Graduate
Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program in Applied Anthropology
The USF Department of Anthropology and the U.S. Peace Corps offer the M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Anthropology to Returning Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) as well as to returned volunteers of Peace Corps Response (PCR) and Global Health Service Partnership (GHSP) through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program.
Applied Anthropology Graduate Program
Anthropology is the scientific study of human behavior. At USF, our faculty and students apply a holistic, interdisciplinary, and global perspective to identify and understand contemporary human problems, especially in the environment, health, and development sectors. Research and teaching in our program emphasizes the following: 1) how to design and implement health education programs with community participation focused especially around HIV/AIDS, maternal/child health, water/sanitation/hygiene, and nutrition/obesity; 2) how to make use of local environmental knowledge to address ecological problems, climate change, and sustainable and equitable development; and 3) how to work with families and communities to assess food security, perceptions of risk in environmental impacts, and resource conservation strategies.
Job prospects for anthropologists with international experience from our program are very high and expected to remain high into the future. In a recent survey by the American Anthropological Association’s Committee on Practicing, Applied and Public Interest Anthropology, respondents reported being employed in a diverse array of fields, including education, community development, social services, human rights, social justice, international affairs, public policy and advocacy, public and community health, environmental resources, humanitarian efforts, and social impact assessment, among others.
A total of 30 credit hours are required for the M.A. program, and 42 credit hours for the Ph.D. program. Typically, students complete the M.A. program in two years and the Ph.D. program in five years.
Financial Support
Coverdell Fellows in Applied Anthropology at the 51°µÍø will receive support as a Graduate Assistant (two years for MA, four for PhD students), which includes a stipend, tuition waiver, and graduate student union-negotiated health insurance. Graduate Assistants will be expected to work 20 (PhD) or 10 (MA) hours per week during the regular academic year, assisting faculty in teaching or teaching their own courses.
Fellows remain eligible for all other department and Graduate Studies opportunities as well as scholarships, fellowships, and sources/forms of financial aid through the university.
Application Process
RPCVs interested in the Coverdell program in Applied Anthropology at USF can apply jointly and concurrently to both the Fellows program and the M.A. or Ph.D. program (for details: click here); or, if the student is currently enrolled in our graduate program they can apply separately to our Fellows program (contact the graduate program director for details). One required component of your application materials is the Description of Service (DOS) issued by Peace Corps. This can be uploaded as a supplementary file.
We expect applicants to the Fellows program to have the following characteristics in order to be successful: 1) foreign language skills, 2) intercultural competence, 3) training and experience in a specific PC work sector, and 4) professional/leadership skills. These characteristics will be evaluated through the candidate’s statement of purpose, in which we will ask applicants to address explicitly these four criteria and how their PC experience has prepared them to undertake graduate studies in applied anthropology. Additional components of the application package include the following: admission application, resume/CV, letters of recommendation, GRE test scores, official transcripts, and a writing sample. These items will help us evaluate the goodness-of-fit between the applicant and the Fellows program. Specific countries in which our faculty currently conduct research or administer programs that yield RPCVs include: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Antigua and Barbuda, Martinique, Dominican Republic, Morocco, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, and Lesotho.
For more information, contact: Dr. Tara Deubel, Coordinator, Coverdell Fellows Program in Applied Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, 51°µÍø, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., SOC 107, Tampa, FL 33620 USA; deubel@usf.edu.