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and led you to apply to Penn. Your essay should detail your specific research interests and intellectual goals within your chosen field. Please provide information about your educational trajectory, intellectual curiosity and academic ambitions. If you have experienced limited access to resources or opportunities in your field of study or had other challenges with respect to your education, please feel free to share those and how they have affected the course of your education.

• All undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Scan and upload unofficial versions.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• One letter of Academic Support from a Standing Faculty Member in the Penn Anthropology Department*
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This is required only for international students who are not native English speakers. The TOEFL/IELTS exam is not required if you are currently enrolled in or have already graduated from a school where English is the language of instruction, or if you are a citizen of a country where English is an official language.
• Writing samples. Though not required, these are highly recommended. They should be no longer than 25 pages and include a bibliography. The bibliography pages do not count towards the 25-page limit.

 

*Penn Anthropology has a self-directed Masters Program. Applicants will not be considered without first reaching out and securing the support of a member of the Standing Faculty of the Anthropology Department prior to submitting a formal application. Please note: our MA program is not structured to support students who do not have clearly defined research interests, opting instead to center the mentorship between a faculty member and their student advisee. Please reach out to both a faculty mentor and the Graduate Chair if you are considering applying for the Masters Program.*

 

Please note that GRE scores are optional for all applicants. If a student chooses to submit GRE scores, they will be considered as part of the application package. There is no minimum GRE or TOEFL score requirement. The Institution Code for the University of Pennsylvania is 2926. There is no department/major field code. If you choose to take them, please arrange to take your exams by a date that will guarantee that your scores will be forwarded to the University of Pennsylvania by the January 2nd deadline.

 

MASTER’S PROGRAM INFORMATION

Program Overview

Masters students should familiarize themselves with this entire handbook, as many of the details in the previous chapters also apply to MA students. Any differences between the programs are listed explicitly here. 

a. Categories of MA

There are three different categories of Masters’ degrees in the Department of Anthropology: (1) the MA for admitted Masters graduate students; (2) the MA in Passing as an option for admitted Ph.D. graduate students; and (3) the Terminal MA given to Ph.D. students who do not successfully complete the Ph.D. 

1. MA for Admitted Masters Graduate Students

These students have been accepted into the MA program, but have no plans to continue for the Ph.D. in Anthropology at Penn. Such students are accepted as MA students rather than Ph.D. students into the Graduate Program. The MA degree requires a total of eight course units, two of which are Core Program courses. Up to two units may be transferred from another institution. A student may transfer courses completed at other graduate schools of the University with the approval of the Graduate Dean. No work done as an undergraduate, whether done at this institution or at any other, will be counted toward a higher degree. According to the student's proposed area for MA research, a Committee is appointed to advise each student. A Committee normally consists of two members (an Advisor from the Standing Faculty and one reader from the Graduate Group) who are jointly responsible for working out the details of the student's program from semester to semester.

2. Optional MA for Ph.D. Graduate Students – Master's in Passing

Students accepted into the Ph.D. program may bypass the MA degree. However, some students may opt to obtain an MA on the way to earning the Ph.D. Although this choice may extend the time to completion of the Ph.D., students may choose this option if: (1) the MA is accepted or required as a qualification for various positions applied for before completion of the Ph.D.; or (2) the task completing an MA (as a trial exercise for the Ph.D.) provides useful experience in original research, analysis, interpretation, and writing. For this MA degree, students must remain in Good Standing in the program (B+ average in courses, pass the Comprehensive Exams, fulfill TA obligations, etc.) and complete a thesis. The MA thesis may consist of original work in the form of a Thesis document, as outlined below, or a Research Paper prepared as a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

3. Terminal MA for Ph.D. Graduate Students

Ph.D. students whose combined performance in the Comprehensive Examination and first year’s coursework is below standard may be passed only at the level of a Terminal MA (terminating their status in the Ph.D. program). Such students are advised to complete the ten-course unit requirement and write an acceptable Research Paper or Thesis to receive the MA degree. Students may enroll for no more than two additional semesters on Master’s Tuition while writing their Thesis or Research Paper. A similar agreement can be reached for students who do not pass their Oral Examination at the Ph.D. level.

