Why Pursue a Master's Degree in Anthropology
Anthropology is dedicated to the exploration of human diversity. The discipline embraces a broad view of humanity through a social and biological lens, according to four subfields: cultural anthropology (the study of people as social and cultural beings); linguistic anthropology (the study of language-use and linguistic diversity in social life); archaeology (the study of social and cultural life through material remains from a historical perspective); and biological anthropology (the study of human and non-human primates). In addition to conducting academic research, anthropologists apply knowledge to solve real-world problems in fields like education, healthcare, forensics, environmental conservation, and more.
Research Opportunities & Faculty Specializations
Our graduate faculty in Anthropology are active in research at both regional and international levels with emphases in political and cultural ecology, landscape perspectives, medical anthropology, primate behavioral ecology, environmental politics, and conservation policy and practice.
- Archaeology of the Maya lowlands and Andean South America
- Archaeology of Texas and the Greater Southwest
- Primate behavioral and conservation ecology in Southeast Asia and Africa
- Conservation and mining practices in the South Pacific
- Indigenous and environmental politics in lowland and Andean South America
- Cultural anthropology of Texas and the Plains
- Medical anthropology of the U.S.-Mexico border region
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
| Anthropology (MA) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Admission is only available for the Fall semester | ||
| Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
| English Language Proficiency | 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 | |
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Resume | Required | |
| Writing Sample | Required preferably a 10–25 page term or research paper. | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 3 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Anthropology (MA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Students can expect to hear back on an admission decision within 4 to 6 weeks after March 15. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Fall 2025 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Spring | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer | Not Available | Not Available | |
Funding Opportunities
ResourcesCareer Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
