Program
January 15th is the deadline to apply to begin the program in September. Late applications may be considered but most awards are made in February and March.
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.A. | 2 years |
Anthropology is the comprehensive study of human beings, past and present, in comparative, cross-cultural and holistic light, emphasizing the dynamic nature of cultural adaptation and change. Our students and faculty carry out extensive field work in Canada, as well as in many areas of the world, including Latin America and eastern Europe. Students can apply for the 2-year thesis-based MA focusing on medical or environmental anthropology, or the 18-month project-based MA focusing on practicing/applied anthropology.
Our location and local connections also make us a leader in community-based, engaged, and collaborative research with Indigenous peoples, with an emphasis on health, social services, governance, land claims, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge.
Medical Anthropology (Thesis-Based)
Medical anthropology - the cross-cultural study of health, illness, and health systems - remains one of the fastest growing sub-fields of anthropology. It is unique in that it places central importance on the role of culture in understanding human suffering, response to illness, and resilience, and this sets it apart from cognate fields like medical sociology, health psychology, or community health.
Environmental Anthropology (Thesis-Based)
Environmental anthropology is a rapidly emerging and timely sub-field of anthropology. Environmental anthropologists study not only how the environment shapes human culture and society, but also how humans shape the environment, and offers an understanding of human dimensions of environmental problems, leading to more effective solutions.
Project-Based
Practicing/Applied Anthropology (Project-Based)
Practicing and Applied anthropology focuses on training graduate students to directly enter the non-academic workforce where the skills and insights of anthropology are highly valued. This project-based program provides MA students with the theoretical and methodological knowledge, skills and tools that are adapted to the world outside the academy, the world of social service agencies, non-governmental organizations, consulting firms, industry, and corporate business. The goal of our program is to facilitate the employment of our students as anthropologists in the world beyond the university where they can make a difference while making a livelihood.
Research supervisors
We recommend that you contact the faculty that are doing research in an area that interests you before beginning a formal application.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Medical Anthropology, Population Research Ethics, Ethnographic Methodologies, Indigenous Health, Population Health, Community-based Research | |
| Quaternary geology; environmental history; marine biology; northern studies | |
| Anthropology of island Southeast Asia; customary governance and land tenure; kinship and exchange; international development; cultural tourism and development; inter-generational well-being and healing; colonial and post-colonial history; | |
| Archaeology and Reconciliation; Community based archaeology; Computational Archaeology; Landscape Archaeology; Northwest Coast | |
| Bone aging, adaptation and disease 3D Imaging Synchrotron Science | |
| Aboriginal health, cross-cultural physical & mental health, cross-cultural research, Aboriginal, culture, Indigenous, mental health | |
| HIV/AIDS; community-based research; cross-cultural research; epidemics; ethnography; feminism; gender; health; maternal health; motherhood; pain; pandemics; pathography; policy; women | |
| 20th Century; Indigenous; aboriginal; community; culture; disease; health | |
| Bioarchaeology; Dental Anthropology; Foragers; Middle Holocene; Northern Eurasia; Paleopathology; Past Health and Lifestyle; Pastoralists; Skeletal Morhphology; Taphonomy | |
| Economic anthropology, Water, energy and food (WEF) security, Arctic sustainable development, Indigenous natural resource management | |
| Bison; Canadian Prairies; Collaborative Archaeology; Human-Animal Relationships; Indigenous Archaeology; Reindeer/Caribou; Siberia; Zooarchaeology | |
| Cultural Consultation; Cultural Psychiatry; Hauntology; Health Services; Intergenerational Transmission of Affect; Iran; Islamic Cultures; Mental Illness; Political Subjectivity; Psychosis; Schizophrenia; Subjectivity; Turkey | |
| Archaeobotony; Archaeology of Western Canada; Environmental Archaeology; Human Impact and Sustainability | |
| Anthropology of Healing; Belize; Canada; Disaster and Evacuation; Ethnographic Methods; Indigenous Health; Medical and Applied Anthropology | |
| Community-Engaged Research; Conservation; Environment; Ethnography; Extractive Industries; Heritage Landscapes; Human-Animal Relations; Indigenous Issues; Protected Areas; Public Participation; Religious Practice |
Tuition and funding
Funding
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Thesis or project-based master's program
Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2024 | ||
| January 1 - April 30, 2025 | ||
| May 1 - August 31, 2025 | ||
| Total per academic year |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $504.45 CAD | $666.08 CAD | $35.00 CAD | $35.00 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
- a cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units)
- a four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
- Demonstrated ability for independent thought, advanced study, and research
Application process
Find a supervisor
While not required, it is useful to identify a potential supervisor before or as part of your application for our thesis-based MA programs. Using the list above, find a potential supervisor, read about the work they are currently doing and their past publications. If you think you'd like to work with them, contact them and describe your research interests and past academic experience. If they are accepting students, they will instruct you to begin a formal application. Due to the nature of the practicing/applied degree program and the broad range of potential projects possible, however, it is not essential that applicants align with the specific interests of faculty.
Submit an online application
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable $120 application fee. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application, and upload the documents outlined below.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college, and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
Post-secondary Transcripts
If you receive an offer of admission, you will then be required to have your official post-secondary transcripts sent (by mail in a sealed envelope directly from the institution) to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- Transcripts usually indicate the institution’s name, grading scheme (typically on back of transcript), your name, course names, numbers, credits, and the grades you have received. Depending on the country or institution, some features may not be available.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
- If you are a current University of Saskatchewan student completing your undergraduate program then a letter of completion of degree requirements will be required from your college.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- It is your responsibility to have completed a relevant test with the appropriate score before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
If you receive an Offer of Admission you may be required to have your official language test scores sent to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building - 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
In addition to the above official documents, please upload the following documents:
- A Research or Project Statement, which should be two to three pages in length and:
- indicate the particular MA program, area of specialization, or stream, within Anthropology which you intend to pursue (see departmental website), with whom you would prefer to work, and why
- identify a research issue or problem that you wish to study, or a project idea, and why it is important
- detail relevant background experience, education and training
- comment on your planned future academic and/or private sector ambitions, and how you feel our program will assist you as you move forward
- A curriculum vitae or resume
- Writing Sample: Please submit essays or terms papers (two in number) which have substantial arguments or other critical content, preferably with an anthropological orientation. Original copies with the instructor's comments and grading would be appreciated, if possible. If you have published a paper, that would be a very suitable submission in place of one of the term papers.
Contact
Department of Anthropology
55 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B1
Graduate Chair
Tatiana Nomokonova
Email: tatiana.nomokonova@usask.ca
Graduate Administrator
Denise Huynh
Email: archanth.grad@usask.ca
- Department of Anthropology
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements