economic anthropology phd

Anthropology

Ph.d. program.

• Graduate Studies

The graduate program in Brown’s anthropology department encourages a diversity of doctoral research agendas in socio-cultural anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and linguistic anthropology.

Our program balances a rigorous curriculum of core classes with more specialized training in advanced courses. Our graduate seminars and independent study courses provide an engaging and rigorous tutorial approach to training. Graduate courses offered this academic year are listed on  Courses@Brown .

Brown’s graduate program is primarily PhD granting; students are not admitted to the department solely to seek a Master’s degree. Doctoral students complete requirements for a Master’s degree during their course of study, as well as additional requirements described below.

Degree Requirements

Generally awarded as part of the overall requirements for a Ph.D.

Four core courses

• ANTH2010: Principles of Cultural Anthropology
• ANTH 2020: Methods of Anthropological Research (or equivalent)
• ANTH 2501: Principles of Archaeology
• ANTH 2800: Linguistic Theory and Practice
• Four approved electives
• A Master’s Thesis
• 12 additional elective courses beyond the 8 required for the Master’s Degree (or the fulfillment of equivalent through coursework at another university) 
• Preliminary examinations in three topics
• One year of teaching experience, usually as a teaching assistant
• Approved research proposal for doctoral research
• Foreign language requirement (if required by the candidate’s doctoral committee)
• Dissertation, based on independent field research

More detailed information about the program, including a general outline of the timeline for completing the program, can be found in the Anthropology Graduate Handbook . 

Specialized Ph.D. Tracks

They choose a topic within Anthropological Demography as one of their preliminary examination topics, participate in the activities of the Working Group in Anthropology and Population, and attend the regular colloquia of the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC). PSTC also has a set of requirements trainees must meet. Special fellowships are available to students in this program.

More information @ PSTC

The program offers specialized courses, funds field-based research, provides fellowships, hosts visiting faculty, and promotes collaborative research initiatives with partner institutions in the global south. The program builds on a core group of faculty internationally renowned for their research and scholarship in the area of development and inequality. Program activities are open to all PhD students at Brown. All trainees and fellows are eligible for summer fieldwork research grants.

More information @ Watson

Medical anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that seeks to understand human experiences of health, illness, and suffering. Medical anthropologists study topics such as global health, local health systems, indigenous medicine, violence and trauma, disability and the body, gender and sexuality, biotechnology, bioethics, and social suffering. Brown’s PhD program offers an array of opportunities for students seeking specialized training in medical anthropology. Brown’s anthropology faculty are actively engaged in researching a wide variety of topics within the subfield of medical anthropology, including HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, mental illness, reproductive health, gender and sexuality, violence and trauma, biotechnology, language and medicine, anthropology of drugs, and bio-archaeology.

For more information, contact  Professor Daniel J. Smith or  Professor Katherine A. Mason.

Economic Anthropology: Bridging the Gap Between Economics and Culture

In our rapidly globalizing world, understanding the intersection of economics and culture has never been more crucial. Enter economic anthropology – a discipline that provides invaluable insights into this complex relationship, bridging the gap between economics and culture.

Table of Contents

What is Economic Anthropology?

Economic anthropology is a specialized subfield of anthropology that delves into the complex realm of human economic behavior.

This unique field employs a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating methodologies and theories from both economics and anthropology, to provide a comprehensive understanding of economic systems.

Rather than solely relying on quantitative data such as numbers and graphs, economic anthropology contextualizes these figures within the framework of cultural norms, societal structures, and historical precedents.

This holistic perspective allows for a deeper comprehension of economic phenomena, beyond the surface level of mere financial transactions.

Contrasting with mainstream economics, which predominantly focuses on market behaviors, economic models, and theories, economic anthropology extends its scope to highlight the diversity of economic practices across various cultures and societies.

It recognizes that economic activities do not exist in a vacuum but are intrinsically linked with cultural values , social relationships, and historical contexts.

Economic anthropology explores how people’s values, beliefs, and social relationships shape their economic decisions and actions.

By doing so, it underscores the fact that economic behaviors are not merely driven by rational calculations of profit and loss, but are also deeply influenced by cultural factors.

From gift-giving to bartering, from communal sharing to capitalist trading, this field reveals the myriad ways in which humans engage in economic activities, offering invaluable insights into the multifaceted nature of economies around the world.

In essence, economic anthropology bridges the gap between the economic and the social, blending the analytical tools of economics with the cultural sensitivity of anthropology. It enriches our understanding of economic life by shedding light on the social and cultural underpinnings of economic behavior.

The Cultural Dimensions of Economics

Economic anthropology provides a unique lens to view the complex interplay between economic behavior and culture. It underscores the profound influence that cultural norms, values, and societal structures exert on economic activities.

This perspective is vital in understanding the diversity of economic practices across different societies and cultures.

One fundamental concept that bears the imprint of cultural variation is money.

In the context of modern economies, money is typically perceived as a medium for buying and selling goods and services. However, this understanding is not universal. In certain cultures, money transcends its economic function and takes on a social role, serving as a tool for fostering relationships and maintaining social exchanges.

For instance, in some Pacific Island cultures, traditional forms of money like shell money or feather money are used in significant social ceremonies, such as marriages or funerals, reinforcing social bonds and obligations.

Such practices highlight how the concept of money can be embedded within a rich tapestry of social and cultural meanings beyond its basic economic function.

The cultural dimensions of economics also extend to perceptions of work, wealth, and consumption. These aspects, which are central to any economy, are profoundly shaped by the cultural contexts in which they exist.

For example, in many traditional societies, wealth is not gauged by individual accumulation of material possessions. Instead, it is measured by one’s contributions to the community, reflecting values of reciprocity and communal solidarity.

Consumption patterns also reflect cultural values, with some societies favoring modesty and sustainability over ostentatious displays of wealth and wastefulness .

Bridging the Gap

Economic anthropology plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between economics and culture. By focusing on the cultural dimensions of economic behavior, it offers a more holistic view of economic systems.

It underscores that these systems are not merely mechanical constructs driven by supply and demand or profit and loss. Instead, they are intricate social structures shaped by people with their unique cultural identities, social relationships, and ethical values.

This perspective illuminates how economic activities are embedded within broader cultural and social contexts.

For instance, it helps us understand why certain economic policies succeed in one cultural setting but fail in another.

Or why some business strategies are effective in one market but not in others.

These insights remind us that economic phenomena cannot be fully understood or predicted without taking into account the cultural factors at play.

Moreover, economic anthropology has significant practical implications.

It can inform policy-making and business strategies by providing a nuanced understanding of how cultural differences influence economic behavior.

For example, an economic policy aimed at promoting entrepreneurship can be more effective if it takes into account cultural attitudes towards risk-taking and innovation.

Similarly, a business strategy designed for a global market can be more successful if it considers cultural preferences and norms related to consumption and customer service.

By including cultural considerations in economic planning and decision-making, policy-makers and business leaders can design more inclusive and culturally sensitive economic policies and practices.

This can lead to better economic outcomes, such as higher economic growth, lower inequality, and greater customer satisfaction.

Key Concepts in Economic Anthropology

Economic Anthropology is a rich field of study that introduces several key concepts that help us understand the intersection of economics and culture. Here are some of the most important ones:

Embeddedness

The concept of ’embeddedness’ was introduced by Karl Polanyi, who argued that economic activities are not separate from social life but are deeply intertwined with it.

According to this theory, economic behaviors and institutions are embedded within broader social structures and cultural practices. This means that to fully understand economic phenomena, we have to look at the social relationships, cultural beliefs, and societal norms that surround them.

Informal Economy

The term ‘informal economy’ was coined by Keith Hart and refers to economic activities that are not regulated by the state or covered by formal labor laws.

This includes everything from street vending and home-based businesses to illegal activities like smuggling.

The informal economy is particularly significant in developing countries, where a large proportion of economic activity takes place outside the formal sector.

Understanding the informal economy helps us recognize the diversity and complexity of economic life beyond the boundaries of formal, state-regulated economies.

Gift Economy

A gift economy is a type of economic system where goods and services are not traded or sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards.

This concept, studied extensively by Marcel Mauss, challenges traditional economic theories that assume that individuals always act out of self-interest.

In many cultures, gift-giving is a crucial part of social relationships and carries significant moral and symbolic meanings.

Subsistence Economy

A subsistence economy is one where people produce most or all of the goods they consume, often through hunting, gathering, or small-scale farming.

Marshall Sahlins’ work on ‘Stone Age Economics’ highlighted the richness and sustainability of these economies, challenging the notion that technological progress and economic growth are the only paths to prosperity.

Cultural Economy

The concept of ‘cultural economy’ emphasizes the influence of cultural beliefs and practices on economic behavior.

This perspective recognizes that economic activities are not just about making a living or accumulating wealth, but also about expressing cultural identities, fulfilling social obligations, and pursuing moral and aesthetic values.

Each of these concepts offers unique insights into the complex interplay between economics and culture. By exploring these concepts, economic anthropology provides a more nuanced and holistic understanding of economic life.

Influential Economic Anthropologists: Pioneers and Thought Leaders

Economic anthropology has been shaped by numerous scholars whose innovative ideas and pioneering research have greatly contributed to our understanding of the complex interplay between economics and culture.

Here are a few influential figures in the field:

Bronisław Malinowski

Bronisław Kasper Malinowski , a Polish-British anthropologist and ethnologist, is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in the field of anthropology, particularly in economic and social anthropology.

His innovative research methods and insightful theories have had a profound impact on the discipline.

Malinowski is often hailed as the “father of field research” due to his pioneering use of immersive ethnographic practices .

During World War I, he spent a significant amount of time conducting fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands , an archipelago located in the Solomon Sea off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea.

This intensive and immersive approach to research, which later became fundamental to anthropological study, allowed him to gain a deep understanding of the local culture, society, and economy.

One of Malinowski’s key contributions to economic anthropology was his study of the Kula Ring , a complex ceremonial exchange system practiced by the Trobriand Islanders.

Unlike traditional Western economic theories that focus on monetary transactions and individual profit, the Kula Ring revolves around the reciprocal exchange of symbolic goods for the purpose of establishing and reinforcing social relationships.

This system challenged prevailing Western economic theories by highlighting the social and cultural dimensions of economic behavior.

In addition to his work on the Kula Ring, Malinowski is also known for developing the theory of functionalism . This theoretical framework suggests that every aspect of a culture, including its economic practices, serves specific social functions and contributes to the overall stability of the society.

Marshall Sahlins

Marshall Sahlins , an American anthropologist and ethnographer, has made significant contributions to the field of economic anthropology. He is renowned for his groundbreaking work, ‘ Stone Age Economics ‘, which continues to influence contemporary research in anthropology, economics, and related fields.

‘Stone Age Economics’, first published in 1974, is a collection of six influential essays that examine the economic systems of early human communities.

In this seminal work, Sahlins explores notions of production, distribution, and exchange, highlighting the intricate relationships between economic practices and cultural and social factors.

This perspective challenges traditional economic theories that often overlook these connections.

One of the most notable concepts introduced by Sahlins in ‘Stone Age Economics’ is the ‘Original Affluent Society’.

Contrary to the common perception of hunter-gatherer societies as impoverished and constantly struggling for survival, Sahlins argued that these societies were in fact affluent.

He posited that their affluence was not due to an abundance of resources, but rather to their low consumption needs and sustainable lifestyle. This theory sparked a major rethinking of the nature of economic life in early human societies and continues to be a topic of debate and discussion among scholars.

Karl Polanyi

Karl Polanyi, a Hungarian-American political economist, is another prominent figure in the field of economic anthropology. His influential work, ‘ The Great Transformation ‘, has become a cornerstone of the discipline and continues to shape contemporary research.

‘The Great Transformation’, first published in 1944, is a comprehensive analysis of the rise and impact of the market economy in the 19th century.

Polanyi’s critical examination of the economic and social changes brought about by this transformation offers a profound critique of the self-regulating market and its effects on society.

One of Polanyi’s most significant contributions in ‘The Great Transformation’ is the concept of ’embeddedness.’

This theory argues that economies are not separate entities operating independently of society. Instead, they are deeply embedded within social institutions and are shaped by social relationships, cultural norms, and political factors.

This perspective challenges traditional economic theories that view the economy as an autonomous domain governed by its own laws.

