Admissions Process

• PhD admission requirements
• MA admission requirements

Before Applying

Please read through this information: Winning Acceptance to the Graduate Program of Your Choice (pdf 614k)

Applicants are encouraged to identify potential supervisors in advance of the review of their application, by contacting one or more potentially suitable faculty members. Please review the faculty members' webpages for potential availability and fit.

When contacting a potential supervisor, it is recommended you send an email including:

• a detailed CV
• a statement indicating your interest in their program of research
• a brief background statement reviewing your related courses and work/research experience.

The applicant should not expect any confirmation of willingness to supervise at the inquiry stage, however; many expressions of interest are received by potential supervisors each year, and all completed applications received by the deadline must receive due consideration.

How to Apply

The application is submitted through an online application system on the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research website. All supporting documentation must be uploaded in the application system prior to submission.

The supporting documentation required is:

1. Unofficial scan of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. This also applies to University of Alberta students. Applicants who are still enrolled in courses at the time of application should provide a list of those courses that do not appear on their transcripts. Applicants with international credentials must follow the additional documentation requirements. Only applicants with successful applications will be required to provide the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research with official copies of their transcripts.
2. A definitive statement of intent specifying the area of interest and plans for study in the graduate program. The statement of intent should be approximately two pages in length and include:
   • Last academic degree and degree sought at the University of Alberta
   • Anthropology background and relevant work/volunteer experience
   • Brief statement of interest, topological and geographical, including desired subfield specialization in anthropology
   • Potential thesis research topic
   • Potential supervisor(s) and if you have contacted them
3. A detailed curriculum vitae (CV). Include post-secondary education, list of awards, publications, presentations, and relevant work and volunteer experience. You can use the form provided through the online application or submit your own.
4. Three (3) original academic letters of reference. Provide the contact information, including email address, of your three referees in the online application system. Upon submission of your application (i.e. payment of the application fee) your referees will be sent an email containing a link that will allow them to securely submit their reference. The referee must fill out the form and upload a letter of reference. It is recommended that you select referees who have the best knowledge of your academic work and can speak to your ability to succeed in a graduate program.
5. Written sample of recent work in English (e.g. marked paper, published article, article manuscript, MA thesis or part thereof). This will be used to assess analytical ability.
6. Applicants whose primary language of instruction was not English at their post-secondary institution must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting official TOEFL or IELTS results.

To decrease application processing times it is recommended that applications and supporting documentation be submitted at least three weeks prior to the application deadline. The earlier your application is submitted and complete, the sooner the adjudication process can be started after the application deadline.