Minimum Admission Requirements

Except under special circumstances, prospective applicants must meet the following minimum admission requirements:

1. Hold an acceptable baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution or equivalent as determined by the Division of Graduate Affairs;
   
   
2. Have attained at least a 3.0 GPA on all work leading to the bachelor’s degree and subsequent post-baccalaureate coursework; and
   
   
3. Have been in good standing in the last institution attended.
   
   

Applicants who meet the minimum admission requirements but who do not have a strong background in anthropology may be admitted conditionally. See SDSU Catalog for further information.

Graduate Admissions Process

To be considered for graduate admission at San Diego State University, you must follow the 3-step process outlined below. For more detailed information regarding the admissions process, please visit the  Graduate Admissions website.

Step 1:  Complete the Cal State Apply Application

Deadline to submit is February 1, 2026.

Each applicant must submit the California State University common application electronically to at Cal State Apply along with the nonrefundable application fee. Details on this application process are available on the SDSU Admissions website. The Cal State Apply site will begin to accept applications on October 1, 2025.

Please note the Cal State Apply Application will ask for your “Statement of Purpose.” You are not required to enter your statement at this point, so you can write, “Statement will be sent directly to department/program.” You will need to include your Statement of Purpose for the Department Application (Step 3 below).

Within two weeks of submitting your Cal State Apply application, you will receive an email from San Diego State University that includes your SDSUid number, which is your SDSU student identification number. You will use this number to create your my.SDSU account. You will use your my.SDSU number and my.SDSU account to check the status of your application. For more details about or assistance with this process, please see the SDSU Admissions website.

Step 2: Submit Official Transcripts to the Graduate Admissions Office

Deadline to submit is February 15, 2026.

After you have submitted the Cal State Apply application and received your my.SDSU number, you will need to send official transcripts to the Graduate Admissions Office. Sending transcripts before submitting the Cal State Apply application will result in processing delays.

You must provide the following:

• Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) issued within the last year, from all U.S. colleges and universities attended. Students who previously attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for coursework completed since last attendance. Hard copy SDSU transcripts are not required. 
  
  Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree.  If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified literal English translation.  The country specific requirements, can be found at on the SDSU Graduate Admissions website.
  

  
  Your official transcript(s) should be mailed to this address:
  Graduate Admissions 
  San Diego State University
  5500 Campanile Drive
  San Diego, CA 92182-8225

• All graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants (regardless of citizenship status) applying to SDSU from an international institution where the medium of instruction was not English, must submit one of the following as proof of English proficiency:
• TOEFL minimum score of 80 iBT/ 550 PBT: Score can be sent electronically from Educational Testing Service (ETS) using the SDSU institution code: 4682. Test score must be from within the past two years.
• IELTS overall score of 6.5 or higher: Score report must be submitted directly to the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office. Test score must be from within the past two years.
• Duolingo English Test score of 105 or higher: Score can be sent electronically from Duolingo, to the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office. Test score must be from within the past two years.
• PTE minimum score of 58 or higher: Score report must be submitted directly to the SDSU Graduate Admissions Office. Test score must be from within the past two years.
• Transcripts have been received indicating English as the principle language of instruction.

A copy of your official score report or unofficial transcript can be submitted through your my.SDSU account under Upload Admission Documents.

If you have questions regarding Steps 1 and 2, please contact the Graduate Admissions Office at (619) 594-6336 or e-mail [email protected].  International applicants may contact the International Recruitment Office at (619) 594-1847 or e-mail [email protected].

Step 3: Complete Anthropology M.A. Program Application

Deadline to submit is February 15, 2026. Within 72 hours of submitting your initial application to Cal State Apply, you will receive an email with a personalized link to Slate to submit your program application.  See the Slate Quick Start Guide for assistance.

The Anthropology M.A. Program application requires the following items:

1. A statement of purpose. The statement of purpose is a very important part of the application, as it allows the faculty to assess your intellectual sophistication, writing skills, clarity of purpose, and potential for success in the M.A. program. The statement of purpose should be limited to 2-3 single-spaced pages and clearly articulate your intended research interests, including geographical interests (if appropriate). If your research plans are not yet fully developed, you should clarify what topics and issues in anthropology you are most interested in pursuing and propose possible contexts in which to study them. Your statement should not be an extended narrative about personal history, except as relevant to your research plans. 
   
   Elements that would make for a strong statement include, but are not limited to, the following: the intellectual and/or applied importance of your area of interest; a discussion of your preparedness to undertake graduate level study (e.g., previous research experience, coursework, field schools, etc.); the name of at least one SDSU anthropology faculty member who would be a suitable thesis advisor and an explanation of why you selected them; and, a discussion of the compatibility of your interests with the SDSU Anthropology program/faculty research areas.
   
   
2. Copies of transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (these do not need to be sent directly from the colleges - photocopies are acceptable)
   
   
3. Three letters of recommendation. You must provide names and email addresses for three individuals who can write a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The best letter writers are those who know you well, can describe your specific achievements, and can evaluate your ability to perform and succeed at the graduate level. Recommenders will be invited to complete the recommendation electronically. *Note: Once you begin your application in Slate, you will be able to enter the names and contact information for your letter writers. Once you do so, an email will be sent to your letter writers with instructions and a link for them to submit their letters. 
   