Polanyi’s concept of ’embeddedness’ has been instrumental in shaping economic anthropology by highlighting the importance of social and cultural factors in understanding economic phenomena.

It has also influenced other fields such as sociology and political science, where it has been used to analyze the interplay between economic practices and social structures.

In addition to ‘The Great Transformation’, Polanyi is also known for his work on the ‘double movement’ theory, which describes the tension between the market’s demands for self-regulation and society’s need for social protection.

Clifford Geertz

Clifford James Geertz , an American anthropologist renowned for his work on cultural symbols and meaning, made significant contributions to the field of anthropology.

Born on August 23, 1926, in San Francisco, California, Geertz is remembered for his profound insights into non-Western societies and his innovative approach to anthropological research.

Early in his career, Geertz critiqued the scientific models widely used in the social sciences, rejecting the causal determinism that often characterized these approaches. He was a champion of symbolic anthropology , which emphasizes the role of thought, or “symbols”, in society.

Geertz is perhaps best known for his work on bazaar-type economies in Morocco and Indonesia.

His studies provided valuable insights into the complexities of economic life in these societies, challenging Western-centric perspectives and highlighting the diversity of economic systems.

His research underscored the importance of understanding local cultures, traditions, and social norms in interpreting economic behaviors.

One of Geertz’s most influential concepts is ‘ thick description ‘, a methodological approach he pioneered.

This approach calls for detailed, contextualized, and interpretive accounts of social phenomena, rather than reductive, abstract explanations.

‘Thick description’ has had a profound impact on the field of anthropology, emphasizing the need to understand cultural practices in their specific contexts.

Geertz’s work laid the foundation for the development of interpretive anthropology, which focuses on understanding societies from the perspective of the people who live within them. His seminal book, ‘ The Interpretation of Cultures ‘ published in 1973, encapsulates this approach and remains a key text in anthropology 7 .

Throughout his career, Geertz held several distinguished positions, including Professor Emeritus of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He passed away on October 30, 2006, leaving behind a rich legacy of groundbreaking research and theory in anthropology.

Keith Hart, a British anthropologist and writer, has made significant contributions to the field of economic anthropology. His research has focused primarily on economic anthropology, with particular emphasis on informal economies in developing countries.

Hart is widely recognized for coining the term ‘informal sector’ in his groundbreaking study on urban labor markets in West Africa.

This concept refers to economic activities that are not regulated by the state and are often overlooked in official statistics. Examples include street vending, unregistered small businesses, and casual labor.

His work has shed light on the importance and prevalence of informal economies, particularly in developing countries where formal job opportunities may be limited.

Hart argues that these economies play a crucial role in poverty alleviation, income generation, and social integration, and should therefore be recognized and integrated into economic analysis and policy-making.

Hart’s research has significantly influenced our understanding of economic systems, challenging conventional views and highlighting the diversity and complexity of economic practices. His work underscores the need for a more inclusive and nuanced approach to economics, one that takes into account the realities of people’s everyday lives.

In addition to his research on informal economies, Hart has also contributed to debates on money, markets, and globalization. His writings explore the changing nature of money in the context of global capitalism and the impact of these changes on societies and individuals.

Maurice Godelier

Maurice Godelier, born on February 28, 1934, is a renowned French anthropologist known for his influential work in Marxist anthropology .

Godelier has made significant contributions to the field of anthropology, specifically in understanding the relationship between economic structures and social relations.

His research is grounded in the belief that economies are not autonomous entities but are fundamentally shaped by social relations. Conversely, these social relations themselves are influenced and transformed by economic conditions.

An advocate of structural Marxism, Godelier has extensively studied and written about the intricate interplay between economic systems and societal structures. He proposed that society must adapt to changing economic circumstances, thereby underscoring the dynamic nature of social structures.

Godelier’s research has taken him to various parts of the world, most notably Papua New Guinea, where he conducted fieldwork among the Baruya tribe. His studies provided invaluable insights into the complexities of non-Western societies and the diverse forms of economic systems that exist within them.

Among his numerous publications, “ The Enigma of the Gift ” stands out as a seminal work. In this book, Godelier reassesses the significance of gifts in social life, focusing on their role in building and maintaining social relationships.

In recognition of his contributions to the discipline, Godelier has received several prestigious awards, including the CNRS Gold Medal and the Alexander von Humboldt Prize.

Karen Ho, an esteemed American anthropologist, made significant strides in the field of economic anthropology, particularly within the realm of finance.

Ho’s groundbreaking research centers on Wall Street, the heart of global finance. Through her extensive ethnographic study, she provides a unique lens into the culture of finance, revealing how cultural beliefs, practices, and ideologies shape financial markets and contribute to economic crises.

Her work notably punctures the abstract aura of all-powerful markets, offering a nuanced understanding of financial booms and busts. By delving deep into the everyday practices and beliefs of financial professionals, Ho illuminates how Wall Street’s culture of risk and reward not only influences financial transactions but also shapes wider economic realities.

One of Ho’s most influential works is “ Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street “ 6 .

In this seminal book, she offers an in-depth account of Wall Street, exploring its culture, practices, and ideologies. The book provides a critical analysis of how financial markets are constructed and operate, shedding light on the often overlooked cultural dimensions of financial activities.

In addition to her scholarly work, Ho actively engages with broader audiences, discussing the implications of her research for understanding business and power. Her insights have proven invaluable in dissecting the complexities of global finance and its impact on society.

Karen Ho’s innovative approach to the anthropology of finance continues to shed light on the complex dynamics of global finance. Her work underscores the profound influence of cultural factors on economic phenomena, making a pivotal contribution to our understanding of contemporary financial systems.

In conclusion, economic anthropology plays a vital role in our understanding of the global economy.

By bridging the gap between economics and culture, it provides a more holistic and nuanced view of economic behavior, one that recognizes the diversity and complexity of human economic practices.

As we navigate the challenges and opportunities of a globalized world, such insights will be increasingly important.

In the words of Clifford Geertz , “Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun.” Economic anthropology is the study of one such significant web – the economy – and how it is spun from the threads of both economic and cultural life.

Frequently Asked Questions About Economic Anthropology

Economic Anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that examines how people in different cultures understand, produce, and use economic resources. It looks at economics from a social and cultural perspective, focusing on how cultural beliefs and practices shape economic behavior.

