Department of Anthropology
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Syracuse University
Anthropology Graduate Handbook
15 April 2024
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 1 of 21
Graduate Handbook
Department of Anthropology
The Maxwell School of Syracuse University
209 Maxwell Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
315-443-2200
Updated: 15 April 2024
Note: This handbook is updated periodically to consider changes in policies and procedures by
the Department, the School and the University. The requirements are superseded by any
procedures or contracts issued by the University, the Maxwell School, or the Graduate School.
Students follow the requirements given in the Graduate Catalog for the year they were admitted.
Contents
MA Requirements.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Ph.D. Requirements ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Program Administration ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Director of Graduate Studies ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Graduate Committee .................................................................................................................................................. 6
Petitions and Forms ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Advisor and Committee ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Advisor ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Committee ................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Funding .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Academic Year Funding ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Other Funding ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
Funding RFP “Superfunding” ................................................................................................................................ 9
Research Support — Internal Sources ................................................................................................................. 10
Research Support — External Sources ................................................................................................................ 11
Program Milestones ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
Qualifying Exam ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Qualifying Exam Preparation and Advice ........................................................................................................... 12
Tools, Methods, and Language Requirements ......................................................................................................... 13
Position Papers ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
Research Proposal .................................................................................................................................................... 14
Dissertation .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Professional Development ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Annual CV Update Review ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Human Research ...................................................................................................................................................... 15
Future Professoriate ................................................................................................................................................. 16
Certificate of University Teaching .......................................................................................................................... 16
Personal Challenges ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
Satisfactory Progress / Good Standing ........................................................................................................................ 17
Fo
rms ........................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 2 of 21
MA Requirements
2023-2024 Graduate Course Catalog Syracuse University, Anthropology, MA
The Master of Arts degree signifies an important step in a student’s scholarly development.
The requirements for a Master of Arts degree in anthropology at Syracuse University emphasize
comprehensive understanding of anthropology and the articulation of its various sub-fields. The
department feels this is the core strength of the discipline. Coursework and qualifying
examinations reflect the department’s intent to expose students to the breadth of anthropology
prior to engaging in more narrowly defined scholarly studies and doctoral research topics.
1. Basic requirements:
30 Graduate credits (past B.A.) credits that include at least five core courses, including a
two-course sequence within their subdiscipline, (ANT 611-ANT 711 for cultural students; ANT
641-ANT 741 for archaeology students) and at least three core courses in other subdisciplines.
The core courses are:
ANT 611 - History of Anthropological Theory 3 credit(s)
ANT 631 - Method and Theory in Biological Anthropology 3 credit(s)
ANT 641 - Anthropological Archaeology 3 credit(s)
ANT 672 - Language, Culture, and Society 3 credit(s)
ANT 711 - Current Anthropological Theory 3 credit(s)
ANT 741 - Archaeological Theory 3 credit(s)
2. Qualifying examination
Successful completion of the qualifying examinations in History of Anthropological
Theory and Ethnography for cultural students and Archaeological Method and Theory for
archaeology students.
3. Writing requirement
Students who do not continue beyond the master’s level are required to submit a master’s
paper, which is a significant piece of work on a subject of the student’s choosing, and approved
by the advisor. Minimally, it should demonstrate original thinking and knowledge of the
literature on a given area, topic, or issue. See “Position Papers” for the writing requirements
leading to a doctoral degree.
4. Tools and methods requirement
Cultural students must satisfy the tools and methods requirements by successfully passing
ANT 681 Ethnographic Techniques.
Archaeology students must satisfy the tools and methods requirements by successfully
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passing either ANT 624 Methods in Archaeology or ANT 644 Laboratory Analysis in
Archaeology.
Archaeological Field training or Field Program:
Archaeology students must also fulfill a field training course (ANT 643 - Advanced Field
Methods in Archaeology) or complete an accredited archaeological field program.
5. Advisor and master’s committee
Students are expected to select an advisor by December 15 of their second year in
residence. (The graduate director will serve as an interim advisor until an advisor is selected.)
In consultation with their advisor, students are responsible for forming a committee
including two additional anthropology department faculty to guide the writing of their master’s
paper.
Ph.D. Requirements
2023-2024 Graduate Course Catalog Syracuse University, Anthropology, PhD
It is the objective of the anthropology department to produce doctors of philosophy of the
highest quality. The Ph.D. requirements build upon the educational training and background
gained through the completion of master’s requirements. Ph.D. students are expected to
demonstrate outstanding quality in coursework. They must demonstrate that they are qualified to
carry out a significant body of anthropological research. Once their proposal has been approved
by their committee, they are expected to carry out the project and write a dissertation based on
this research.