   
4. A sample of written work representative of your research and writing skills.
   
   
5. Your curriculum vitae (CV).

If you have questions regarding Step 3, please contact the Anthropology Graduate Advisor by e-mail at [email protected].

Selection Process

Prospective applicants who meet the minimum admission requirements and submit a complete application are reviewed and ranked by all department faculty. The Anthropology department evaluates applicants on the basis of a number of factors, including GPA, overall undergraduate academic performance, the strength of the student’s statement of purpose, the research promise and potential of the student as evidenced in the CV, statement of purpose, writing sample, and the letters of recommendation, and the alignment between applicants’ stated research interests and faculty expertise. Students are required to identify possible faculty mentors in their statement of purpose letters. Please note that interest expressed by potential faculty mentors in a prospective student’s graduate school plans and/or application does not guarantee admission into the program.

Each faculty member weighs admission criteria differently. In general, admission decisions are based on a combination of factors that include (but not necessarily in this order): a strong statement of purpose outlining a clear research focus; letters of recommendation from qualified recommenders that describe the applicant’s specific achievements; overall undergraduate academic performance; and significant professional experience.

The department makes decisions on the number of students to accept based on individual faculty members’ abilities to take on new students. Accordingly, the department only accepts students for whom a faculty member has agreed to serve as their faculty mentor upon entering the program. More often than not, faculty are only able to take on 1-2 new students each year, which means that we often have to turn down many students. 

The Master of Arts degree in Anthropology consists of at least 30 units of graduate courses with a 3.0 GPA.

Courses required to remove any undergraduate deficiencies and those used to fulfill the language requirement are in addition to the minimum 30 units required for the Master of Arts degree in anthropology.

 

Required Coursework

The following list is for students entering the program Fall 2025 and onward. Students who began the program prior to Fall 2025 should refer to the university catalog for the year they began. 

• Two core courses, ANTH 700 and ANTH 710
• One of the following methods courses: Anthropology 501, 505, 520, 531, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, Latin American Studies 601;
• Five 500/600/700 numbered elective courses from any department at SDSU determined in consultation with the student’s thesis chair. At least three (3) units must be at the 600 or 700 level. Only 9 units can be taken outside of Anthropology. Students should be aware that some electives may require prerequisites that will not fulfill degree requirements;
• Anthropology 797 (3) Cr/NC/RP;
• Anthropology 799A, Thesis (3) Cr/NC/RP;
• Complete the “foreign language requirement” via coursework in a foreign language, statistics, GIS, or computer programming.

A variety of funding opportunities are available to anthropology MA students. These include internal department scholarships, out-of-state tuition waivers, and employment as a TA/GA/ISA.

Internal scholarships

The department offers three competitive, internal scholarship programs: the Norton Allen Scholarship, the Pitt Warner Endowed Anthropology Scholarship, and the Sonek Memorial Fund. See the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (OFAS) website or the Graduate Student Handbook for specific details about these funding opportunities.

Out-of-state tuition waivers

Graduate Affairs has a limited number of tuition waivers available for high caliber international and domestic non-resident students. These waivers exempt students from paying the non-resident fee. Those receiving the waiver must pay the same fees (registration and student fees) as California residents. Incoming and current students will be selected for tuition waivers on a case-by-case basis.

Graduate Assistants and Instructional Student Assistants

Each semester the department hires graduate students for a variety of technical assistant positions, graduate assistant positions, and instructional student assistants, also known as “readers” (ISAs). These positions will be advertised at the beginning of each semester and selections will be made on a case-by-case basis. To be eligible for GA or ISA positions you must be admitted at SDSU, be in good academic standing, have classified graduate standing, and be enrolled in at least one (1) course (except for summer appointments). To download applications, see the Forms and Documents section below.

Other scholarships

You may be eligible for other, more general scholarships available either through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at SDSU or from external sponsors. Check the SDSU scholarships website for opportunities.

Financial aid

Applicants seeking financial aid in the form of loans or need-based grants should contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

General Forms/Documents

• Graduate Student Handbook (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)

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For students admitted Fall 2025 and onward.

• Graduate Program Worksheet (coming soon)

For students admitted Fall 2020-Fall 2024.

• Graduate Program Worksheet (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)

For students admitted prior to Fall 2020.

• Graduate Program Worksheet Applied Anthropology (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)
• Graduate Program Worksheet General Anthropology (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)

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• California State Residency Requirements
• Internship Form (ANTH 795) (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)
• Research Form (ANTH 797) (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)
• Special Studies Form (ANTH 798) (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)
• Graduate Assistantship (GA) or Instructional Student Assistant (ISA) Application
• Thesis Proposal Approval Form: Students, please note thesis proposal approval is now a digital process. Please fill out all fields EXCEPT the signature fields, and then send to the graduate advisor for forwarding signatures. Incomplete forms will be returned to students. (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)
• Graduate Student Annual Progress Report (please note this is a fillable form, you must use Adobe Acrobat for the form)

Non-departmental forms are found at Graduate Affairs.

Travel Forms

Students traveling domestically: please refer to this page for guidance on required travel paperwork.

Students traveling internationally: please refer to this page for guidance on required travel paperwork.

For a complete list of theses in, visit the SDSU library listing for Anthropology.