Many students choose to specialize in a particular anthropological field as a direct path to a professional career, a PhD in Anthropology or another professional field such as law or medicine. Students who choose a concentration complete a set of required courses as part of the 36-credit hours required for the MA program.
Questions? Contact the appropriate concentration advisor.
The 15-credit international development concentration provides perspective on the causes and consequences of world problems like hunger, health, economic globalization and forced migration, and prepares students for careers in development work or PhD training. Students with no prior professional experience are especially encouraged to find internships at local and international organizations. Note: It is possible to double-concentrate in International Development and Health, Science, Society.
Students in the International Development concentration gain skills including:
Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
Four-field foundation (3-12 credits)
Students with advanced undergraduate classes may be waived out of any of the proseminars other than Sociocultural Anthropology
Development concentration (15 credits)
Electives (9-18 credits, depending on the number of proseminars taken). Popular options include courses in:
Culminating Project (no credits)
Health, Science, and Society focuses on cross-cultural patterns of health, illness and healing within the context of cultural change. This 15 credit hour concentration, within the overall MA program of 36 credit hours, offers two focus areas: Medical Anthropology and Science and Technology Studies. Each focus area requires a cornerstone seminar.
Required course work:
The Medical Anthropology focus area emphasizes coursework on cross-cultural health, illness, and healing with attention to global, regional, and local social change; social inequality and health justice; and health programs and policies. Courses include theoretical inquiry, ethnographic content, and research and analytical skills.
Advisor: Prof. Barbara Miller is the advisor for students opting for the medical anthropology focus area within the Health, Science, and Society Concentration.
Required courses for the 15 credit-hour concentration:
TOTAL 15 credits:
3 credits cornerstone course (ANTH 6505)
6 credits methods courses
6 credits sociocultural anthropology courses
Beyond the 15 credit hours for the concentration:
Students have ample opportunities to enrich their degree through electives. Depending on the student’s program of studies, electives may constitute 12 or more credits out of the total 36 in the MA degree.
Students seeking a more theoretical program of studies opt to take additional sociocultural anthropology seminars at GW and through the consortium. The consortium includes American University and the University of Maryland, both of which have doctoral programs in anthropology.
Students interested in a more professional degree will find a rich array of course options at GW and in the consortium in fields such as international development, science and technology studies, health policy, human rights and law, environmental health, and more. GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs, School of Public Health, and Law School will find ample opportunities for course work that lends professional expertise to their program
of studies.
Students may be interested in using elective credits to take a range of 1-credit “skills” courses offered at GW, for example, as offered by the Elliott School (https://elliott.gwu.edu/professional-skills-courses).
The museum training concentration prepares students for the scholarly and curatorial side of museum work. Students complete 12-15 of the required 36 master’s credits through courses offered by the GW Museum Studies Program. Students in this concentration usually complete an internship at a local museum in lieu of a thesis.
Eligible Graduate Courses With a Museum Focus