1. Basic requirements:
72 graduate credits (past B.A.) as follows:
Minimum of 33 credits in anthropology, maximum of 27 credits in cognate fields
Maximum of 12 “dissertation” credits
Students can transfer up to 30 credits from prior graduate work. The request for the
transfer of credits should be discussed with a student’s advisor. The mechanism for requesting
the transfer of credits is the “Petition to Faculty.”
Completion of core courses: Complete at least five core courses, including a two-course
sequence within their subdiscipline, (ANT611-ANT 711 for cultural students; ANT 641-ANT
741 for archaeology students) and at least three core courses in other subdisciplines.
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 4 of 21
The core courses are:
ANT 611 - History of Anthropological Theory 3 credit(s)
ANT 631 - Method and Theory in Biological Anthropology 3 credit(s)
ANT 641 - Anthropological Archaeology 3 credit(s)
ANT 672 - Language, Culture, and Society 3 credit(s)
ANT 711 - Current Anthropological Theory 3 credit(s)
ANT 741 - Archaeological Theory 3 credit(s)
Successful completion of the qualifying examinations in History of Anthropological
Theory and Ethnography for cultural students and Archaeological Method and Theory for
archaeology students.
Students must complete core courses and qualifying examinations within the first two
years in residence.
A Ph.D. pass on qualifying examinations Exemptions may be granted on the basis of
previous work. (Petition to the faculty is required.)
2. Students with a Prior Master’s Degree:
Students with a prior master’s degree must fulfill all core courses and qualifying
requirements. This may be accomplished through satisfactory completion of required
coursework, the qualifying examination, and other means approved by the Graduate Committee
(petition to the graduate director is required).
3. Tools and methods requirement:
Cultural students must satisfy the tools and methods requirements by successfully passing
ANT 681 Ethnographic Techniques (3 credits), and show proficiency in a language of
international scholarship, a literary language, or a field language.
Archaeology students must satisfy the tools and methods requirements by successfully
passing either ANT 624 Methods in Archaeology (3 credits) or ANT 644 Laboratory Analysis in
Archaeology (3 credits) and show proficiency in a relevant language of international scholarship,
a literary language, a field language, or managing electronic databases and other computer
programs for data processing.
Archaeological Field training or Field Program: Archaeology students must also fulfill a
field training course (ANT 643 - Advanced Field Methods in Archaeology) or complete an
accredited archaeological field program.
4. Dissertation committee:
The Ph.D. student is responsible for forming a committee that will guide and preside over
the doctoral dissertation. The committee is composed of five members, including the student’s
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 5 of 21
principal advisor plus at least two other faculty members from the Syracuse University
Department of Anthropology. The other two may be from any department. (Interdisciplinary
training is encouraged.) At the discretion of the advisor, one member of the committee may be
chosen who has no affiliation with Syracuse University.
To facilitate communication and encourage progress towards completion of their doctoral
degree, students should meet with their advisor and doctoral committee at least once a year
following the selection of an advisor and committee, with the meeting normally held in the
spring term. The meeting will be organized by the student and advisor and may include remote
participation if necessary.
5. Position papers:
Doctoral students are required to write three position papers on topics selected in
consultation with the student’s advisor and committee. These three papers will demonstrate
competence in a) the geographical area and focal context of specialization, b) the theoretical
framing of a specific research problem in local and cross-cultural perspective), and c) the
approaches and methods to be used in specific research problem. The position paper should be a
student’s original synthesis of the specialized literature in each of the three areas. The ideal paper
would be one that could be published in the Annual Review of Anthropology. Position papers
may be written and submitted (in consultation with the student’s core committee) at any time
beginning in the student’s third term of residence. They must all be completed and approved
before a formal research proposal may be defended.
6. Dissertation proposal and proposal defense:
Each student must submit a dissertation proposal to his or her committee and successfully
defend it during an oral examination. The dissertation proposal should be a substantive piece of
work demonstrating competencies in theory, method, topic, and geographic area sufficient to
support the proposed research.
7. Dissertation and dissertation defense:
The dissertation is an original and substantial written report on one’s doctoral research.
Completed dissertations are subject to a formal dissertation defense.
