Grad application FAQs
Inquiries about our graduate programs should go to Jindra Bélanger.
Our department members are engaged in exciting and relevant research. They’re making a difference locally, regionally and internationally in archaeology, biological anthropology and cultural anthropology.
A distinctive feature of our research program and graduate training is thematic integration across anthropology's traditional sub-fields.
We are among a small number of anthropology departments in North America actively fostering meaningful connections and dialogue among anthropology's traditional sub-fields.
Several thematic foci link faculty and students across traditional sub-field boundaries. These include:
January 15 of every year.
If you would like to transfer from another institution’s graduate program, you’ll apply through our regular admissions channels.
If accepted, you may be given transfer credit for coursework at your original university, according to the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.
We encourage applicants to contact a potential supervisor before applying.
Please see our list of faculty members and their research interests. Contact any you would be interested in working with, describe your research interest and ask if they will be taking on new students.
Please note that the supervisor’s agreement to take you as a student does not guarantee your acceptance into the program.
We do our best to notify applicants by the end of March or the beginning of April.
You can view the checklist on your My UVic application profile for a list of received and outstanding documents.
You will be able to upload new documents to your applications even after the application has been submitted. Please keep in mind that it could take a few days before all documents received will appear on your checklist. If documents are received during holiday closure or at an extremely busy time of year it could take longer.
Once your file has sufficient information for evaluation, a graduate admissions and records officer will review it to determine if you meet the minimum requirements for the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Once this is confirmed, your file will be forwarded to our department for assessment.
If you're applying to our graduate programs, we expect you to have passed undergraduate courses equivalent to those in our undergraduate anthropology major program.
Please contact your potential supervisor and let them know if you don't have this equivalent. You may be required to take all or some of the appropriate courses to satisfy the major requirements before completing your graduate degree.
The admissions committee may increase the number of units to correct any deficiencies in your undergraduate program. For example, students without previous training in one or more of the anthropological sub-disciplines (biological, archaeological and sociocultural) will need to take one or more upper-level undergraduate courses in those subdisciplines.
We assess students on a case-by-case basis at admission. If you're accepted, we'll advise you of suggested or required pre- or co-requisite course requirements.
The Graduate Admissions office reviews all applications first to check if they meet university entrance requirements. Eligible applications are then sent to our department for review by our graduate committee.
Admissions decisions are based on a variety of factors:
- the applicant’s scholarly promise as evidenced by transcripts
- statement of interest, letters of recommendation and written work
- availability of faculty to supervise the applicant’s research
- number of students currently enrolled in the program