Department of Anthropology Graduate Handbook

GSC MEMBERS

Dr. Mark Moritz, Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) 4058 Smith Laboratory moritz.42@osu.edu
Dr. Anna Willow 4100 Smith Laboratory willow.1@osu.edu
Dr. Doug Crews 4004 Smith Laboratory crews.8@osu.edu
Dr. Scott McGraw, Department Chair, ex officio 4034 Smith Laboratory mcgraw.43@osu.edu
Stephanie Fannin Graduate Student Representative GSAA Fannin.96@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Sarah Palazzo Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) 4034 Smith Laboratory palazzo.66@osu.edu

•Students are responsible for knowing and complying with policies and deadlines of the department, graduate school, and university. When in doubt, consult the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and/or the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC).
 

•Most answers to your questions can be found in this handbook or the Graduate School Handbook, and other Graduate School notices or instructions. Please consult those first.
 

•Please make sure to read the timeline of tasks in this document carefully in the semester preceding your planned candidacy examination or final oral examination (dissertation defense). Be aware that some of the required forms must be submitted early in the semester in which you take the exam.
 

•Graduate School forms for the candidacy examination, final oral examination, the master’s examination, and other forms can be found on GRADFORMS.
 

• All requests and petitions to the GSC must have the graduate advisor’s approval. A petition can be a letter or email to the Director of Graduate Studies. It is always a good idea to CC your advisor on your emails.
 

•All the important dates for the 2024-2025 academic year can be found on the Registrar’s website or on the Graduate School’s website. It is particularly important to know the deadlines when you are planning to take your candidacy exam, defend your dissertation, or take your master’s examination.
 

•Students who started the graduate program before autumn 2024 can use this handbook or the graduate handbook that was in effect when they started the program. Students who started the graduate program in autumn 2024 will use the current handbook.
 

•All departmental forms can be found in the appendices of this handbook.

The Graduate Program in Anthropology operates under the rules of the Graduate School as published in the Graduate School Handbook and other Graduate School notices or instructions. The policies and rules in this handbook govern specific aspects of the Graduate Program in Anthropology. Graduate students are responsible for compliance with the rules and policies of both the Graduate School and the Department of Anthropology.
The Department offers the PhD degree with the opportunity to earn the MA degree along the way. This handbook outlines the requirements and expectations of each of the degrees according to the Graduate School Handbook and specific rules decided by the departmental faculty. The goal of this handbook is to promote best practices in graduate advising and support the formation of independent and highly qualified researchers in anthropology.
The Graduate Program is represented by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC), which is responsible for administering the Program in accordance with the policies established herein and in the Graduate School Handbook.
Students are responsible for obtaining, keeping, and being familiar with: (1) a copy of the version of the departmental Graduate Handbook in effect at the time of their entry into the program, as well as (2) a copy of the current version of the Graduate Handbook (updated annually). Students will be informed by the GSC of how changes to the program during their period of enrollment may affect their course of study. If you are not sure if a policy applies to you, please ask the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC).

Membership. The Graduate Studies Committee consists of five members: three members of the graduate faculty (including the Director of Graduate Studies), the department chair (ex officio), and one graduate student representative. Faculty members are appointed by the department chair, typically for a period of 2 years. Subject to availability, the committee normally includes members from each of the three subfields (archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology). The chair of the GSC is selected by the department chair from one of the faculty appointed to the GSC. The student member is elected annually by resident graduate students through the Graduate Students of Anthropology Association (GSAA). The student member
participates in the admission process and discussion of general policies and concerns, but not in the annual evaluation of students or discussions that concern individual students. The GSC is supported by the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC), who is responsible for the administrative aspects of the graduate program.