Program Administration
Director of Graduate Studies
The Graduate Director is appointed by the Department Chair for a term of three years,
unless a shorter term is agreed to by the Chair and the appointee.
The Graduate Director’s duties include chairing Graduate Committee meetings;
supervising the review of applications, selection, and admission of graduate students; supervising
the awarding of funding (including all assistantships, fellowships, and travel support) to graduate
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 6 of 21
students; directing assistantship assignments; providing academic advising to graduate students
who have not yet chosen an advisor; supervising the nomination of graduate students for
Syracuse University awards and honors; reviewing graduate student petitions, in consultation
with the Graduate Committee; undertaking periodic review of the graduate curriculum, including
an annual review of the Graduate Catalog, and making appropriate proposals for revision to the
Department; representing the Department at Graduate Directors’ meetings; administering all
Departmental, Maxwell, and University policies that pertain to graduate students; preparing, in
consultation with cultural and archaeology ad hoc committees, all qualifying examinations; and
addressing any other graduate matter that may arise.
The Graduate Director also serves as the advisor for students who have not yet
formalized an advisor-advisee relationship, usually those students in their first 3 semesters of the
program.
Graduate Committee
Most important decisions affecting graduate students are made by the department’s
Graduate Committee. The Department Chair appoints the Graduate Committee in consultation
with the Graduate Director. The Graduate committee will be composed of four members of the
faculty and the Graduate Director, who chairs the Committee.
The Graduate Committee meets regularly throughout the academic year and is in regular
e-mail contact between meetings. Graduate committee decisions are made in consultation with
and reviewed by the chair. The committee works carefully and strives consider all relevant
information for each of its decisions.
In general, the term of service on the committee is two years. The Graduate committee
will concern itself with all relevant aspects of the graduate program, including admissions,
funding, advising, evaluation, awards, curriculum, degree requirements, and the review of
petitions. The Graduate Committee also serves as the search committee for all part-time
instructor appointments.
Petitions and Forms
The Registration of Advisor Form needed to form an advisor-advisee relationship is
internal to the department, and is available from the department support staff.
Doctoral students who wish to receive an MA during their doctoral studies must file the
appropriate request and forms for doing so once they have completed their position papers. The
necessary forms are available from the department support staff.
Students can submit petitions to the faculty concerning a wide variety of programmatic
related issues.
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Forms for:
Full Time Certification Form
Program of Study Form
Request for Examination Form
Petition to Faculty [PDF]
Can be found on the Graduate School Website: https://graduateschool.syr.edu/student-
resources/forms/
Advisor and Committee
Advisor
Students must arrange for an advisor no later than the end of a student’s third
semester in the anthropology doctoral program. Once a mutual agreement has been reached by
advisor and student, the selection of an advisor (and any subsequent change) must be recorded by
submitting the department’s internal Registration of Advisor Form, which is available from the
department support staff.
Subsequent to the submission of the Registration of Advisor Form, the student’s principal
advisor becomes the student’s main advisor (the graduate director can always be consulted).
Advisors play a critical role in the scholarly and professional development of their advisees, and
help them understand and navigate department and university policies.
The Advisor—Advisee relationship is voluntary and each has responsibilities:
Among the responsibilities of the advisor are:
Helping the advisee to remain in compliance with department and Graduate School
policies.
Communicating to the advisee about their academic performance when they are not
meeting academic expectations.
If a student is not making satisfactory progress, or if a student is placed on academic
probation the advisor helps determine what needs to be done to return to good
standing in the program.
Helping to define an original research topic that can feasibly be addressed within the time
limits.
Providing feedback on advisee’s work in a reasonable time frame. For example, the
department expectation is that completed dissertation drafts be commented upon
within six weeks of submission, if possible.
Ensuring that the advisee complies with relevant ethical policies related to their research.
Advising about internal and external funding opportunities.
Advocating for the advisee in professional contexts, such as writing supporting letters.
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Among the responsibilities of the advisee are:
Being familiar with and complying with the rules, policies, and procedures of the
department, Graduate School, and university.
Complying with deadlines and policies regarding completion of requirements, policies of
the department and the Graduate School. These include deadlines and policies
regarding registration, leaves of absence, limitations on time and recertification,
dissertation submission and graduation.
Meeting regularly with the advisor, and when requested. Reporting to them your
progress.
Keeping the advisor (and the director of graduate studies) informed of any significant
challenges that affect your progress.
Providing the advisor and the department with current contact information.
Securing funding for dissertation and other research.