  

b. Statute of Limitations for the MA

The maximum time allowed by the Graduate Division for completion of all requirements for the MA degree is six years. One extra year is allowed, if necessary, for the completion and submission of an MA Thesis.

c. MA Graduates and the Ph.D. Program

After completing the MA degree, graduates wanting to pursue a Ph.D. are encouraged to explore programs in other universities. Penn MA graduates and Terminal MA students may apply to be admitted or readmitted to the Penn Ph.D. program, but their petitions are granted only in rare and exceptional cases. Such students must have an unusually promising MA Thesis and stellar performance in coursework, and also meet the criteria for admission used for non-MA students.

 

Master’s Program Requirements

a. Course Requirements      

All first-year MA students must take at least two of the following Core Program courses:

1.     Contemporary Theory in Archaeology

2.     Evolutionary Anthropology

3.     Language in Culture and Society

4.     Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Culture

 

Additional courses should be selected in consultation with the student’s Advisor. A normal course load for a full time MA student is four courses per semester, however they are not required to be enrolled full-time.

 

Minimum Number of CUs

Students enrolled in the Masters Program are expected to successfully complete 8 CUs of graduate-level course work to qualify for graduation.

 

Grading and Good Standing

To remain in good standing, students must (1) maintain a minimum average grade of "B+" (3.3 or higher cumulative GPA), (2) resolve all Incomplete grades before taking the Comprehensive Examinations in the first year, (3) pass the Comprehensive Examinations, and (4) make good progress towards completing the Research Paper or Thesis. The same policy for student evaluation applies to MA and Ph.D. students.

 

b. Research Requirements

1. MA Thesis or Research Paper

In addition to 8 course units, the MA degree requires either a Research Paper or a Thesis. A Research Paper may be an expanded or improved version of a paper initially written for a course, in which case the criterion for acceptance would be that it demonstrates that the student is capable of independent research. The Research Paper is normally article length (about 25–60 pages, excluding the bibliography). After being accepted by the Graduate Group, the Research Paper is filed in the Department’s archive and eventually in ScholarlyCommons at Penn. An MA Thesis may also begin within the framework of a course, but it must demonstrate the student's research ability and constitute a recognizable contribution to knowledge beyond the simple capacity to do research. In this case, the Thesis is subject to the formatting rules for a Dissertation and is submitted to Graduate Division after approval by the Advisor and at least one Reader.

- Approval of MA Thesis or Research Paper

To be accepted by the Graduate Group, the MA Thesis or Research Paper must be approved by the student’s Advisor, who will be a Graduate Group member, and a Reader (chosen by the Advisor and/or the Graduate Chair). The Reader should work within the subfield in which the MA student is conducting research to provide as much guidance and critical feedback on the MA Thesis or Research Paper as possible. The Reader should be a Standing Faculty member in the Department of Anthropology or a Graduate Group member, although, in extenuating circumstances, the student can petition to have another University faculty member serve as the second Reader if their area of research and expertise warrants it.

Once the MA Thesis is approved, the student’s Advisor notifies the Graduate Chair and Graduate Coordinator, who then notify the Graduate Group, and the Thesis or Research Paper is made available to the Department (“tabled”) for comments. At the end of two weeks, if no objections are raised, the Graduate Coordinator is informed that all requirements for the MA have been satisfactorily met. If any faculty members raise objections to the thesis, then the procedures detailed for Ph.D. dissertations are followed.

- Formatting of the MA Thesis and Research Paper

MA students who opt to write a thesis should refer to the following resources: The University Style Guide for Masters Theses for formatting information (https://provost.upenn.edu/uploads/media_items/mastersstyleguide.original.pdf); and the Degree Deadline for important dates (see http://www.sas.upenn.edu/graduate- division/graduation/general-information). MA Students who choose to write a Research Paper should follow the style guide of one of the flagship scholarly journals in Anthropology (e.g., American Anthropologist, American Antiquity, American Journal of Biological Anthropology, etc.).

c. General Examination – University Requirement

1. Comprehensive Examinations (“Comps”)

MA students must pass the Comprehensive Examinations for the Core Program courses they took during their first year. The Comprehensive Examinations must be taken at the end of the first year, and may only be taken once. A detailed explanation of the Comprehensive Examinations can be found in the Ph.D. Degree section of this document (see above).