Responsibilities. The GSC is responsible for administering the graduate program in accordance with policies established by the Graduate School and the faculty of the Department of Anthropology. The faculty specifically delegates the following duties to the GSC:
 

•To make recommendations for admission to the graduate program and to recommend students for university fellowships. Faculty vote on admissions and fellowship nominations.
•To ensure that progress toward the degree follows Graduate School and departmental policies and timelines, and that membership on the MA and PhD committees meets Graduate School criteria.
•To advise committees on the preparation, administration, and evaluation of the Candidacy Exam, Final Oral Examination, and Master’s Examination.
•To oversee the annual graduate student evaluation process.
•To act on petitions from students for exceptions to departmental policies or other requests not covered in this handbook or the Graduate School Handbook.
•To review applications for departmental awards (e.g., Daniel Hughes Memorial Fund, Larsen Research and Travel Award, Elizabeth A. Salt Anthropology Travel Award, and the DEM3 Award) and university awards (e.g., Presidential Fellowship) and respectively award and nominate students for these awards.
•To make recommendations to the faculty concerning changes in the graduate program and revisions in this handbook.
Procedures. Decisions and recommendations of the GSC conform to Graduate School rules and departmental policies, as approved by the faculty, and published in this handbook. Decisions and recommendations of the GSC are implemented if they receive a simple majority of votes by eligible department faculty.

The Graduate Students of Anthropology Association (GSAA) is a formally recognized student group at The Ohio State University. All graduate students within the Department of Anthropology are automatically granted membership into the organization upon admittance and acceptance to the Department of Anthropology. The GSAA promotes student community and interests. GSAA keeps graduate students informed of department events and decisions by holding positions on committees. The GSAA also supports graduate students in developing a social community by hosting social events that may include undergraduate students, when appropriate. The GSAA is for the graduate students, by the graduate students.
 

The goal of the graduate program is to train students to become anthropological researchers and prepare them for careers in and outside of academia. The program is designed for students seeking a PhD degree and students with a BA/BS or MA/MS degree can complete the graduate program in five to six years. Students will complete the coursework in the first two years of the program and then have three to four years to prepare for dissertation research, collect and analyze data, and write up the results in a dissertation. As described below, there are three sets of required courses: theoretical competencies, research competencies, and professional competencies. A critical component of the program is mentoring and student participation in an ongoing academic workshop.

Admission requirements. A master’s degree is not a prerequisite to apply to the graduate program. Students with BA/BS and MA/MS degrees are eligible to apply to our PhD program. We follow the admission requirements of the Graduate School: (1) the equivalent of a four-year bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited college or university, earned by the expected date of entry into the graduate program; and (2) a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale or equivalent) for the last bachelor's or advanced degree earned. GRE scores are not required. More information about the application process can be found on our website.

Master’s Degree Option. All students accepted to the graduate program are accepted directly to the PhD program. A master’s degree is not required for continuation in our PhD program, but students may earn a master’s degree as a terminal degree at Ohio State, or as a degree on the way to earning the PhD in our or another program. Students can opt to earn the master’s degree once they meet the minimum criteria (30 credit hours of coursework) (see below for more information). The master’s degree is conferred upon passing the master’s examination. Students may opt to get their master’s degree at any point in the program and may either continue to the PhD program or leave the program after acquiring the master’s degree.
Program Overview. The curriculum is divided into three types of learning activities: coursework, independent studies, and dissertation research. Coursework is concentrated in the first four semesters of the program, complemented by independent studies with advisors and/or committee members. Most graduate courses will be offered every two years and bring together students from two successive cohorts. For this reason, there are two possible curricular paths, one for students starting in even years (e.g., Autumn Semester 2024) and another for students starting in odd years (e.g., Autumn Semester 2025) (see curriculum overview below).

Theoretical Core

The theoretical core consists of three courses that focus on three broad themes: society and environment, biocultural approaches to health, and human evolutionary history. The theory courses integrate theoretical and conceptual approaches from across the anthropological sub-fields.

7001 Society and Environment (3 credit hours). This course provides an overview of major theoretical paradigms that have shaped anthropological research on humans and their environment. This course will train students to think theoretically as anthropologists by critically examining primary and secondary sources for a selection of theoretical paradigms on social-ecological systems.
7002 Anthropology of Health (3 credit hours). This course provides an overview of major theories, paradigms and approaches that have shaped anthropological research on the physical, biological, social, and cultural factors that shape human health in the past and present. The course is structured to encourage students to think theoretically and innovatively and to encourage them to apply knowledge and perspectives from across the anthropology sub-fields in their own research.

