Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology (PAS) Building on Waterloo's South Campus, across from Laurel Creek.
Learn how to use anthropological theories and findings to understand and address important issues in public discourse with the Master of Arts in Anthropology (Public Issues) program.
From prehistoric humanity all the way to contemporary cultural diversity, anthropologists engage with a wide range of issues and phenomena that affect individual and public life.
In this 16-month program, you can choose to focus on traditional research topics and methods within your chosen sub-discipline, emphasizing in your thesis the public implications of your findings. Or you can take an interdisciplinary approach and explore topics that span multiple sub-disciplines or non-traditional anthropological research topics and methodologies.
You’ll conduct research, take courses, and collaborate with top scholars while gaining valuable analytical and communication skills. Upon graduation, you’ll be a well-rounded expert who is prepared for a variety of careers in academia, archaeology, advocacy, communications, community outreach, education, government, marketing, and research.
Program overview
Department/School: Department of Anthropology
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Master's, Research
Length of program: 16 months
Registration option(s): Full-time
Study option(s):Thesis
Application deadlines
- February 1 (for admission in September)
Key contacts
Miljana Kovacevic, Graduate Coordinator
miljana.kovacevic@uwaterloo.ca
Admission limitations
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.
I became interested in using data science and bioinformatics in anthropology because it can allow new explorations of old data by re-analyzing ancient DNA to answer fresh questions. This method is crucial as ethical concerns about destructive sampling in ancient DNA research grow.
Supervisors
- Review the finding a supervisor resources.
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.
Degree requirements
- Review the degree requirements in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree.
- Check out Waterloo's institutional thesis repository - UWspace to see recent submissions from the Department of Anthropology graduate students.
Application materials
- Statement of interest
- A statement of maximum 500 words explaining your interest in and fit for the program you’re applying to, uploaded as a supporting document in the online application. Review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion.
- References
- Two academic references are required.
- Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
- TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)
Tuition and fees
- Visit the graduate program tuition page on the Finance website to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program.
- Review living costs and housing.
- Review the funding graduate school resources for graduate students.