Committee
The Ph.D. student is responsible for forming a committee that will guide and preside over
the doctoral dissertation. A doctoral committee must be established by the end of the student’s
second year in the program.
The committee is composed of five members, including the student’s principal advisor
plus at least two other faculty members from the Syracuse University Department of
Anthropology. The other two may be from any department. (Interdisciplinary training is
encouraged.) At the discretion of the advisor, one member of the committee may be chosen who
has no affiliation with Syracuse University.
To facilitate communication and encourage progress towards completion of their doctoral
degree, students should meet with their advisor and doctoral committee regularly, at a minimum
once each year, following the selection of an advisor and committee. Meeting in the spring term
after the department has reviewed all graduate students’ progress is encouraged. The meeting
will be organized by the student and advisor and may include remote participation if necessary.
Funding
Academic Year Funding
The academic year funding students will receive is detailed in a letter sent to admitted
students by the Graduate Director. The department specifies in that letter the number of years of
support a student will receive and it details of that support. Multiple year funding is conditional
on a student making satisfactory progress toward their degree and remaining in good standing
(the conditions for this are described in a following section). The department mainly relies on
Teaching Assistantships as the mechanism for funding students during the academic year.
The annual award letters sent by the Graduate School contains specific information for
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 9 of 21
each academic year about the academic year stipend amount, health coverage eligibility, and
tuition credits, if any are awarded. Teaching Assistantships usually carry tuition awards for the
Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions. The number of credits awarded is intended to allow the
student to achieve the total number of credits needed for the Ph.D. degree. For that reason, all
credits must be used, including the summer credits (for coursework or independent studies), in
order not to fall short of the credit hours required for the degree.
When in consultation with their advisor a student determines that it makes sense for their
program of study to use their summer credits for coursework during the academic year for which
they have been awarded, the student and advisor can submit a Petition to Faculty asking to
reconfigure when the credits are used.
The Graduate School promulgates a handbook of Graduate Research and Teaching
Assistants: Benefits and Responsibilities.
Other Funding
Funding RFP “Superfunding”
Each Spring semester, the department issues a request for proposal from those seeking
funding. The department refers to this process as “Superfunding.” The categories of funding
considered at this time are:
First year student awards. These enable students completing their first year in the
program to conduct preliminary research in preparation for their dissertation and to
devote time to studying for their Qualifying Exam.
Pre-ABD Summer Support: Students who have completed their second or third year in
the doctoral program but have not yet attained doctoral candidacy (colloquially ‘All
But Dissertation,’ ABD) can apply for summer support to allow them to devote time
to completing their position papers and proposals.
Pre-ABD Summer Research Support: Students who have completed their second or third
year in the doctoral program but have not yet attained doctoral candidacy can apply
for summer support for summer research projects contributing to the development of
their dissertation.
Post-ADB Fieldwork Support: Students who have achieved doctoral candidacy can apply
for funding to aid in their dissertation research. These awards are rarely sufficient to
completely cover research costs. Cultural Anthropology applicants are considered for
an award from the Claudia De Lys endowment fund.
Post-Fieldwork Support: Graduate students who have completed their fieldwork and have
a clear plan for dissertation writing can apply for a Teaching Assistantship, which will
support them during their dissertation writing.
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General Support Requests: Students who are not scheduled to receive a teaching
assistantship can apply for additional support through the Superfunding RFP.
The solicitation specifies the kinds of materials that need to be submitted to apply for
funding. All require support from a student’s advisor.
Research Support — Internal Sources
The Maxwell School has several programs and that offer research support for doctoral
students. These funds are generally disbursed in competitions, RFPs for which are distributed by
these units.
Students are encouraged to affiliate with those programs, centers, and institutes with
which they share research interests.
Some relevant programs, centers, and institutes are:
Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, which houses regional studies programs.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/moynihan-institute-of-global-affairs
Campbell Public Affairs Institute. https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/campbell-
public-affairs-institute
Autonomous Systems Policy Institute.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/autonomous-systems-policy-institute
Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry.
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/center-for-qualitative-and-multi-method-
inquiry
Center for Environmental Policy and Administration
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/center-for-environmental-policy-
administration
Center for Policy Design and Governance https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/center-
for-policy-design-and-governance
Center for Policy Research https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/center-for-policy-
research
Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration
https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/program-for-the-advancement-research-on-
conflict-collaboration
A full listing of Syracuse University Centers and Institutes is available at
https://www.syracuse.edu/academics/centers-institutes/
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 11 of 21
Research Support — External Sources
The department has limited funds to support students’ dissertation field research.
