This program is not accepting applications for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Master of Arts in Anthropology

Gain advanced training in the social sciences to prepare for a PhD program or a career outside of academia with the Master of Arts in Anthropology in Temple University’s College of Liberal Arts. This 30-credit master’s program integrates the field’s four traditional subfields—archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and sociocultural anthropology—and is structured around two thematic areas: Evolution and Human Environments, and Mobility and Global Inequality. 

Evolution and Human Environments examines the origins and development of all forms of human adaptations in the biosocial realm. This area emphasizes ecological, geographic and spatial-historical data, and quantitative analyses grounded in evolutionary theory.

Mobility and Global Inequality explores the social processes and institutions that impact peoples’ movement and inform their experiences based on social inequalities, resource distribution and power inequities. Students study ethnographic, linguistic, and visual data and analytical methods rooted in contemporary theory in the social sciences.

The Anthropology MA is led by faculty who have expertise in the following subfields.

  • Anthropological linguistics
  • Biological anthropology
  • Medical anthropology 
  • Prehistoric and historic archaeology
  • Sociocultural anthropology
  • Visual anthropology 

Conduct fieldwork and acquire the skills you need to perform work in both academic and professional settings. The culminating event for the program is a comprehensive exam designed to assess your knowledge gained in the five core courses.

Program Format & Curriculum

Classes for the Anthropology MA are held on Main Campus. Although designed for full-time students to complete in two years, part-time students can take up to three years to complete. 

Core courses include foundational coursework in the thematic areas, history of the discipline, and professional training in ethics and grant writing. Electives offer specialization in the literature, theory, and unique subdisciplinary perspectives or expansion of anthropological methods training.

Students complete the following required core courses.

  • Ethical Considerations in Anthropological Research 
  • Evolution, Human Environments and the Culture Niche 
  • Funding and Grant Writing in Anthropology 
  • History of Anthropological Theory 
  • Mobility and Global Inequality 

Students select one of the following required methods-focused courses.

  • Anthropological Problems in Visual Production.
  • Anthropology of Public Culture
  • Field Session in Archaeology
  • Fieldwork in Ethnography
  • Language as Social Action
  • Language Socialization and Cultural Reproduction
  • Methods in Archaeology
  • Methods in Linguistic Anthropology
  • Methods in Physical Anthropology
  • Quantitative Analysis of Anthropological Data
  • Teaching of Anthropology

Learn more about Anthropology MA courses.

Related Graduate Degrees

Our Community

The College of Liberal Arts at Temple comprises many academic disciplines and research areas. Now more than ever, an interdisciplinary liberal arts education is invaluable for your future pursuits. It offers the opportunity to further push your drive to create real change in the world, here at Temple and beyond. In this graduate program, you’ll work closely with diverse faculty members who are highly esteemed in their field and with a curious, passionate community of peers.  

Tuition & Fees

In keeping with Temple’s commitment to access and affordability, this Master of Arts offers a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.

Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. These tuition costs apply to the 2023–2024 academic year.

Pennsylvania resident: $1,053.00 per credit
Out-of-state: $1,449.00 per credit

You can view the full Cost of Attendance breakdown on the Student Financial Services website.

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