Notable figures in Economic Anthropology include Bronisław Malinowski, Karl Polanyi, Marshall Sahlins, Clifford Geertz, Keith Hart, Maurice Godelier, and Karen Ho. Their research has significantly contributed to our understanding of the interplay between culture and economics.

While mainstream Economics often assumes rational, self-interested behavior and uses mathematical models to predict economic outcomes, Economic Anthropology emphasizes the influence of social and cultural factors on economic behavior. It uses ethnographic research methods to study economic phenomena in their cultural and social contexts.

Key concepts in Economic Anthropology include ’embeddedness’ (the idea that economic activities are deeply intertwined with social institutions), ‘informal economy’ (economic activities that are not regulated by the state), and ‘cultural economy’ (the influence of cultural beliefs and practices on economic behavior).

By providing a nuanced understanding of how cultural differences affect economic behavior, Economic Anthropology can help policy-makers and business leaders design more effective and culturally sensitive economic policies and practices. This can lead to better economic outcomes and greater inclusivity.

Economic Anthropology helps us understand how globalization affects and is affected by local cultures. For example, it can shed light on how global economic forces impact local economies and societies, or how cultural differences influence global trade and investment patterns.

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Economic Anthropology

Economic Anthropology is the Society for Economic Anthropology’s influential and interdisciplinary forum for research on economic and social life. The journal reports the findings of scholars from a range of disciplines including cultural anthropology, archaeology, demography, economics, ecology, geography, and history.

Economic Anthropology publishes two issues per year. Of the two issues, one allows “open submissions” of papers and features both regular-length papers and the “Symposium,” short essays by high-profile economic anthropologists responding to timely topics.  Another, guest-edited issue focuses on a topic of current debate and significance, following the thematic format of the Society’s Annual Meetings. Themed issues have addressed Greed, Landscapes of Value, Economies of Convenience, and Wealth-in-People, and other topics.

More about EA’s open submission issue and the Call for Papers

The benefits of submitting to EA are plenty:

• an impact factor that ranks highest among journals in the AAA consortium
• turnaround time frame of one year from submission to publication
• indexed in AnthroSource
• scholarly community around a shared topic

To learn more about submission guidelines, please visit the Economic Anthropology web site .

The journal’s current editorial board can be found listed on our Leadership page .

Volume 11, Issue 1

Volume 10, issue 2, volume 10, issue 1, volume 9, issue 2, volume 9, issue 1, volume 8, issue 2.

© Society for Economic Anthropology (SEA)

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Ph.D. in Anthropology

Earn Your PhD in Anthropology

Our Ph.D. program in anthropology is designed to provide a broad background in the field with a primary emphasis on sociocultural anthropology, biological anthropology, or archaeology. The degree prepares students for careers in academia, consulting, or other applied professions in the discipline. 

The major foci of research and instruction in sociocultural anthropology include religion, law and politics, ethnicity, gender, history and anthropology, problems of social change and economic development, culture and the environment, cognition and culture, and medical/psychological anthropology. The study of the Islamic world, East and Southeast Asia, and Africa are the greatest strengths among our sociocultural faculty and students. 

In biological anthropology, our faculty and students primarily study living and fossil human and non-human primates, including their evolutionary morphology, behavior, genomics, and sensory adaptations. For more information on ongoing research in biological anthropology, visit our laboratories page . 

Finally, the major foci in archaeology include human-environment interactions, urbanism, households, and material culture viewed in deep historical perspective. Faculty and students are primarily interested in Mesoamerica, North America, and the Mediterranean. To learn more about research and fieldwork in archaeology, click here .

PhD Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate mastery of the fundamentals of the traditional four subfields of American anthropology (social/cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology) sufficiently to make them effective and competent teachers of introductory undergraduate courses in general anthropology, social/cultural anthropology, and/or biological anthropology.
• Demonstrate the ability to conceive, plan, propose, carry out, and write up a major piece of anthropological research, related to current theoretical discourse in their chosen subfield and constituting a significant contribution to the discipline.
• Be able to make compelling and interesting presentations of their ideas and findings to audiences of professional anthropologists in several forms—oral, written, and graphic.
• Carry out all these tasks in a manner consonant with the highest prevailing standards of ethical and professional conduct in research and teaching.

Each year, Boston University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) offers incoming Ph.D. students Dean’s Fellowships, which include full tuition, a living stipend, and health insurance for five years; along with a new summer stipend beginning in 2021.

For more information on financial aid for doctoral students, visit the GRS page on fellowship aid .

General Catalog

Economic anthropology.

• University of California, Irvine

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Ph.D. Program in Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology Ph.D. program at the University of California, Irvine focuses on social and cultural anthropology. Graduate training in anthropology involves a period of long-term, independent fieldwork, generally (though not always) outside the United States, and often conducted in a language other than English. Graduate students generally obtain grants or other external funding to conduct their fieldwork. Attentive to our discipline's past and indeed the paradigm of disciplinarity that has structured social inquiry since the early 20th century, our program gives students a breadth of knowledge in traditional anthropology and the traditional subjects of anthropological study. At the same time, we push the boundaries of the discipline and use our ethnographic work to stretch the anthropological imagination.

The department provides students with superb training in both theory and method. Areas of teaching emphasis include: the anthropology of modernity and development; political, legal, and economic anthropology; ethnographic method; and the anthropology of science, technology, and medicine. In addition, Ph.D. students have the option of enrolling in a number of graduate emphases that involve interdisciplinary work in a number of schools and programs across the campus, including feminist studies, critical theory, visual studies, translation studies, and others. The department is committed to fostering new and innovative approaches to anthropological inquiry in a pluralistic and intellectually open academic environment. The faculty take diverse theoretical and methodological approaches to a variety of substantive issues. They are united, however, in a willingness to question taken-for-granted theoretical premises and analytic frames, and to engage in intellectual dialogue about alternative models and approaches.

The department's graduate students have an unparalleled record of research funding, receiving prestigious grants and fellowships at higher rates than the national average. Since 1995 they have garnered over $1.5 million to support their dissertation research. They publish their work in top-ranked journals, and the department has an excellent track record of placement. Please refer to the section on Ph.D. recipients to learn more about the employment opportunities secured by Ph.D. recipients from the Department of Anthropology.