Students should expect, therefore, to find appropriate sources to support their research.
Demonstrating the ability to receive competitive grants and awards outside of the university are
an important aspect in developing a strong resume.
Many of our students have received competitive grants for their research. Indeed, our
students have a very admirable record of grant success.
Some of the sources of fieldwork funding that our students have received include:
American Institute of Indian Studies
Fulbright Awards
National Geographic
The Ford Foundation
The National Institutes of Health
The National Science Foundation
The Smithsonian Institution
Wenner-Gren Foundation
Plan on familiarizing yourself with possible funding sources. Your advisor will work
with you on identifying sources of possible funding. The Maxwell School Research Office
(https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research) will also help you identify possible sources of funding.
Grant writing is a critical professional skill that improves with practice. The department
offers a class on grant writing, and students should plan on taking it.
Your dissertation advisor will also be a source of advice on grant preparation.
The Syracuse University Office of Research (https://research.syr.edu/) is another
excellent source of advice and guidance.
Program Milestones
Qualifying Exam
A student must be in good standing to take the Qualifying Exam, which is given in
August just prior the start of a student’s second year in the program.
A student must receive a Ph.D. pass on the Qualifying Examination appropriate for their
concentration by the end of their second year in the program.
At the discretion of the faculty, a student may have the opportunity to retake the
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Qualifying Examination if they did not receive Ph.D. pass on their first attempt. A Ph.D. pass on
the Qualifying Examination must be achieved for a student to remain in the Ph.D. program.
The Qualifying Exams consist of two parts, In-house and Take-home sections. The in-
house exam is given on a Friday and has a morning and afternoon session. During each session
students answer one question selected from the options offered. For cultural students those
questions are focused on ethnography and theory. For archaeology student those questions focus
on theory and research design.
The next morning, Saturday, students receive the Take-home portion of the Qualifying
Exam. Their completed exam is due to be returned by noon the following Monday.
Qualifying Exam Preparation and Advice
1. Answer the question.
2. Organize your answer so that it is purged of unnecessary redundancy and builds an
argument leading to a conclusion that responds to the question.
3. Abstract terms must be concretized with appropriate examples or illustrations.
4. While more weight is given to the development of your argument than to the
presentation of evidence, clearly the Qualifying Exams are intended to afford you an
opportunity to demonstrate factual knowledge that bears upon the question.
(a) Typically, you will be expected to demonstrate familiarity with substantive facts --
ethnography, prehistory, physical anthropology, etc. This would include
geographic location and temporal period (where appropriate). It would include
proper names (to identify a specific people, or site, or fossil find, etc.)
(b) You will also be expected to show reasonable familiarity with relevant concepts,
models, theories, processes. Often a substantive subject may be interpreted
differently according to different models, theories, approaches ... You should be
alert to that fact, and be able to demonstrate the different interpretations that
follow from using different intellectual traditions.
(c) You should have some familiarity with the relevant history. Who wrote what and
approximately when. You may be able to group together different approaches as
forming one "school" of thought in anthropology (or social science).
5. Some helpful strategies:
(a) Before you develop an answer, analyze the question. Identify its crucial
components. Surely the three parts of Item 4 will apply. However, questions
often presume a definition or two that you might usefully explicate or
operationalize. To be sure, not every single term needs to be defined. But if an
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 13 of 21
argument hinges on defining a term a certain way (and often it does!), be sure
you make explicit the definition you are using. Also, consider why your
definition is preferable to some other likely definition. Put another way,
definitions entail a standard or set of criteria. Make them explicit, and if you
can, offer a rationale for adopting them.
(b) Having analyzed the key components of the question, laundry-list under each
component key facts, concepts, names etc. that you will want to incorporate
into your answer. (But don’t stop there, see (c) below!).
(c) Then begin to order your laundry-list into an argument. Try to develop the
argument two or three different ways. That will broaden you understanding of
the issues, and perhaps flush out some additional pertinent information. Under
no circumstances should you present more than one argument. You need to
look over the two or three ~different versions you have developed to see
which is your most powerful (i.e., which allows you to display best the
information called for in Item 4 AND which is also the most persuasive
argument for the conclusion you are proffering).
Tools, Methods, and Language Requirements
Methods
Cultural students must satisfy the tools and methods requirements by successfully passing
ANT 681 Ethnographic Techniques.
