Society for Medical Anthropology

A section of the American Anthropological Association

Academic Resources: Graduate Programs

 

University of Pittsburgh

Degrees offered:

  • M.A, Ph.D, and Ph.D/MPH

Core Medical Anthropology Faculty:

  • Profs. Joseph S. Alter,Kathleen M. DeWalt, and Andrew J. Strathern

Other Faculty:

  • Profs. Horacio Fabrega (professor of psychiatry, WPIC)and Martha Terry (research associate, GSPH; adjunct research associate, anthropology)

The MA in Anthropology

  • Completion of a master's degree takes approximately two years. Requirements include 30 credits of coursework; a foreign language; a course in quantitative methods (for students in archaeology and physical anthropology) or a course in field methods (for students in cultural anthropology); a core course (cultural anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology, or linguistics) or a written MA exam; and a research paper.

The PhD in Anthropology

  • The PhD program normally requires about five years, and is completely separate from the MA program. That is, students may enter the PhD program directly following their undergraduate degree, and do not necessarily earn a master's degree (although earning the master's degree can be incorporated into the PhD program without increasing the total length of time needed). Students who have already earned a master's degree elsewhere can often receive credit for previous coursework which may shorten the time needed to earn a PhD by as much as a year. Requirements for the PhD include 72 credits of coursework; a foreign language; three of four core courses (cultural anthropology, archeology, physical anthropology, or anthropological linguistics); two quantitative methods courses (for students in archeology and physical anthropology) or a course in field methods and a course in contemporary theory (for students in cultural anthropology); written comprehensive examinations; fieldwork or equivalent research; and the dissertation.

Joint Degree
PhD (Anthropology)/MPH Program

  • In this new program, the student earns an MPH (master of public health in behavioral and community health science) as part of the PhD in anthropology.
  • Medical anthropology is a broad, dynamic field that examines the effect of social and cultural factors on health care. Training in medical anthropology therefore directly links to some of the primary issues of public health. This joint degree program prepares the student for research, teaching, and public policy planning relating to the cultural aspects of health and health care in the U.S. or in an international setting.
  • This joint degree program is designed to provide the student with broader expertise, theoretical perspective, and methodological skills than might be provided by either an MPH or anthropology degree alone.

Program Description

  • The joint degree program makes it possible to complete both degrees within five years. The typical program consists of completion of coursework in the first three years, a fourth year in dissertation field research, and a fifth year in dissertation writing.
  • The student takes a total of 87 total credit hours (most courses are three credits) of which 60 are in required courses (24 in Anthropology and 36 in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). The remaining credits can be earned through elective courses in Anthropology and through independent study/reading/dissertation courses.
  • The program is structured so that the student meets the general PhD requirements for anthropology including the core course, comprehensive exam, and language requirements (see: www.pitt.edu/~pittanth/grad.html), and the requirements for a concentration in medical anthropology).
  • Under most circumstances, the MPH essay/thesis requirement will be met by the doctoral dissertation, so that the MPH will be awarded at the same time as the PhD. As an option, the student can choose to obtain an MPH at an earlier point by writing a separate MPH essay/thesis, and completing the MPH course requirements.
  • Current and recent research by students in this program include:cultural constructions of AIDS in Indonesia;
    political economy of tuberculosis in Chile; biomedical practitioners and alternative medicine in Bolivia; and
    the politics of public health policy in Miskito regions of Nicaragua.
    Contact Info:

Graduate Secretary

  • Phyllis Deasy
    3302 WWPH
    412-648-7504
    pdeasy@pitt.edu