Graduate Specialization in Anthropologies of Medicine, Science, and Technology

The department offers a graduate specialization in anthropologies of medicine, science, and technology to all Ph.D. students enrolled in any department at the University of California, Irvine. Click here for more information .

Program Requirements by Year

The program involves three years of course work. The bulk of the curricular requirements are ordinarily satisfied after the first two years, and in the normative cases, the third year involves development of a research proposal, advancement to candidacy, and the securing of funding for fieldwork, in addition to further course work. The fourth (and in many cases, some or all of the fifth) year is devoted to extended anthropological fieldwork. The sixth year (in some cases also part of the fifth) is devoted to writing the dissertation, in close consultation with the advisor and members of the dissertation committee.

Year by Year Overview (in more detail)

First Year: In your first year you should take the three required proseminars in sequence, as well as other elective seminars offered in the department or in other departments. You should contact your two initial advisors and meet with them. Different graduate students will make different use of initial advisors. Some meet frequently with both of their initial advisors, some with only one of them, and some rarely with either. We suggest you meet with at least one of your initial advisors once a quarter during your first year, but the arrangement is entirely up to you. More generally, you should seek to familiarize yourself with department faculty and with faculty across campus. There are many exciting graduate student groups and events campuswide, as well as centers, workshops, and so on. Get to know our library, including its extensive online resources. If you have already decided on a fieldsite, you might begin studying a field language if appropriate. In Winter Quarter of your first year, if you choose you can apply for summer funding. This can be used for preliminary research, more informal explorations of possible fieldsites, language training, or any other legitimate purpose related to your developing project. If this summer work will involve some kind of preliminary research that involves data gathering that could be used in a conference talk or publication, you should get Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and you should file that paperwork as soon as possible as well.

Second Year: You should plan to complete most or all of your required coursework by the end of your second year. You will take the three-quarter sequence of ethnographic methods, research design and grant writing. Develop your expertise further through electives and begin to clarify what your dissertation project will entail. You may be able to choose an advisor and/or other members of your committee for your admission to candidacy (“orals exams”). This committee will have 5 members, and either 1 or 2 of them will be from outside the department. Ideally you will be able to take your orals exams by Spring Quarter of your third year. As in your first year, you can apply for summer funding this year if you so choose.

Third Year: You should complete required coursework during your third year, and aim to take your orals exams in Spring Quarter. For this reason, you will ideally confirm the composition of your committee by the end of Fall Quarter of your third year. Your committee will have 5 members, and either 1 or 2 of them will be from outside the department. You will be submitting external grant applications to fund your dissertation research (most deadlines fall between October and January), and obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) clearance for your research. See the forms page for details and deadlines.

Fourth Year: If you have not yet advanced to candidacy, you should do as soon as you can. Ideally, you will have successfully obtained some fieldwork and can spend this year conducting your research. If that is not always the case, you may need to submit a second round of grant applications, reformulate your project, or both. In any case, your top priority is to conduct the research upon which your dissertation will be based and to complete all preparations necessary for successfully conducting that research, including health insurance. You will need to register for in-absentia or leave of absence (LoA) status while conducting fieldwork; graduate students can consult the internal graduate webpage for more details.

Fifth Year: You are completing your fieldwork and beginning to write your dissertation. If you have lost touch with committee members, this is the time to reconnect and get their guidance.

It is worthwhile to think about publishing some of your research before completing the Ph.D. This will be helpful when you go on the job market.

Sixth Year: You are in the process of finishing your dissertation. It is probably a good idea to start applying for jobs before you have finished.

• The six courses that comprise the first-year proseminar sequence: 202A (Prosem A), 202B (Prosem B), 202C (Prosem C) and the second-year sequence: 215A (Ethnographic Methods), 215B (Research Design), and 215C (Proposal Writing).
•   Six graduate-level, anthropology elective courses taught by core or affiliated faculty of the department.
•   Any additional courses you wish to take beyond these 12 courses. Given that graduate students usually take two courses each quarter, you should be able to take 3-9 additional courses, depending on how often you TA and other factors. These other courses can be anywhere on campus and can be a great way to get to know faculty in other departments. They can be Independent Study courses taken with core or affiliated faculty in the department or with faculty elsewhere on campus. (Note that an Independent Study course taken with a department core or affiliated faculty does not count as one of the six elective courses mentioned at (2) above; in rare cases an exception may be granted by the Graduate Director.) They can be courses taken on other campuses.
• The first-year course work; and
• Examinations to be taken as part of the Proseminar.
• Complete all course work requirements;
• Initiate the formation of a candidacy committee of five members which shall include at least three members of the Department of Anthropology and one member from outside the Department of Anthropology but from the UC Irvine Academic Senate;
• Submit a research proposal, review of the literature, and bibliography, which must be approved by the committee; and
• Pass an oral examination by the candidacy committee, which shall include a defense of the proposal and the literature review.
• Evidence of competence in the field language appropriate to the dissertation research project, or
• A satisfactory plan for acquiring such competence in the field, where necessary. This field language requirement will in some cases be met simply by establishing that the appropriate field language for the proposed research is English.
• The student must demonstrate competence to read one scholarly foreign language, in accordance with the requirements of the Ph.D. degree in Anthropology. Students who have not fulfilled the foreign language requirement will not be able to file their dissertations.
• In the normative case, the student will advance to candidacy by the end of the third year, and will complete the program by the end of the sixth year.
• Having advanced to candidacy, the student must initiate the formation of a dissertation committee and submit a satisfactory dissertation to this committee. The dissertation committee must be chaired by a member of the Anthropology department and consist of three members, at least two of whom are from the department.

Student Progress Evaluation At the end of every academic year the entire department will evaluate each student. The evaluation will be summarized in a letter written by the Graduate Director. The letter may contain suggestions to students regarding their progress and performance in the program. A copy of this evaluation will be given to the student, a copy to the student's advisor, and a copy placed in the student's file. Evaluations are based upon a broad range of criteria, including: development, GPA, class performance (with particular attention paid to proseminars and other required courses), TA evaluations, quality of written work, and relevant professional activities (if any) such as papers presented, grants, fellowships and awards received, or publications.

