What makes us different is what makes us human..
In this new program, the student earns an MPH (master of public health in behavioral and community health science) as part of the PhD in anthropology.
Medical anthropology is a broad, dynamic field that examines the effect of social and cultural factors on health care. Training in medical anthropology therefore directly links to some of the primary issues of public health. This joint degree program prepares the student for research, teaching, and public policy planning relating to the cultural aspects of health and health care in the U.S. or in an international setting.
This joint degree program is designed to provide the student with broader expertise, theoretical perspective, and methodological skills than might be provided by either an MPH or anthropology degree alone.
The joint degree program makes it possible to complete both degrees within five years. The typical program consists of completion of coursework in the first three years, a fourth year in dissertation field research, and a fifth year in dissertation writing.
The student takes a total of 87 total credit hours (most courses are three credits) of which 60 are in required courses (24 in Anthropology and 36 in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH). The remaining credits can be earned through elective courses in Anthropology and through independent study/reading/dissertation courses.
The program is structured so that the student meets the general PhD requirements for anthropology including the core course, comprehensive exam, and language requirements (see: www.pitt.edu/~pittanth/grad.html), and the requirements for a concentration in medical anthropology).
Under most circumstances, the MPH essay/thesis requirement will be met by the doctoral dissertation, so that the MPH will be awarded at the same time as the PhD. As an option, the student can choose to obtain an MPH at an earlier point by writing a separate MPH essay/thesis, and completing the MPH course requirements.
Current and recent research by students in this program include:
Individuals with both an anthropology PhD and an MPH are increasingly sought after as faculty members by anthropology departments with medical anthropology concentrations, schools of public health, and schools of medicine. In addition, this degree prepares an individual for career opportunities in public policy planning in local, state, and federal government, as well as research institutes.
An applicant to the joint degree program should apply through the Department of Anthropology, indicating interest in the joint degree program in the area of specialization box and in the personal statement.
The student must also apply, and be admitted to, the MPH program in the Graduate School of Public Health. This application can be made at the same time as application to the anthropology program, or may be done in the first year of graduate study.
See the Graduate Study in Anthropology webpage for more information about financial aid and application instructions.
Joseph S. Alter (professor, anthropology): medical anthropology; physical fitness; public health; cultural psychology; the relationship between health, culture, and politics, broadly defined; India.
Kathleen M. DeWalt (professor, anthropology): nutritional anthropology; impact of policy on nutritional status in Latin America and U.S.; ethnomedical systems and medical decision-making; health ecology; political economy and health.
Andrew J. Strathern (Andrew W. Mellon Professor, anthropology): conflict and violence; the anthropology of the body; the cross-cultural study of medical systems; Papua New Guinea; Western Europe.
Horacio Fabrega (professor of psychiatry, WPIC): evolutionary psychology; ethnomedicine; biological and social evolution of sickness and healing; cultural psychiatry.
Martha Terry (research associate, GSPH; adjunct research associate, anthropology): human sexuality and reproduction; sexually transmitted disease; HIV prevention; urban U.S.; Mexico.
You are using an older browser that does not support current Web standards. Although this site is viewable in all browsers, it will look much better in a browser that supports Web standards.