Anthropology

Program Overview

Anthropology is concerned with the unity and diversity of humanity (and related primates) and of human culture and society from a comparative and global perspective. For nearly 150 years, aspects of anthropology have been taught at University of Toronto. The Department of Anthropology was established in 1936 and has included many of the most prominent figures in Canadian anthropology.

Members of the department conduct research on present and past human societies, cultural knowledge and practice, evolutionary antecedents, and closely related species. We offer graduate training in sociocultural, medical, biological, linguistic, and archaeological branches of the field.

The Department of Anthropology offers research training and courses of instruction in five fields:

  • Archaeology
  • Evolutionary Anthropology
  • Linguistic and Semiotic Anthropology
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Sociocultural Anthropology

The Master of Arts degree program is offered in all five fields.​

The Master of Science degree program may normally be taken in three fields: Archaeology, Evolutionary Anthropology, and Medical Anthropology.

The Department of Anthropology is not currently accepting international applicants to its Master’s programs.

The Doctor of Philosophy is primarily a research degree. A program of study is designed for each student to ensure competence in a field of research, culminating in the writing of a thesis.


Quick Facts

Domestic International
Application deadline PhD:

Fall 2025 entry

02-Dec-2024

MA, MSc:

Fall 2025 entry

13-Jan-2025

PhD:

02-Dec-2024

MA, MSc:

NA

Minimum admission average MA, MSc:

B+ average in final year of bachelor’s

PhD:

A-minus average in Master’s

PhD:

A-minus average in Master’s

Direct entry option from bachelor's to PhD? PhD:

Yes (minimum A-minus average in courses in the relevant discipline)

PhD:

Yes (minimum A-minus average in courses in the relevant discipline)

Is a supervisor identified before or after admission? PhD:

Before

MA, MSc:

Before

PhD:

Before

Is a supervisor assigned by the graduate unit or secured by the applicant? PhD:

Graduate unit

MA, MSc:

Graduate unit

PhD:

Graduate unit

Are any standardized tests required/recommended? MA, MSc, PhD:

NO

MA, MSc, PhD:

NO


Matthew Walls

“My specialty is arctic archaeology.”

Matthew Walls
Alumnus, PhD (2014), Anthropology
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