Independent Study 299s Students are encouraged to take independent study courses to work closely with faculty on individual research projects. A 299 counts as course for full-time enrollment but does not count as towards fulfilling any program requirement. However, a student may petition the graduate committee to ask that a 299 be counted as an elective. Only one 299 can count as an elective.

Undergraduate Courses Upon petition, upper division undergraduate courses taught by members of the department may count as anthropology electives.

Transfer of Credits Students may petition the graduate committee to have courses taken at other universities or departments count towards their requirements. Only in exceptional cases the committee will grant these petitions and only when the contents of the courses as expressed in their syllabi are compatible with the program's curriculum.

Summer Research Money In the past, the department has been able to fund predoctoral summer research projects and we expect to continue to do so. We encourage students to use this opportunity to get field experience and to make contacts in the area they hope to conduct their doctoral research. Most students are best prepared to benefit from his opportunity at the end of their second year. Each year the graduate committee will solicit and review proposals for summer research.

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Department of Anthropology

  Anthropology is the comparative study of culture and society. We ask big questions about what we have in common, and what makes us different. Introduction Read more

LSE Anthropology ranked top in recently-published Times league tables

About us We have a strong international reputation and a long and distinguished history of leadership

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Studying Anthropology at LSE: Careers with an Anthropology degree

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Research Innovative while being rooted in core aspects of our anthropological tradition

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Graduate Study

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The Department of Anthropology at the University of Chicago offers doctoral programs in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology and in archaeology.

The program in sociocultural and linguistic anthropology offers opportunities to pursue a wide range of ethnographic and theoretical interests. While the Department does not emphasize a particular theoretical perspective, it is well known for its attention to classic problems in social theory along with an engagement with the latest developments in theories of history, culture, politics, economics, transnational processes, space and place, subjectivity, experience, and materiality. 

Shared topical interests among its members include culture and colonialism; postcoloniality and globalization; gender and sexuality; historical anthropology; history and social structure; politics and law; political economy; religion; ritual; science and technology; semiotics and symbolism; medicine and health; and subjectivity and affect. Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the United States of America are among the geographic areas of faculty research.  

Coursework and study with faculty in other departments enable the student to pursue interdisciplinary interests, language training, and other regional studies.

The archaeology program enables students to articulate archaeology, history, and sociocultural anthropology, with emphasis on the integration of social and cultural theory in the practice of archaeology.

Current faculty specialize in the archaeology of Latin America (the later prehistory and colonial periods of the Andes and Mexico), Europe and the Mediterranean (the “Celtic” Iron Age and Greco-Roman colonial expansion), the Southeastern U.S. (urban history, colonialism, landscapes), East and Southeast Asia (from the Neolithic to the early colonial periods), and West Africa (history, landscape, complexity and political economy), as well as ethnoarchaeology in East Africa and experimental archaeology in South America.

Research interests include: urbanism; state formation; colonialism; industrialization; art and symbolism; spatial analysis; politics; ritual and religion; human-environment interactions; agricultural systems; material culture; economic anthropology; political economy; the archaeology of the contemporary; and the socio-historical context and the history and politics of archaeology. Faculty members have ongoing field research projects in Bolivia, Mexico, China, Cambodia, France, Senegal, and the United States (New Orleans). The program in anthropological archaeology also has strong ties to many other archaeologists on campus through the  UChicago Archaeology Nexus (UCAN) .

Teaching in physical anthropology, mainly directed towards evolutionary anthropology and primatology, is offered by Russell Tuttle.

In addition to linguistic anthropology as a sub-field within the Department of Anthropology, there is also a joint Ph.D. program available to students who are admitted to both the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Linguistics . Administratively, the student is admitted to, and remains registered in, the primary, or “home” department, and subsequently seeks admission to the second department in joint residence status. Students approved to pursue the joint degree program must complete the requirements of both departments, including the distinct introductory and advanced courses stipulated by each, the departmental qualifying examination in appropriate special fields, and the language requirements, including additional foreign languages for the Linguistics Ph.D. The student’s dissertation advisory committee consists of three or more members of the faculty; at least one must be a member of the Department of Anthropology but not of the Department of Linguistics, and at least one in Linguistics but not in Anthropology. After approval by the advisory committee, the student’s dissertation proposal must be defended at a hearing open to the faculty of both departments. Generally, an Anthropology student may apply to Linguistics for the joint degree program at the end of the second year or later, after having successfully completed the first-year program in Anthropology and the core (first-year) coursework and examinations in Linguistics. However, students should declare interest in the Joint Degree Program on the initial graduate application to the Department, and should discuss this interest personally with linguistic anthropology faculty soon after arrival on campus.

Although Anthropology has no other formal joint degree programs, students admitted to Anthropology may subsequently petition the University to create a joint program with another department. For instance, there is considerable precedent for pursuing a joint Ph.D. in Anthropology and History . To create this joint program, Anthropology students spend their first year taking the required first year courses in the Anthropology Department; in the second year, they take a two-quarter history seminar and write an anthropologically-informed Master’s paper in coordination with that seminar which will be acceptable to both Departments. The Master’s degree is awarded by one of the two departments and is accepted for equivalence by the other. The Anthropology student then applies for admission to History at the end of the second year or later, having already demonstrated a proficiency in both disciplines. Applicants to Anthropology who are interested in a joint degree program with History should declare interest at the time of the initial application.

Also by petition, it has been possible for students to create other joint Ph.D. programs. In recent years, individual programs combining Anthropology and Art History , South Asian Languages and Civilizations , East Asian Languages and Civilizations , Slavic Languages and Literatures , Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science , and Cinema and Media Studies have been created. An M.D./Ph.D. program is coordinated through the MeSH program in the medical school. A J.D./Ph.D. with the University of Chicago Law School or another law school is also possible, and we have facilitated joint degrees with the School of Social Services Administration at the University of Chicago.

Such individually-created joint degree programs begin in the second year of graduate studies or later. In all cases, students complete the separate program requirements for each degree, with no additional residence requirement, and write one Ph.D. dissertation that separately meets the dissertation requirements of each department. The specifics of each joint degree program, such as any requirements that may be jointly met, any overlapping examination areas, and the composition of the dissertation committee, are agreed upon by both departments at the time of the petition.

Students interested in pursuing an ad-hoc Joint Ph.D. should consult with the Dean of Students Office to understand the application process.