7003 Human Evolutionary History (3 credit hours). This course provides an overview of major theoretical paradigms that have shaped anthropological research on human evolutionary history. The goal is to train students to think theoretically as anthropologists by critically examining the paradigms in human evolutionary history that shaped past and current anthropological work.
Methods. The program puts emphasis also on the development of methodological skills that will allow students to become independent and proficient researchers in anthropology. Students are required to take the following three methods courses.
8892.11 Data Analysis in Anthropology (3 credit hours). The course will focus on research questions that are common in anthropology and will offer the space for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to work with their own datasets, focusing on the discussion and interpretation of results generated by quantitative approaches.
8891.05 Ethnographic Methods (3 credit hours). The primary focus of this course is hands-on student research activities, covering methods that are central in ethnographic research – participant observation, writing fieldnotes, semistructured interviews, surveys, and grounded theory.

7777 Data Collection Workshop (1 credit hour per semester, students have to enroll for at least two semesters). The main goal for this year-long workshop is introducing students to multiple data collection methods commonly used in anthropology. The workshop consists of lectures by the faculty in the department, who will introduce their research and data collection protocols. The lectures by faculty will be complemented by discussions with invited faculty and readings that cover the methods discussed, and workshops in which students get hands-on experience with the different methods.
Professional Development. There are four courses that focus on the development of professional competencies, including teaching, communicating, grant writing, and professional development.

7720 Teaching in Anthropology (3 credit hours and 1 credit hour of class observations). This course introduces students to teaching in anthropology and it prepares them for teaching introductory courses in archaeology, biological anthropology, and cultural anthropology. This seminar also includes one credit hour for students to observe one of the introductory courses offered in the department, and to familiarize themselves with the content and teaching strategies used in these introductory courses.

8827 Communicating Anthropology (3 credit hours). This course will walk students through the process of communicating research across several common platforms currently available to academics. The main goal is to work with students on the development of their academic narratives and to discuss how such narratives can (and should) be adjusted to different audiences.
8828 Grant Writing (3 credit hours). The focus of this course is on writing competitive grant proposals. This entails students learning to explain why their research is needed; what it will contribute to the scientific understanding of human society and culture; and how it will lead to the development of theory. Students will learn to develop clear research questions; explain how the research design will address those questions; what information or data will be collected, how, and why; and how the information or data will be analyzed to address the research questions. Finally, students will learn to explain why they are able to conduct the research successfully.

7007 Academic workshop (1 credit hour per semester, students have to enroll for at least five semesters). This ongoing workshop is offered every semester. Its main goal is to offer students from all cohorts an opportunity for research presentations, academic discussions, and professional development. The workshop consists of weekly meetings covering a range of topics arranged by the instructor in coordination with the students. Students do not have to enroll in the workshop in consecutive semesters and students who are working on their dissertation and applying for jobs, are encouraged to enroll.

Electives

Students will take four elective courses in the first two years of the program (minimum of 3 credit hours each or a total of 12 credit hours). The electives can be selected from any course inside or outside the program that is appropriate for graduate students (5000-level or higher courses within our department and 4000-level and higher courses in other departments). One of the electives should be a methods course, for example, 5651: Spatial Analysis for Anthropologists, 5603: Archaeological Field Research, 5607: Human Osteology, or 5650: Research Design and Ethnographic Methods. The electives should be selected in coordination with the advisor and should advance the professional development of the student.
Independent Studies. An important component of student training is achieved through independent studies. In the first two years of the program, students are expected to enroll in 3 credit hours of independent studies each semester with their advisors or committee members, for a total of 15 credit hours divided over autumn, spring, and summer semesters. The goals of the independent studies will be discussed with the advisor and committee members, and they should be opportunities for the student to develop their own work (e.g., literature review for research, development of research proposal, data analysis, writing manuscript for publication). Students also have the option of taking additional elective courses instead of independent studies with their advisor or committee members.

Degree enhancements. Students can customize their degree with minors, specializations, dual and combined degrees, and certificates. These degree options are open to any graduate student interested in developing a secondary expertise. Some of these options are available for as few as 10 credit hours of graduate-level course work in at least three courses outside the student's home program. A graduate minor requires that at least one program be outside a student's home program. A graduate interdisciplinary specialization (GIS) involves two or more graduate programs outside the student's home program. Completion of a graduate minor, GIS, or certificate program is noted on the student's transcript. More information about these degree enhancements can be found on the Graduate School website, which includes a list with all the graduate minors, graduate interdisciplinary specializations, and graduate certificates.