Archaeology students must satisfy the tools and methods requirements by successfully
passing either ANT 624 Methods in Archaeology or ANT 644 Laboratory Analysis in
Archaeology. Archaeologists are also urged to gain additional methodological and field
experience by taking a summer field school.
Archaeological Field training or Field Program: Archaeology students must also fulfill a
field training course (ANT 643 - Advanced Field Methods in Archaeology) or complete an
accredited archaeological field program in which case a Petition to Faculty must be submitted.
Tools and Language
Cultural anthropology students must show proficiency in a language of international
scholarship, a literary language, or a field language as appropriate to their study. The choice of
how to fulfill this requirement should be made in consultation with the student’s advisor. The
mechanism for demonstrating the fulfillment of this requirement is by submitting a Petition to
Faculty describing how competence was assessed, signed by the appropriate reviewer and by the
student’s advisor.
Archaeology students must show proficiency in a relevant language of international
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 14 of 21
scholarship, a literary language, a field language, or managing electronic databases and other
computer programs for data processing. The mechanism for demonstrating the fulfillment of this
requirement is by submitting a Petition to Faculty describing how competence was assessed,
signed by the appropriate reviewer and by the student’s advisor.
Position Papers
Doctoral students are required to write three position papers on topics selected in
consultation with the student’s advisor and committee.
These three papers will demonstrate competence in a) the geographical area and focal
context of specialization, b) the topic of specialization (local and cross-cultural perspectives on a
specific research topic), and c) a specific research problem.
The position paper should be a student’s original synthesis of the specialized literature in
each of the three areas. The ideal paper would be one that could be published in the Annual
Review of Anthropology. Position papers may be written and submitted (in consultation with the
student’s core committee) at any time beginning in the student’s third term of residence.
They must all be completed and approved by the student’s committee before a formal
research proposal may be defended.
Research Proposal
Once the student’s Position Papers have been approved by their committee, students must
develop an approved research proposal prior to advancing to doctoral candidacy. Once their
committee deems it ready, there will be a public defense of the proposal.
The nature and structure of the research proposal will vary depending upon the study
being undertaken. Ordinarily, such proposals have the following nine elements.
1. A statement of the problem being examined
2. A description of the context or ethnographic setting
3. The specific research questions being asked
4. The specific methods that will be used
5. What is expected to be learned; what the data will look like
6. A time-frame and work plan for the research
7. A budget and budget justification
8. A description of the importance of the research for anthropology
9. Its general theoretical importance
Scheduling the proposal defense is done through the department staff.
This proposal forms the basis for applications for research support that can then be
tailored to meet the different and specific requirements of various funders. An example of these
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 15 of 21
from the National Science Foundation can be found at: https://new.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/23-
1/ch-2-exhibit-1
Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation is the final milestone in the doctoral program. The dissertation
reports the results of a student’s research. Advisors vary in how they prefer to proceed with the
review of the developing dissertation, and this should be worked out between the advisor and
advisee.
To ensure that the dissertation meets the standard of the discipline, the student’s
committee must concur that the dissertation is ready for defense.
In preparing for the defense the student should ensure that they have adhered to the
Graduate School’s instructions for preparing the dissertation. These can be found at:
https://graduateschool.syr.edu/preparing-your-thesis-dissertation/
A dissertation defense can be scheduled with the approval of the student’s advisor and
committee. This is done following the requirements set out by the Graduate School, which can
be found at: https://graduateschool.syr.edu/current-students/graduation/defense-checklist/
Professional Development
Annual CV Update Review
Each year the department asks students to complete a “CV Update.” This update provides
information about a student’s progress in the program, their professional activities, and their
plans for research an completing their degrees. The form is usually distributed in mid- to late-
January or early February.
The department asks students to describe their coursework, publications, conference
papers, grant applications and awards, any external funding received, their teaching during the
previous calendar year, their service, and their employment.
The CV Update forms are reviewed by the entire faculty and advisors convey any
commendations or concerns that the department may have as a result of that review.
Human Research
If you plan to do any research for your dissertation, or another project, that involves
research with living people and meets the Federal Common Rule definition of research as
“systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to
develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge,” you will need to comply with the
University’s rules for research with human subjects.
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To that end you should sooner rather than later become familiar with the policies and
requirements on the Syracuse University Office of Research Integrity and Protections, found at:
https://researchintegrity.syr.edu/.