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Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

• Degree Programs

6.0. Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

The doctoral program in Agricultural and Applied Economics is designed to develop a broad based competence in economic theory and in techniques of quantitative analysis. Dissertation research of students in our department usually addresses applied problems using contemporary economic theory and analytical methods. Students completing our program have demonstrated a high degree of success in academics, business, and government.

Two options are offered for the Doctor of Philosophy in the Agricultural and Applied Economics program. The first option does not require a minor. The second option includes a minor in Family Financial Planning—a joint Ph.D. program between the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and the College of Human Sciences. Completion of the Doctoral program in Agricultural and Applied Economics with a minor in Family Financial Planning qualifies graduates to take an exam administered by the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards to become Certified Financial Planners.

6.1. Prerequisites

Most students will have completed the requirements for an M.S. degree or its equivalent before admission to the doctoral program. If the Master's degree does not meet the prerequisite requirements for entering our Master of Science program (see Section 5.1) then those requirements must be met in order to enter the Ph.D. program. Some exceptional students will be offered the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. directly from a Bachelor's program. In this case, see the Graduate Coordinator for course and program requirements.

Background in algebra, partial and total differentiation, integration and basic matrix or linear algebra operations are very useful to perform well in coursework and research work.

6.2. Credit Hour Requirements

The doctoral program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours of course work beyond the baccalaureate degree and at least 12 credit hours of dissertation research (AAEC 8000).

6.3. Transfer of Credit

Transfer of graduate credit from other academic institutions may be allowed. The request for transfer must be initiated by the student and supported by the student's committee chair. Transfer decisions are made by the department Graduate Coordinator and must be approved by the Graduate School . Information required in support of transfer requests includes academic transcripts and course catalogue descriptions of each course proposed for transfer. Course syllabi may also be requested to support transfer decisions.

6.4. Substitution for Core Courses

Substitutions for core courses are allowed only under unusual circumstances. Requests for substitutions for core courses must be initiated by the student and his or her committee chair, to the department Graduate Coordinator and must be approved by the Graduate School . Final decisions on substitutions for core courses taught outside our department are made by the department Graduate Coordinator . Decisions on core courses taught in the department are made by the current instructor of the core course being replaced.

6.5. Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

The purpose of the Ph.D. comprehensive examination is to test the student's ability to integrate knowledge from various subject matter areas and apply appropriate concepts and tools to issues and problems relevant to the discipline. The comprehensive exam is administered by a departmental committee twice each year (usually in May and August) and is normally taken at the end of the first full year of coursework. The exam has two parts which are taken separately. Part 1 of the exam focuses econometric methods and Part 2 covers microeconomic theory. Students have two opportunities to pass both parts of the exam. If both parts of the exam are passed on the first attempt then the student has successfully completed this degree requirement. If one or both parts of the exam are failed on the first attempt (usually in May), the student must retake the failed part(s) at the next offering (in the following August). A second failure of either part of the comprehensive exam will result in dismissal from the student's Ph.D. program.

6.6. Qualifying Examination and Admission to Candidacy

Graduate school rules require that all doctoral students successfully complete a Qualifying Examination for admission to candidacy for the doctor's degree. In the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics the Dissertation Proposal Defense serves as the Qualifying Exam. Students are allowed two attempts to satisfactorily complete this examination. Failure to satisfactorily complete the examination on a second attempt will result in dismissal from the Ph.D. program. Further information on the Dissertation Proposal and Proposal Defense is provided in Section 9.0 of this Handbook.

6.7. Final Examination

All doctoral candidates are required to pass a public final oral examination which is usually over the general field of the dissertation. Candidates should consult the Graduate School for details regarding scheduling of the final examination. After the final examination, the professor conducting comprehensive exams will send a written notification of the results to the Graduate Secretary for the student's graduate file.

Doctoral candidates, with their major advisor, are required to find their own Dean's Representative for the Graduate School for their defense, preferably someone outside of the department.

Public announcement of exams will be done through the department Graduate Secretary. Exams must be announced at least four weeks prior to the exam date, without exception.

6.9. Degree Program Course Requirements

Listed below are the course requirements for the Ph.D. program options. Courses listed specifically by number are core courses. Note that the option II course requirements have been revised in consultation with the Department of Personal Financial Planning.

Ph.D in Agricultural and Applied Economics - No Minor Required (option1) 1

Course number / course title / credit hours.

• AAEC 5303 / Advanced Production Economics / 3
• AAEC 5307 / Applied Econometrics I / 3
• AAEC 6316 / Advanced International Trade and Policy / 3
• AAEC 5321 / Research Methodology in Economics/ 3
• AAEC 6302 / Food, Ag., and Nat. Resource Policy Analysis / 3
• AAEC 6305 / Economic Optimization / 3
• AAEC 6308 / Advanced Natural Resource Economics / 3
• AAEC 6310 / Demand and Price Analysis / 3
• AAEC 6311 / Applied Econometrics II / 3
• AAEC 6301 / Microeconomic Theory II / 3
• AAEC 6315 / Applied Microeconomics I / 3
• ECO 5311 / Macroeconomic Theory and Policy / 3
• Committee Approved Field Courses / / 24
• AAEC 8000 / Doctor's Dissertation / 12

Total Credit Hours 72

Ph.D. in Agricultural and Applied Economics - Minor in Family Financial Planning (option 2) 1,2

• AAEC 8000 / Doctor's Dissertation / 21
• PFP 5371 / Fundamentals of Personal Financial Planning / 3
• PFP 5372 / Asset Management II / 3
• PFP 5373 / Personal Financial Planning Cpstn. / 3
• PFP 5394 / Retirement Planning / 3
• PFP 5497 / Risk Management and Insurance Planning / 4
• PFP 5398 / Estate Planning / 3
• PFP 5362 / Asset Management I / 3
• PFP 5377 / Client Communication and Counseling / 3
• ACCT 5311 / Individual Study in Accounting / 3

total credit hours 85

1 Numbered courses are core courses. 2 Draft revisions pending review and approval of AAEC faculty.

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MIT’s Master of Applied Science in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy program adds a public policy track

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MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Department of Economics have announced an expansion of their jointly administered Master of Applied Science in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) program . This expansion adds a new public policy track to complement the existing international development track, opening up new avenues for student learning and research. 

