Considerations when choosing a major

UNM's program in Human Evolutionary Ecology (HEE) focuses upon the ways in which ecological forces shape human evolution and behavior. Faculty in the HEE subfield include Jane Lancaster, Hilly Kaplan, and Jim Boone. Faculty with closely related research interests Kim Hill & Magdalena Hurtado (Biological Anthropology), Eric Charnov & Randy Thornhill (Biology), and Steve Gangestad & Geoffrey Miller (Psychology). Many of these faculty cooperate in UNM's HumanEvolutionary Biology consortium, and students are encouraged to take coures in these related disciplines.
Access HEE Faculty>>

Human Evolutionary Ecology or Biological Anthropology?

Students who are interested in both Biological Anthropology and Human Evolutionary Ecology (HEE) should look carefully at both programs before applying. The two programs differ in the courses they require students to take. The Biological Anthropology program has a larger number of required courses. The purpose of this curriculum is to insure that students gain broad and detailed training in many aspects of Biological Anthropology. The HEE program has fewer required courses. The HEE program seeks to have its students tailor their graduate training to their interests and begin their research soon after entering the program. The HEE program often results in speedier progress through the program but often with less breadth of training in the subject matter of Biological Anthropology.

HEE program prerequisites (must obtain proficiency in the following, if not included in the undergraduate training of each entering student):

Students are expected to take a statistical sequence along with the research methods and design offered by HEE faculty. Examples are: Math/Stat 527, 528 and 574 or Econometrics 509, 510. Discuss this with your advisor and begin early.

Ph.D. requirements

Students entering the program with an MA, MS or equivalent in Anthropology as well as those entering with an MA or MS in another discipline must take the Master's "pro-seminar" sequence (above) and pass the Doctoral Qualifying (Comprehensive) Exam.

For a more detailed look at the Human Evolutionary Ecology curriculum, please refer to the graduate handbook, pp.17-19
Access the Graduate Handbook >>

Comprehensive Exams

The Comprehensive Examination is offered in December each year and is usually taken at the end of the third or fifth full semester of study. It is a two-day, open-book, take-home exam. Depending on the level of performance students may fail the exam, be awarded a Master's pass, or qualify to enter the PhD program. No student is given more than two opportunities to pass this exam. It is based on the pre-comp core curriculum plus individual electives.

For more information on the Graduate Human Evolutionary Ecology Comprehensive Exam, please refer to the graduate handbook p.18.
Access the Graduate Handbook >>

Ph.D. requirements

Ph.D. Requirements: Following qualification to enter the Ph.D. program students are expected to spend at least a year in preparation for the Doctoral Specials Examination. During this time they will complete the pre-specials core curriculum and work with their committee to write up a dissertation proposal. The Specials examination is a defense of this proposal. The proposal should be in the form of an application to the National Science Foundation for a dissertation improvement grant or other appropriate funding agency. The proposal must be approved by the doctoral committee prior to its defense before the full HEE faculty.

For more information on the Doctoral Human Evolutionary Ecology Comprehensive Exam, please refer to the graduate handbook p. 23.
Access the Graduate Handbook >>

Curriculum according to Subfield
Archaeology Curriculum
Biological Anthropology Curriculum
Ethnology / Linguistics Curriculum
Human Evolutionary Ecology Curriculum

Graduate Program Information
Graduate Curriculum/Concentration Information
Graduate Admissions Information/Application
Financial Aid/Funding Information
Graduate Contact Information
Anthropology Graduate Student Union