The Department of Anthropology of the Florida State University offers two (2) thesis-type programs for the Master's degree: Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.). An overall "B" average is required to remain in either of the programs.
Minimum standards for admission to the graduate program of the Department of Anthropology are:
- An upper-division cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for their junior and senior years of undergraduate work. We recommend you review FSU's Upper-Division GPA Computation Guidelines. Students must have satisfactory grades in the required undergraduate prerequisite coursework for the specialization which they wish to pursue;
- Official transcripts must be sent from each college and/or university attended to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Transcripts are considered official when they bear an official seal and signature and are sent directly from the issuing college or university to FSU. Any transcripts uploaded by the applicant are not considered to be official transcripts. Transfer credit posted on the records of other institutions is not accepted in lieu of transcripts from the original institutions.
- The Revised Graduate Record Examination (rGRE) requirement has been waived until the 2026 application cycle.
- To be competitive, applicants with degrees in disciplines other than Anthropology should have a strong undergraduate coursework foundation in archaeology, cultural anthropology, physical anthropology and the history of anthropology. Archaeology candidates are strongly encouraged to have field experience.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation from former instructors, employers, or supervisors who know the student's work. Letters from former university level instructors are preferred.
- Original writing sample pertaining to the field of Anthropology. The guidelines for the writing sample can be found at the following link>>
Writing Sample Guidelines for application to the FSU Anthropology Graduate Program. - For students whose native language is not English, an official TOEFL score of 80 is required by the University.
- A Statement of Purpose (sometimes referred to as a Statement of Intent) not to exceed 1000 words, clearly identifying and containing:
- the reasons for your interest in anthropology,
- the subdiscipline of anthropology you intend to pursue,
- your career objectives,
- your proposed thesis project.
All application documents (all transcripts, writing samples, letters of recommendation and statement of intent) must be received by February 1st, 2025. Classes are entered in the fall semester of each year.
The graduate application is online @ FSU On-line Application Portal
If there are questions about requirements, program offerings, or deadlines, please contact our Academic Program Specialist, Kyle Christensen at Kyle.Christensen@fsu.edu