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are offered every other year and combine students from two cohorts.

YEAR 1

Autumn Semester 2024 (12 credit hours)

• 7002 Anthropology of Health (3CH) *
• 7720 Teaching Anthropology (4CH)
• 7777 Data Collection Workshop (1CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 8XXX Independent Study (3CH)

Spring Semester 2025 (14 credit hours)

• 7001 Society and Environment (3CH) *
• 8892.11 Data Analysis in Anthropology (3CH)
• 7777 Data Collection Workshop (1CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 8XXX Independent Study (3CH)
• XXXX Elective (3CH)
• Summer Semester 2025
• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 2

Autumn Semester 2025 (10 credit hours)

• 7003 Human Evolutionary History (3CH) *
• 8891.05 Ethnographic Methods (3CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• XXXX Elective (3CH)

Spring Semester 2026 (13 credit hours)

• 8827 Communicating Anthropology (3CH) *
• XXXX Methods Elective (3CH)
• XXXX Elective (3 CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 8XXX Independent Study (3CH)

Summer Semester 2026

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 3

Autumn Semester 2026 (8 credit hours)

• 8XXX Preparation for Candidacy Examination (4CH)
• 8828 Grant Writing (3CH) *
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Spring Semester 2027 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Summer 2027

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 4

Autumn Semester 2027 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Spring Semester 2028 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Summer 2028

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 5

Autumn Semester 2028 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Spring Semester 2029 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Defense – Final Oral Examination (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Summer 2029

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary))

Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are offered every other year and combine students from two cohorts.

YEAR 1

Autumn Semester 2025 (14 credit hours)

• 7003 Human Evolutionary History (3CH) *
• 8891.05 Ethnographic Methods (3CH)
• XXXX Elective (3CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 7720 Teaching Anthropology (4CH)

Spring Semester 2026 (13 credit hours)

• 8827 Communicating Anthropology (3CH) *
• XXXX Methods Elective (3CH)
• XXXX Elective (3 CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 8XXX Independent Study (3CH)

Summer Semester 2026

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 2

Autumn Semester 2026 (12 credit hours)

• 7002 Anthropology of Health (3CH) *
• 8828 Grant Writing (3CH) *
• 7777 Data Collection Workshop (1CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 8XXX Independent Study (4CH)

Spring Semester 2027 (14 credit hours)

• 7001 Society and Environment (3CH) *
• 8892.11 Data Analysis in Anthropology (3CH)
• 7777 Data Collection Workshop (1CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)
• 8XXX Independent Study (3CH)
• XXXX Elective (3CH)

Summer Semester 2027

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 3

Autumn Semester 2027 (8 credit hours)

• 8XXX Preparation for Candidacy Examination (7CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Spring Semester 2028 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Summer Semester 2028

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 4

Autumn Semester 2028 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Spring Semester 2029 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Summer Semester 2029

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

YEAR 5

Autumn Semester 2029 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Research (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Spring Semester 2030 (3 credit hours)

• 8XXX Dissertation Defense – Oral Examination (2CH)
• 7007 Academic Workshop (1CH)

Summer Semester 2030

• 8XXX Independent Study (credits vary)

Minimum enrollment requirements. 

To maintain full-time status, a student must register for the minimum number of credit hours. This number varies depending on the student’s status in the program, funding source, and term (see chart below). Full-time status is not always required for the summer term (see below). 

Pre-and post-candidacy students have different sets of enrollment minimums. Pre­candidacy students on a Graduate Assistantship, e.g., Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) or Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) must enroll for at least 8 credits during the fall and spring semesters. Pre-candidacy students on a Graduate School Fellowship must enroll in at least 12 credits during the fall and spring semesters. Post-candidacy students being funded through a GTA/GRA position or Graduate School Fellowship must enroll in 3 credits during fall and spring. Students are strongly encouraged to follow the recommended credit hours suggested in the curriculum overview, to guarantee their graduation within the expected timeframe of the program. 

