Graduate Studies in Anthropology at Western

Program Requirements

The MA and PhD programs differ in terms of program duration, course work and the length and breadth of the research component.

MA Degree Requirements

Expected duration of the MA program is two years. Students entering with an honours anthropology degree (or equivalent) are expected within two years to:

 

  • Take six half courses or equivalent. At least five, and normally all six, of these courses must be taken at the graduate level and at least four must be taken within the Department of Anthropology offerings. These courses include required courses in Theory and Research Methods.
  • Enroll in the non-credit Research Seminar course (in fall and winter terms of both years of the program), which involves mandatory attendance at the seminar series and the presentation of research results in the second year of study.
  • Present and defend a thesis proposal; and
  • Present and defend a thesis of appropriate scope for the two-year master’s degree, based on original research carried out under the direct supervision of a core faculty member.
  • Students in the Applied Archaeology stream have a modified course structure with five courses (required courses in Theory, Methods, and the Principles of Applied Archaeology plus two electives); they also complete a Practicum in Applied Archaeology.
  • Part-time students in the Applied Archaeology stream have four years to complete their program. The requirements are otherwise the same as for full-time students, except that they are only required to enroll formally in the Research Seminar course for two terms given their other commitments; like other students, they present to the Research Seminar once they have research results, usually in year 3 or 4 of their part-time program.

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PhD Degree Requirements

Expected duration of the PhD program is four years. The first two years are occupied by course work, the writing and oral defense of comprehensive exams consisting of three 15-page papers responding to specific questions, and the writing and oral defense of a research proposal. The third year is typically spent doing research, and writing of the dissertation takes place during the third and fourth years.

In both PhD streams in Anthropology students are expected to:
 

  • Take five half courses or equivalent with no more than two half course equivalents outside Anthropology. Part of these courses will include required courses in Theory and Research Methods.
  • Enroll in the non-credit Research Seminar course during four terms (usually in both fall and winter of the first two years), which involves mandatory attendance at the seminar series and the presentation of research results in the third or fourth year of the program.
  • Prepare and pass comprehensive exams, first in written form, then in an oral defense. Students normally begin work on the orals process at the end of the winter term of the first year and spend the summer and fall reading, writing, and then defending their comps.
  • Meet a foreign language requirement appropriate to the proposed research topic and area.
  • Present and defend a dissertation proposal. This is normally done during the second year of the program.
  • Undertake a research project, then write and defend a dissertation of appropriate scope for the PhD degree, based on original research carried out under the direct supervision of a core faculty member.

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