Designed to tackle poverty alleviation and other pressing policy challenges in the United States and other high-income countries, the curriculum of the new track spans a diverse set of issues, from domestic concerns like minimum wage and consumer welfare to global matters including trade, climate change, and immigration. Applications for the public policy track will open this fall, with the inaugural cohort set to arrive on MIT’s campus in spring 2026.

The DEDP program, led by MIT professors and Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, along with professors Sara Fisher Ellison and Benjamin Olken, was established with the mission of equipping diverse cohorts of talented professionals with the knowledge and skills to tackle poverty using evidence-based approaches. The new master’s degree track will support this mission while also underscoring the program’s commitment to addressing a broad array of critical challenges in the fight against poverty worldwide.

"The DEDP program has proven successful on many dimensions, and we are enthusiastic about leveraging its successes to address a broader set of social challenges,” says Ellison, a faculty lead for the program. “The public policy track will enable us to apply evidence-based methodology to poverty alleviation and other related issues in the context of high-income countries, as well. Given increasing levels of wealth and income inequality in these countries, we feel that the timing is opportune and the need is great."

The DEDP program distinguishes itself with an innovative admissions model that prioritizes demonstrated ability and motivation over traditional credentials, such as standardized tests and recommendation letters. To be eligible to apply to the master’s program, candidates must have earned a DEDP MicroMasters credential by passing five of the DEDP online courses. The courses are completely free to audit. Those who wish to earn a course certificate can pay a fee, which varies by the learner’s ability to pay, to take the proctored exam. While applications are reviewed holistically, performance in these classes is the primary factor in admissions decisions.

This approach democratizes access to higher education, enabling students from typically underrepresented backgrounds to demonstrate their potential for success. Notably, the program has welcomed many students from nontraditional backgrounds, such as a student who enrolled directly from high school (and who is now a second-year PhD student in economics at MIT), reflecting the ambition of its faculty directors to make higher education more accessible.

Sofia Martinez, a graduate of the class of 2023 and now co-founder of Learning Alliance , says, "Without the MicroMasters paving the way, applying to MIT or any similar institution would have been unthinkable for us. Initially, my aim in taking the online courses wasn't to pursue the residential program; it was only after witnessing my own progress that I realized the possibility wasn't so distant after all. This sentiment resonates with many in our cohort, which is truly humbling.”

Since its launch in 2020, the DEDP master’s program has conferred degrees to 87 students from 44 countries, showcasing its global reach and the success of its admissions model. Upon arriving on campus, students embark on an accelerated master's program. They complete a full course load in the spring, followed by a capstone project in the summer, applying the theoretical knowledge and practical skills gained through the program at research and policy organizations.

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Coming Full Circle

Heather hein.

Senior Editor

A passion for anthropology brought Getrude Finyiza all the way from Malawi to DU. She’s going back home as a researcher on a mission.

When Getrude Finyiza was a high school student in Mangochi, Malawi, a friend told her about an unusual job she saw in the newspaper that she thought Getrude would like.

“An anthropology student from Europe was looking for a research assistant,” she recalls. “The student wanted someone who knew the local culture and language and enjoyed interacting with people.” But they also wanted someone who had never been to university because the work was in rural areas. “People who went to college didn’t want to work in the villages."

Getrude, who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do after high school, decided to apply. The youngest of six children, she says she was flexible and open to new experiences and traveling around her country. Little did she know that the decision would lead to her working for more than a decade with PhD students from around the world and, eventually, coming to the University of Denver to study cultural anthropology herself.

She worked for researchers from Europe and the U.S., from the University of Amsterdam, the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics and the University of Oslo, among others. She worked throughout her time as a student at Skyway University, in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in project management.

Getrude’s interest in anthropology grew over the years, as she helped conduct studies in many of the 28 different districts in Malawi—each with its own culture, language and norms.

“There were tribes that had specific rituals they follow when someone dies, for example. We didn’t have any rituals where I came from, so it was different,” Getrude says. She had to learn languages quickly to do her job. “I would have someone in the community teach me some of the words and, if I didn’t understand, I would ask little by little, and I started getting used to different languages.”  

Getrude began exploring anthropology programs in Malawi and found that there was only one—and it had just two or three students. So, she started looking at programs in the United States, specifically, the University of Chicago and DU. DU was the first program to accept her.

'Now, I can do my own research'

By the time Getrude enrolled at DU, she was married and had a baby daughter. In the fall of 2022, she and her family moved to Denver, sight unseen. They settled into an apartment close to campus and her husband, Nebert, who has a bachelor’s degree in community development from a college in Malawi, took care of their daughter while Getrude dove into her studies.

Almost immediately, she also started a job as a desk assistant in DU’s Housing and Residential Education office. Although Getrude already knew English, she says, “I thought it would help me get used to people around here. I talk to different people every day when they ask for keys or ask for other things. I thought I could get used to the way they speak so that I can understand better.”

Her classes, too, provided learning opportunities right away. She says that, despite her many years working as a research assistant, there was a lot she didn’t know. “I was just doing my job without knowing what I was doing sometimes. And I was working for others,” she says.

She learned about ethnographic research methods and how to collect and analyze data using a variety of software—something she had never done before. “Now,” she says, “I can do my own research.”

Getrude notes that she was helped along the way by her supervisor, professor Alejandro Cer ó n, who checked in on her progress and made sure she was going in the right direction academically. She also worked as a research assistant for him, learning how to work with data from the archive—something else she had never done.

She says her classmates were also helpful. “At first, I was scared. In class, I was thinking, ‘Are they going to understand me? Maybe they’ll just look at me.’ But everyone was very nice. If I didn’t understand something, my friends would explain it to me after class. We had lots of group discussions, which I liked a lot.”

Last summer, Getrude had the opportunity to put what she’s learned to use when she returned to Malawi to conduct research with HIV-positive pregnant women on the prevention of vertical transmission (passing HIV from mother to baby). She worked at a health center in Mbela, a village in the southern part of the country—where she had worked as a research assistant many years ago.

That was just the beginning of Getrude’s full-circle journey. After she graduates in June—and after Nebert finishes his master’s degree in higher education at DU—they plan to return to Malawi. Her goal is to set up a research consultancy firm, where she will once again help students and faculty who want to conduct research in Africa—but this time, as their guide.

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