Enrollment minimums are subject to change. Students are responsible for ensuring that they enroll in the correct number of credits each semester. Requirements may also be affected by financial aid, external fellowship stipulations, or if the student is taking an examination during the semester in question. If in doubt, consult the Grad School’s Course Load Requirements or contact the Graduate Program Coordinator. 

Students need a total of 80 credit hours for the completion of the PhD program: 36 credit hours come from required courses and the remainder comes from electives, independent studies, and dissertation research. Students with an MA from another program can transfer 30 credit hours that count towards the 80-credit-hour requirement; however, transfer credit cannot be used to replace required classes. 

You can use the charts below to visualize your minimal enrollment requirements for the semester before and after candidacy. This chart includes requirements for international students entering the PhD program in Autumn or Spring. Federal regulations specify that while students can be enrolled in as many online credits as they would like, international students cannot use more than three (3) online credits to count toward their full-time enrollment minimums. Students pursuing a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience may have different enrollment requirements. Contact the Office of International Affairs senior immigration coordinator for more information. For those receiving VA benefits, please contact the Graduate School for enrollment requirements.

Summer Enrollment & Summer Fee Authorization. 

Pre-candidacy students on a GTA/GRA during the summer must enroll for 4 credits, while pre-candidacy students on a Graduate School Fellowship during the summer must enroll in 6 credits.

Post-candidacy students do not have to enroll for the summer unless they are on a GTA/GRA, Graduate School Fellowship, or are taking their final examination that semester. In these cases, they should enroll in 3 credits.
Students who hold a GTA/GRA position during the prior fall and spring semester automatically qualify for the Summer Fee Authorization. This benefit allows students to sign up for summer credits without being charged tuition. All students who choose to use the Summer Fee Authorization are recommended to enroll in 3 credits. Unlike GTA/GRA positions, the Summer Fee Authorization does not come with a stipend.

Purpose. The candidacy examination is a single examination consisting of two portions, written and oral, administered under the auspices of the Graduate Studies Committee in conjunction with the student’s Candidacy Examination Committee and the Graduate School. The purpose of the candidacy examination is to test a student’s comprehension of the field, allied areas of study, capacity to undertake independent research, and ability to think and express ideas clearly.
Definition. Candidacy is defined as that period in a doctoral student’s career when they are deemed ready to undertake independent and original research resulting in a dissertation. Doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy by passing the written and oral portions of the candidacy examination will subsequently be termed “doctoral candidates.”
Candidacy should be reached after doctoral students have taken enough course work to become proficient in the field of study, which is generally two to three years after starting the doctoral program. Doctoral students who have achieved candidacy status are deemed to have:
1. acquired the necessary advanced knowledge of the subject (normally by meeting all of the course requirements for their PhD program);
2. developed the needed technical skills (e.g., language, laboratory, computational) for work in the subject; and
3. demonstrated the ability to do the research or scholarship necessary to begin work on a dissertation.

Timing. The candidacy examination may be taken or begun at any time thought appropriate by the student’s candidacy examination committee and Graduate Studies Committee but must be completed at least one semester before a student can defend the dissertation and graduate. In our graduate program, students are expected to take the candidacy exam in the fifth semester. The student must be in good standing in the Graduate School and be registered for seven graduate credit hours of independent study with their advisor (and/or committee members) in the semester in which the candidacy examination is taken. Students can use the independent study ANTHROP 8999: Research in Anthropology: Dissertation.

The candidacy examination committee is composed composed of the advisor who is a faculty member with P-status in our department and at least three other authorized graduate faculty members, including one other faculty member with P-status in our department (see section 12.0 of the Graduate School Handbook for an explanation of P-status). Non-graduate faculty and external members may be appointed to the candidacy committee as additional external members by approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and a petition to the Graduate School. Because of the timeline of the candidacy examination (see table below), the final examination committee must be finalized no later than the semester before the final examination takes place.

Format. The written portion of the candidacy exam consists of two components: (1) a research proposal that meets the requirements of a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDRIG) of the National Science Foundation (NSF); and (2) a supplementary literature review that addresses key conceptual, theoretical, topical, and methodological questions supporting the research proposal in more depth and breadth than would be possible in a ten-page NSF DDRIG proposal. Taken together, these two documents allow the students committee to evaluate that student’s comprehension of the field,
allied areas of study, capacity to undertake independent research, and ability to think and express ideas clearly.

