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Graduate programs

Master of Arts in medical anthropology

Driving healthcare change from a cross-cultural perspective

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Program format

In person

Commitment

Full time or part time

Duration

Two years

Overview

The Master of Arts in medical anthropology is designed to prepare graduate students for professional employment and to meet the growing need for personnel with a cross-cultural perspective in health fields. You may come to this program from an undergraduate major in the social and behavioral sciences (including, but not limited to, anthropology), or from some health fields such as nursing, public health, counseling or medicine.

The goal of the two-year program is to increase your knowledge, skill and readiness for involvement with the programs and problems of agencies, hospitals, clinics, medical organizations and health delivery programs at home and abroad, where applied anthropologists can make positive contributions.

The program provides you with training in the basic principles and methods of cultural and medical anthropology, as well as cultural sensitivity important for employment in health-related fields.

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Student success

SMU graduate students have been very competitive for national funding for dissertation support from the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren, Fulbright, Boren Scholars Program and other sources. Our graduates have found employment in academia, with NGOs, federal agencies, consulting and in private industry.

This program prepares you to excel in the following areas and professions:

  • Public health
  • Global health and international development
  • Hospital systems
  • Health policy and government agencies
  • Nonprofit and NGO health organizations
  • Community health and social services
  • Medical research and epidemiology
  • Medical education

Top 20%

Best National Universities

U.S. News & World Report (2026)

9:1

Graduate student-to-faculty ratio

30+

Graduate study programs at Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

Admissions

Deadlines and details

Key dates and admissions information to help plan your application with confidence.

International students

All the essential admission requirements international students need to know.

Application questions

Find answers to Dedman application questions.

Additional links

Requirements

  1. Application
  2. Application fee
  3. Official transcripts
  4. English language proficiency documentation (if applicable)
  5. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution; a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).

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Tuition and financial aid

Tuition and costs

Explore the cost breakdown of tuition for graduate programs.

Financial aid

Find information on scholarships and financial support available at SMU.

Curriculum and learning

Featured courses

ANTH 6318

Health in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Cross-cultural study of the cultural construction and social organization of medical systems in preindustrial and industrialized societies.

ANTH 6343

Biomedicine, Culture and Power

Examines the epistemology and history of biomedicine, medical bureaucracy, alternative and popular medicine, economics, and healthcare.

ANTH 6319

Research Methods in Ethnology

Examination of methodologies and techniques appropriate for different types of ethnological research.

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Research

We produce anthropologists whose research is sufficiently innovative to attract the notice of their peers, who will seek and receive research funding, and who will apply their training to the constructive development of the human groups with whom they work or society at large. 

Faculty

Our faculty are active in field research and have been recently funded by various federal agencies and private foundations (e.g., National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, Russell Sage Foundation, Fulbright).

Beyond providing you the skills necessary to becoming an anthropologist within or beyond academia, the faculty also imparts a professional attitude and a desire to practice those skills with precision and passion. 

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Photo, Neely Myers

Neely Laurenzo Myers

Professor of Anthropology and Department Chair
Photo, Nia Parson

Nia Parson

Associate Professor of Anthropology
Photo, Elyse Ona Singer

Elyse Ona Singer

Associate Professor of Anthropology
Photo, Eric Bing

Eric G. Bing

Professor of Global Health

Photo, Elizabeth Berk

Elizabeth Berk

Lecturer of Anthropology Director of Undergraduate Studies - Health and Society
Picture, Aanmona Priyadarshini

Aanmona Priyadarshini

Visiting Lecturer of Anthropology
Photo, Karen Lupo

Karen D. Lupo

Professor of Anthropology
Photo of Betsy Nelson wearing a black shirt

Elizabeth A. Nelson

Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Photo, Maryann Cairns

Maryann R. Cairns

Associate Professor of Anthropology

Photo, Matthew Abel

Matthew Abel

Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Portrait of professor Bianca Batista

Bianca Batista, Ph.D.

Lecturer

James Calvert

Senior Lecturer II

Thomas Ritz

Professor

Brian Zoltowski

Professor
David Son Photo

David Y. Son

Professor and Chair
Michael Lindsey

Michael Lindsey

Lecturer
Chris Logan

Chris Logan

Senior Lecturer II
Co-Director of the Undergraduate Studies
Undergraduate Advisor

Facilities

Mental Health Innovation Laboratory

Conducts interdisciplinary, community-engaged research to develop innovative solutions addressing mental health challenges.

The Environment and Infrastructure Laboratory

Functions as a space to complete studies in environment, infrastructure, water, pollution and health in anthropology.

Molecular Anthropology Laboratories

Specializes in the analysis of DNA from both modern and archaeological samples to address classic problems in anthropology.

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Request more info about the M.A. in medical anthropology program

Frequently asked questions

The field of medical anthropology focuses on cultural and biological factors that influence health and wellness, studying popular health culture, globalization forces, micro and macro politics, and much more.

The M.A. in medical anthropology program at SMU is a training program in applied anthropology for students seeking involvement in healthcare agencies, hospitals, clinics and other health delivery organizations. This program is a terminal master’s degree.

Applied anthropologists make positive contributions to the programs and problems of agencies, hospitals, clinics, medical organizations and health delivery programs at home and abroad.

No, earning a master’s in medical anthropology would not wholly prepare students for medical school. 

Yes, students work closely with faculty on various research projects. Our graduate programs are designed to produce creative, energetic, articulate and literate scholars and/or practitioners. We endeavor to produce anthropologists whose research is sufficiently innovative to attract the notice of their peers, who will seek and receive research funding, and who will apply their training to the constructive development of the human groups with whom they work or society at large. 

The program provides you with training in the basic principles and methods of cultural and medical anthropology, as well as cultural sensitivity important for employment in health-related fields. You can study a variety of areas of research concentrations (medical anthropology, migration, archaeology, human impacts and environmental anthropology, gender studies, GIS and cultural heritage), and you’ll gain extensive training on methodology and fieldwork, plus effective mentoring for grant proposal writing.

Research locally and abroad is a major component of the medical anthropology master’s degree. The program boasts:

  • Internationally and nationally recognized faculty with high research productivity
  • Synergistic areas of research concentration (medical anthropology, migration, archaeology, human impacts and environmental anthropology, gender studies, GIS, cultural heritage)
  • Unique research infrastructure (e.g.: Archaeological Research Collections, Taos Field School, genetics lab, environmental anthropology lab, connections to facilities and institutions in the Dallas area, and opportunities for Dallas-based research)
  • Strong emphasis on methods training and field research
  • Strong record of both global and local research by students

Our graduate programs are designed to produce creative, energetic, articulate, and literate scholars and/or practitioners who are prepared to meet the demand for a scientifically trained, culturally sensitive and globally minded workforce. It’s a highly specialized training program in applied anthropology for students seeking involvement in healthcare agencies, hospitals, clinics and other health delivery organizations. 

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