Among other things, you will need to complete the Collaborative Institutional Training
Initiative (CITI) certifications appropriate for your research. This certification lasts several years.
You can access it at: https://researchintegrity.syr.edu/responsible-conduct-of-research-rcr/citi-
rcr-training/.Completing it sooner than later in your graduate career is useful.
All human subject research needs to have an approved Institutional Review Board (IRB)
protocol before research begins. You should thus familiarize yourself with the requirements for
IRB. (For example, see: https://researchintegrity.syr.edu/human-research/forms/) . Be aware that
getting an IRB Protocol approved can take some time. A couple of months is not unreasonable to
budget.
Future Professoriate
The department participates in the Graduate School’s Future Professoriate Program
(FPP), which is “a structured professional development experience for aspiring faculty. The FPP
provides students with the experience, confidence and documented performance they need to
excel as teachers and scholars in higher education. We produce candidates who not only get jobs,
but quickly become indispensable to the departments, colleges, and universities they join and to
the students they teach.”
The Graduate School provides a small stipend for two years of participation in the FPP.
The Department’s Future Professoriate Program is governed by the rules published by
the Graduate School, as applied by the Faculty Liaison. The Graduate Director is the de facto
coordinator of Department Future Professoriate Program activities. Another coordinator may be
appointed in consultation with the Chair.
Additional information about the FPP is at: https://graduateschool.syr.edu/current-
students/future-professoriate-program/
The Future Professoriate Program Participant Handbook has important information for
those participating in the program: https://graduateschool.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/FPP-
participant-handbook.pdf
Certificate of University Teaching
As part of the Future Professoriate Program, the Graduate School offers student the
opportunity to earn a Certificate in University Teaching (CUT), which allows students to
demonstrate “demonstrates readiness to assume faculty responsibilities in higher education.”
Information about the CUT program can be found at: https://graduateschool.syr.edu/current-
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 17 of 21
students/future-professoriate-program/certificate-in-university-teaching/
The anthropology department participates in the CUT Program. All matriculated graduate
students may participate in this program. The department’s requirements for the CUT are listed
at: https://graduateschool.syr.edu/current-students/future-professoriate-program/fpp-eligibility-
and-cut-requirements/
The department’s FPP coordinator also coordinates the CUT.
Personal Challenges
Students facing personal challenges, such as physical or mental health conditions, that
affect their progress in the doctoral program should seek assistance from the appropriate
university office.
These include:
The Barnes Center: where you can find resources related to health and wellness
https://experience.syracuse.edu/bewell/primary-health-care/
Student Out Reach and Support: where you can be support for a wide variety of
circumstances, including medical and non-medical leaves of absence, readmission
from a leave, emergency aid, sexual relationship violence support, support
navigating university resources, and more.
https://experience.syracuse.edu/student-outreach/
Center for Disability Resources: can help reduce barriers to learning, including providing
evaluation of possible accommodations. https://disabilityresources.syr.edu/
Center for International Services: provides a wide range of services for international
students and their families. https://experience.syracuse.edu/international/forms/
These offices will communicate with the department which can then respond as
appropriate.
Satisfactory Progress / Good Standing
Ph.D. Program Satisfactory Progress and Good Standing Requirements
Ph.D. students are expected to demonstrate outstanding quality in coursework. They must
demonstrate that they are qualified to carry out a significant body of anthropological research.
Once their proposal has been approved by their committee, they are expected to secure research
funding, carry out the project, and write a dissertation based on this research.
A doctoral student is making satisfactory progress toward their degree and remains in good
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 18 of 21
standing in the anthropology doctoral program when they are meeting the requirements set out
below.
Students are expected to comply with all University policies, procedures, and integrity policies.
Coursework
1. Maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 each semester. If a student’s GPA falls below this
level in any semester, this must be remedied not later than the following semester.
2. Complete all required core courses and tool requirements appropriate to your concentration no
later than the end of their second year matriculated in the program.
3. Achieve a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the required core courses and tool requirement courses.
4. Incompletes must be removed not later than the following semester.
Qualifying Exam
5. A student must be in good standing to take the Qualifying Exam, which is given at the start of
a student’s second year in the program.
6. Receive a Ph.D. pass on the Qualifying Examination appropriate for their concentration by the
end of their second year in the program. At the discretion of the faculty, a student may have the
opportunity to retake the Qualifying Examination if they did not receive Ph.D. pass on their first
attempt. A Ph.D. pass on the Qualifying Examination must be achieved for a student to remain in
the Ph.D. program.
