Admissions and Financial Aid

Introduction

Admissions to the MA program is open competitively to students holding an Honours or Major BA in Anthropology, although special provisions are made in the MA program in Medical Anthropology for students with expertise in health science who lack a strong background in Anthropology. Outstanding candidates with Bachelor's degrees in other disciplines but with substantial background related to Anthropology are somtimes admitted on the condition that they complete a specified number of additional courses in Anthropology. The applicants we admit usually have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 and above.

Admission to the PhD program is open to those with a BA or an MA in Anthropology, although we may in special circumstances admit candidates with Master's degrees in related disciplines. Copies of research papers are also essential to our assessment. For PhD applicants who have followed thesis MA programs, a copy of the MA thesis, in draft or final form, is mandatory. All admissions for the academic year, which begins in September, are decided as a group the previous spring. Individual admissions will not be considered at other times in the year. The nature of the student's intellectual and research interests is a second important factor. Our program requires that applicants have a focus and see themselves moving in a particular direction. MA applicants should have at least a tentative commitment to a particular sub-discipline, approach, or research issue. PhD applicants should have a fairly well-delineated research problem. To judge this factor, we give serious attention to the Statement of Purpose, considering its degree of focus, intellectual sophistication, and creativity. The decision to admit depends on correspondence of the student's interests with interests and resources available in the Department. Some applicants with excellent records, worthwhile interests, and promising futures are not admitted to our Department because we do not feel able to serve their particular needs. Since the number of students that can be admitted each year is limited, final decisions are made on a competitive basis.

GRE

We look for students capable of working at the research frontiers of the discipline who can benefit from the opportunity to design and carry out their own program. We put great weight on a high level of intellectual capacity and achievement. University grades as well as the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are taken as a good index of these factors. GRE (general exam) scores www.gre.org are mandatory for all applicants and the exam should be taken no later than December. Registration for the December exam takes place before mid-October. Write to Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 008541-6000, U.S.A., or call 609-771-7670. Graduate Record Examination scores above 600 are regarded as competitive. The TOEFL www.toefl.org examination is required for students whose first language is not English.

APPLICATION FORM (Deadline: JANUARY 15, 2012)

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (mandatory for admissions)

1. Statement of Purpose (1 to 2 pages describing your current interests in anthropology, your reasons for wishing to pursue them at McGill. Do not fill the section "Applicant Statement" online; you will submit your statement under separate cover.)

2. Sample of Written Work (All applicants must submit a sample of their academic writing of no more than 40 pages. Individuals applying to the PhD program must submit a draft or final version of their MA thesis.)

3. Transcripts (TWO original, official copies are required from all previous universities listed in your application including all transfer credit transcripts.)

4. Graduate Studies Admissions Checklist [.doc]

6. Graduate Studies Letter of Recommendation [.pdf] (TWO letters are required. They should be completed and returned directly to the Department of Anthropology by your referees.)

MAIL YOUR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO
Graduate Admissions
Department of Anthropology
McGill University Stephen Leacock Bldg., 855 Sherbrooke St. West #718
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 2T7 Canada

Funding Opportunities/Financial Support

The Department offers a limited number of teaching assistantships which pay approximately $4,498.00 and require 180 hours of work per term and McGill University offers you a variety of funding opportunities. For further details, please visit http://www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/funding.

Cost of Study

The minimum residence requirement are three terms for the MA and six terms (3 years) for the PhD program. International students are also required to pay for compulsory medical health insurance. Details can be found here: Graduate Fees.

Cost of Living and Housing

Living costs are average for a large metropolitan area in North America. Fellowships and teaching assistantships are considered adequate income for a single student with no dependents. A limited number of rooms and apartments are available on campus for graduate students.
On-Campus Housing: 514-398-6050; grad [dot] residences [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Email )
Off-Campus Housing: 514-398-6010; www.mcgill.ca/students/housing/offcampus; www.mcgill.ca/students/housing/offcampus/listings