About

Anthropologists study humans in relation to themselves, their past, their environment, and their biological heritage. As a discipline, Anthropology spans the social and natural sciences and the humanities, and is equipped with various tools and approaches to study human problems. Our knowledge and skills contribute critical perspectives on contemporary transformations within academia and in society at large.

Anthropology at MSU provides training in cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and physical anthropology. While a traditional four-field department, the graduate program provides opportunities for students to engage in research across the subdisciplines. The program also has a number of well-regarded subdisciplinary specialties including medical anthropology and forensic anthropology.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Students applying for to the master's program in anthropology will be considered regardless of the field of their previous academic training. It is, however, recommended that students have earned at least 12 undergraduate credits in anthropology before entering the program. on other than a provisional status is normally contingent upon the possession of a bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university, and a junior–senior undergraduate grade–point average of 3.0 or better in academic studies.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology

The program is available under both Plan A (with thesis) and Plan B (without thesis). The student must complete a total of 30 credits distributed as follows:

Requirements for Both Plan A and Plan B

English Requirements

PTEMin 53
IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 79

English Program Requirements

Due to cancellations of many international English language proficiency tests, MSU will be temporarily accepting the following tests for international students applying for fall semester 2022. In addition, MSU will be expanding the ability for students to receive provisional admission. If a provisionally admitted student is able to take a test that meets our regular admission standards prior to enrollment, we will update their admission status to regular.

Fee Information

How to Apply

Plan for application fee

The $75 application fee is required to officially submit your application for admission.

Have official transcripts sent from your school

Request that all secondary schools, colleges, universities attended and/or examination boards send original or attested copies of all transcripts, marks sheets, certificates and diplomas earned directly to the Office of Admissions at Michigan State University. These can be sent through the online services listed below or by mail. If sending by mail, any hard copy of academic records must be sent in an official, sealed envelope.

Online services:
Parchment
Common App
Coalition for College
Naviance
eScrip-Safe
National Student Clearing House

Mail:
Office of Admissions
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
East Lansing, MI 48824-2604

In addition, if the original documents are not issued in English, an official translation of each document must be provided along with the original language documents. Translations may be done by the school, college or university attended or an authorized/official translator in the country of study. Review MSU's International transcript requirements for country-specific transcript information.

Note: Documents submitted to MSU as part of the application process will not be returned.

Select your major preference

As a freshman you do not have to officially declare your major yet, however you will be asked to select your major preference on the application. If you are undecided, select the "Exploratory preference" option.

Changing your major preference
After submitting the application, fall freshman applicants have until May 1 to change their major preference in their account. Any student who applies, or is admitted, after May 1 cannot change their major preference until they meet with an academic adviser at New Student Orientation (NSO).

Indicate any college-level course work completed

If you anticipate the completion of any college-level course work prior to attending MSU, it is recommended that you indicate this on your application or contact the Office of Admissions to let us know.

Submit English language proficiency test results

Have the testing agency (TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, MSUELT or MELAB accepted) provide proof of English proficiency directly to MSU if your first language is not English. MSU's TOEFL code is 1465. MSU is test optional, which means international students are encouraged, though not required, to submit SAT or ACT scores. The SAT code is 1465; the ACT code is 2032.

Review our full overview on English language proficiency for details on temporary exceptions due to the impact of the novel coronavirus — including additional tests being accepted and expanded opportunities for provisional admission.

Student visa requirements

In order to obtain the documents needed to file for a student visa (I-20 or DS-2019), admitted students must show adequate proof of financial support. Upon acceptance, admitted students will be required to upload a signed affidavit of support and bank statement with the name of the account holder in English through your admissions account. Please do not send financial documents in paper form at the time of application.

Do not send letters of recommendation

Do not send letters of recommendation, photographs, portfolios or additional personal essays. Doing so will delay processing of your application.