The guidelines for a typical 10-page project description for an NSF DDRIG grant are the following: (1) statement of the research problem (1 page); (2) intellectual merit (2 pages); (3) research plan, including study design, sample strategy, data collection, and data analysis (5 pages); (4) research schedule (1 page); and (5) broader impacts (1 page). The proposal should follow the guidelines of the NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), which means single-spaced and font size 11 or 12. For more formatting information, please consult the appropriate NSF program for your research interests (CA-DDRIG, Arch-DDRIG, or BA-DDRIG).

The guidelines for the supplementary literature review are the following: (1) a brief summary of the goals of the research proposal that identifies the key research domains to be discussed in the review (for example theoretical models, frameworks, theories, concepts, methodologies, sampling strategies, terminology, ethnographic, cultural, or historical background, evolutionary or biological history); and (2) synthesis sections for each research domain that includes the essential scholarly citations; a description of any debates or tensions that currently exist in the literature; and a statement that articulates how the research proposal relates or articulates with this research domain. Each synthesis section should range between one-half to three pages. The key research domains to be covered in the supplementary literature review should be determined during committee meetings and/or discussions with individual committee members. In all cases, the supplementary literature review should be well-aligned with and provide direct scholarly support for the ideas outlined in the research proposal. The complete supplementary literature review should be between 10-20 single-spaced pages and include between 50-100 citations.

Examples of both written portions of the candidacy exam can be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies.
Process. In the semester in which the student takes the candidacy exam, they will enroll for seven independent study hours with their advisor (and/or committee members). The students will meet with the candidacy examination committee at the start of the semester to review the dissertation prospectus. The dissertation prospectus serves as the first draft of the dissertation research proposal and must include: research questions and/or hypotheses, the theoretical frameworks guiding the proposed work, and planned methodological approach. The examination committee must approve the dissertation prospectus by the 4th week of the semester. Mid-semester, the student meets again with the candidacy examination committee who will review the (draft) proposal to give critical feedback and to decide whether the student is ready to defend at the end of the semester. If the committee decides the student is ready, the student submits the departmental Ready for Candidacy form to the Graduate Studies Committee and the Application for Candidacy on GRADFORMS to schedule the oral portion of the candidacy exam. If the committee decided that the student is not ready, the candidacy committee will indicate this on the departmental Ready for Candidacy and the candidacy exam will be postponed to the next semester.

Scheduling. The oral portion of the candidacy examination is held after completion of the written portion and must be completed within one month of the written portion. To schedule the oral exam, the student must submit an Application for Candidacy on GRADFORMS and have this approved by their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies at least two weeks before the proposed date of the oral examination. The oral examination must take place during announced university business hours, Monday through Friday. Exams may be held on the Ohio State University campus or via video conference, dependent upon unanimous agreement by the student and committee.

Doctoral candidates are responsible for making certain that committee members are on duty in the autumn or spring semester term of the candidacy examination (and not on leave or sabbatical). Students should avoid scheduling examinations in the summer because most faculty members are not on duty in the summer and have no obligation to participate in candidacy examinations during that time.

Tasks for Student and Committee

Week 1: Student submits the dissertation prospectus to the candidacy examination committee.

Week 3: Student meets with the candidacy examination committee to discuss the dissertation prospectus.

Week 4: Student submits the departmental Dissertation Prospectus form signed by committee members to the Graduate Studies Committee.

Week 10: Students submits the dissertation proposal to the candidacy examination committee.

Week 10 – 12: Candidacy examination committee reviews the proposal and sign the departmental Ready for Candidacy form that indicates that the student is ready to defend the dissertation proposal that semester.

Week 12: Student submits Application for Candidacy on GRADFORMS and has this approved by their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies at least two weeks before the oral’s proposed date.

Week 14: Oral examination

Attendance and Format. Attendance at the oral examination is limited to the student and members of the candidacy examination committee. Except when video conferencing is involved, all members of the candidacy examination committee must be present during the entire oral examination. The student can do a 15-minute presentation of the dissertation research in advance of the oral portion of the candidacy examination in which committee members question the student about their proposal. The entire examination lasts no more than two hours. All committee members are expected to participate fully in the questioning during the course of the examination and in the discussion of and decision on the result of the candidacy examination.
 

