Deadline for receipt of all application materials is DECEMBER 28. Candidates who are admitted or waitlisted will be notified by February 15. Applicants who have not been contacted by the department by APRIL 1 are no longer under consideration for this year's admissions.
The nonrefundable APPLICATION FEE is $85.00. We accept money orders or personal checks (do not send cash), if you are applying online you can pay with a credit card. An additional fee of $10.00 will be charged for a returned check. Applications can be processed only after the application fee is received. For 2024 admissions, the application fee for doctoral programs is waived for those residing in Texas or bordering states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
COPIES OF TRANSCRIPT(S) must be uploaded electronically in the application system. If an applicant is accepted to the doctoral program, OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS must be submitted to the department in a sealed envelope, sent directly to the Department of Anthropology, at the following address: Rice University, Department of Anthropology-MS 20, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77005. Any degree that a student is currently pursuing (BA, BS, MPhil, MA, MS) must be conferred (completed) before submitting the transcript(s); the student will not be allowed to register for the second semester at Rice without official conferral of degree and official transcripts on file.
Applicants for academic year 2024/25 will NOT need to provide GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test scores. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is still required of any student whose native language is not English. The Anthropology department will consider GRE scores if an applicant chooses to submit them, but applicants are not required to do so. The GRE and TOEFL scores should be sent to: Rice University, Department of Anthropology-MS 20, PO Box 1892, Houston TX 77005.
GRE: The scores must not be more than five years old, and an official copy must be sent to Rice University directly from the Educational Testing Service. Personal copies are not acceptable. The codes for the GRE test are: School code: 6609; Dept. code: 1701.
TOEFL: The score must not be more than two years old and an official copy must be sent to the Graduate School directly from ETS. The score must be at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL or score at least 90 on the internet-based TOEFL. For students who choose to take the IELTS in lieu of TOEFL, the minimum score is 7. The TOEFL may be waived for an international student who received a degree from a university in which English is the official language of communication.
THE STATEMENT OF PROPOSED RESEARCH - A document indicating why you wish to come to this department for graduate training, and what specific research ideas or projects you wish to develop here. The statement should be no more than 2,000 words total. It is recommended that applicants review the research foci and specializations of the faculty. It is also recommended that applicants take time and care to craft a well-articulated, clear, and sophisticated description of their intended doctoral research. Successful STATEMENTS OF PROPOSED RESEARCH will show evidence of an applicant's scholarly aptitude and research focus; they will also make explicit the importance of the intended research to the field of anthropology. The department makes its graduate admissions decisions collectively and applicants are encouraged to show how their intended research articulates with the specializations of at least 3 faculty in the department.
THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - A document of no more than 1,500 words describing any additional factors that you would like to have the admissions committee consider in evaluating your application (e.g. personal background, work experience, leadership roles, etc.)
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION - Three letters of recommendation are required for the application and are to be submitted by the letter writer through Rice's application portal or through an online recommendation letter service (such as Interfolio). If possible, it is advisable that applicants solicit letters from current or previous professors with whom the applicant has taken classes.
WRITING SAMPLE - Please upload a writing sample that represents your past work and interests effectively, up to 8000 words (but fewer words is also adequate).