Doctoral Advisor and Committee
7. A doctoral advisor must be secured no later than the end of the student’s third semester in the
program.
8. A doctoral committee must be established by the end of the student’s second year in the
program. The committee is composed of five members, including the student’s principal advisor
plus at least two other faculty members from the Syracuse University Department of
Anthropology. The other two may be from any department. At the discretion of the advisor, one
member of the committee may be chosen who has no affiliation with Syracuse University.
Language Requirement
9. A student must show proficiency in a language of international scholarship, a literary
language, or a field language by the end of the student’s second year in the program.
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 19 of 21
Position Papers and Research Proposal
10. Complete Position Papers and Research Proposal approved by the student’s committee no
later than the end of their third year in the program.
The table below summarizes a typical timeline for meeting the program requirements.
Anthropology Program Milestones
(note: each student’s path is unique)
Yea r
Fall
Spring
Summer
Expected
milestones
1
Core coursework
Core coursework
Prepare for
qualifying exam
and take exam in
August
Complete
core
coursework
and pass
qualifying
exam.
2
Students continue taking
coursework, with an eye to
designing their dissertation
project, formulating their
committee, and identifying
the topics of their position
papers.
Students select an advisor
no later than December 15.
Students complete
all coursework and
finalize committee.
Students
demonstrate
proficiency in
language.
Exploratory
fieldwork, if
appropriate
Complete
coursework,
select
advisor,
formulate
committee,
and
demonstrate
language
proficiency.
3
Students apply for external
funding to support
dissertation fieldwork, work
on their position papers, and
write their dissertation
proposal.
Students complete
position papers and
defend dissertation
proposal.
Begin fieldwork
Complete
position
papers and
defend
research
proposal to
achieve
candidacy
(ABD)
4
Fieldwork
Fieldwork
Fieldwork
5–6
Fieldwork or return and
write-up
Defend
dissertation.
Paperwork and Administrative Actions
11. Students in good standing are expected to file all required paperwork on time, including the
annual reviews, advisor form, and dissertation committee form.
12. A student must be in good standing to be eligible for funding from the department, including
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 20 of 21
graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, other teaching opportunities, summer funding,
conference or research travel, and departmental awards.
13. A student not meeting the above criteria may be placed on academic probation. A student
placed on department academic probation must provide the Graduate Committee with a plan of
action to improve their performance agreed to with the student's main advisor. A student on
probation who does not meet the goals in the plan of action would risk losing their teaching
assistantship and place in the program.
14. Any student who is granted a leave of absence, will be exempt from the progress towards
degree requirement during their absence.
Administrative Withdrawal from the Program
15. Students who do not meet the criteria for satisfactory progress toward the degree are thus not
in good standing. They may be administratively withdrawn from the program by the department
Chair in consultation with the graduate committee.
16. Following achieving policy candidacy students must meet all graduate school requirements
concerning completion of the degree. https://graduateschool.syr.edu/current-students/policies/
Funding and Review
17. To receive continued funding as student must be making satisfactory progress, be in good
standing, and have received satisfactory evaluations of their teaching assistantship work if they
have had such an assignment.
18. Progress will be reviewed annually by the faculty. The results of the review will be
communicated to each student.
Students who are outside of these guidelines and are at placed on academic probation or
are at risk of being withdrawn from the program will meet with the Director of Graduate Studies,
and their advisor, if one has been engaged. They will discuss with the student what they may do
to bring themselves back in line with these requirements.
Forms
Forms related to graduate study can be found on the Graduate School Website:
https://graduateschool.syr.edu/student-resources/forms/
Students facing non-health related challenges that affect their ability to work safely or
successfully in the university environment may take leave of absence. The form for requesting a
leave of absence is on the Registrar’s Website: https://registrar.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/form-
university-withdrawal-and-leave-of-absence.pdf Plans for a leave of absence including return
should be discussed with the student’s advisor and with the director of graduate studies.
Anthropology Graduate Program Handbook 15 April 2024 Page 21 of 21
Student facing significant health challenges that affect their ability to work safely or
successfully in the university environment may take a medical leave of absence. The process is
overseen by the Office of Student Outreach and Support. The process is detailed on their
Website: https://experience.syracuse.edu/student-outreach/student-support/medical-leave-of-
absence/ Plans for returning from the medical leave of absence should be discussed with the
student’s advisor and the director of graduate studies.
* * *
