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Admission requirements

To be considered for admission, a candidate must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Honours bachelor’s degree majoring in Anthropology with a minimum 75% (B) average in the final two years of a four-year program OR
  • Honours bachelor’s degree in any social science or humanities field with a minimum 75% (B) average in the final two years of their program, and have taken at least five courses in Anthropology that include content in ethnography, and either Biological or Archeological Anthropology OR
  • Honours bachelor’s degree in natural sciences with a minimum 75% (B) average in the final two years of their program and have taken at least five courses in Anthropology that include content in anthropological theory, ethnography, and either Biological or Archeological Anthropology.

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Application deadline: February 1

All Waterloo graduate program applications are completed via our online application. The application support material must be submitted in electronic file format. Or, if you have paper documents, they can be scanned into e-files (e.g. PDF) and uploaded to the application.

Online application must include:

  • Two letters of reference from academic sources
  • Statement of research interest (approximately 500 words)
  • Copies of official transcripts/degree(s) from all previous post-secondary institutions 
  • Proof of competency in English (if applicable)

At a Glance:

Application deadline

  • February 1 (for admission in September)

Study options

  • Thesis

Minimum admission requirements

  • An Honours Bachelor's degree with at least a 75% overall standing with 78% in the major. The expectation is that the undergraduate degree will be in Anthropology, but students with at least 5 courses in Anthropology may be admitted as long as these were part of a major in another social science or humanities program. The program will also accept students with a background in the natural sciences, as long as the 5 Anthropology courses they have taken include content in both ethnography and anthropological theory.
  • Students must demonstrate to the Advisory Committee competence in theory and methods adequate for study at the graduate level, e.g., through completing undergraduate courses which include these topics.
  • Two academic references
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable. TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Approximate tuition, fees, and living costs

  • To determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program, visit the Graduate program tuition page on the Finance website. Once you are on the page:
    • Choose your program type: master’s & diploma programs or doctoral programs
    • Choose your residency status: Canadian/permanent resident or international
    • Choose a term (tuition amounts for future terms are posted approximately two months prior to the start of each term and incidental fees are subject to change)
    • Find your program under the appropriate faculty. Tuition amounts are listed per term, with three terms occurring over the course of a year.
  • Review the study and living costs

Due to funding restrictions, the Faculty of Arts is currently limiting the number of international students we can admit. Please contact the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.