Decision. The decision about the outcome of the candidacy examination is reached in the absence of the student. After discussion, the satisfactory/unsatisfactory decision is reached by means of a vote. Each examiner indicates judgment by posting their decision on the Report on Candidacy Examination that must be submitted to the Graduate School, usually within 24 hours. Satisfactory means that the student is considered to have completed the candidacy examination successfully only when the decision of the candidacy examination committee is unanimously affirmative. Unsatisfactory means that one or more members of the committee deem the written and/or oral portion of the examination to be unsatisfactory. If the examination is judged unsatisfactory, the candidacy examination committee must decide whether the student will be permitted to take a second candidacy examination and must record that decision on the Report on Candidacy Examination. See Graduate School Handbook for information on the second candidacy examination.

Expiration of candidacy status. If students have not graduated five years after candidacy (not including leaves of absence), they are evaluated for future enrollment in the program. Students may be allowed to petition the department via GRADFORMS for one-semester extension of candidacy. If approved and the student does not graduate in that term, candidacy status expires. Students can renew candidacy status for two years by passing a supplemental candidacy exam. The supplemental exam can take place during the extended candidacy semester, or up to a full academic year after candidacy expiration. If students do not graduate within two years of passing supplemental exam, they are again evaluated by department and may be allowed to apply for additional one-semester candidacy extension. If extension is granted, it will be their final term in the program. Requests to deviate from this timeline will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

The dissertation is a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the doctoral candidate’s area of specialization. By researching and writing a dissertation, the doctoral candidate is expected to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and the capability to function as an independent scholar.

Students, advisor, and committee members should discuss whether the dissertation takes the form of monograph, or a series of publishable articles bookended with an introduction and conclusion.

 The dissertation committee is composed of the advisor who is a faculty member with P-status in our department and at least two other authorized graduate faculty members, including one other faculty member with P-status in our department (see section 12.0 of the Graduate School Handbook for an explanation of P-status). The advisor serves as chair of the dissertation committee. Selection of the committee members is the responsibility of the doctoral candidate and the advisor. Non-graduate faculty and external members may be appointed to the dissertation committee as additional external members by approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and a petition to the Graduate School.

The dissertation committee is established at a time thought appropriate by the doctoral candidate and the advisor. In general, it is best practice if the committee is established before the student engages in dissertation research and is developing the dissertation proposal for the candidacy examination. However, the composition of the candidacy examination committee and the final examination committee do not have to be the same. Because of the timeline of the final examination (see table below), the final examination committee must be finalized no later than the beginning of the semester before the final examination takes place by submitting the departmental Composition of Final Examination Committee form.

External Members. With the approval of the Graduate School, faculty from other universities or persons with special academic or technical expertise may be appointed to the dissertation committee. Adjunct appointments are not needed for those members. Petitions to add an external member can be submitted through GRADFORMS.

The doctoral candidate must submit a complete dissertation draft to the Graduate School for format review at the time the Application for Final Examination form is submitted. The dissertation must conform to Graduate School format requirements as described in the document preparation guidelines available on the Graduate School website. Format reviews may occur in person by submitting a paper copy of the dissertation draft to the Graduate School during announced business hours, or electronically by submitting a digital version of the dissertation draft to gradschoolformatreview@osu.edu.

All dissertations submitted for format review and defense must be of a caliber similar to that expected of an article submitted to a journal for review. Documents that are missing tables, graphs, citations, chapters, or sections, etc., are considered incomplete and cannot be reviewed or defended. The student is responsible for ensuring that the information contained within the dissertation is original, complete, and does not include material that could reflect academic misconduct or a breach of professional ethics.

The final oral examination tests originality, independence of thought, the ability to synthesize and interpret, and the quality of research presented. The final oral examination concerns principles and historic perspective as well as data. The final oral examination includes, but is not limited to, discussion of the dissertation. The examiners often pursue lines of thought and argument from the data and concepts that have contributed to the research and to its critical evaluation by the doctoral candidate.

Final Oral Examination Committee. The final oral examination committee is composed of members of the doctoral candidate’s dissertation committee, plus the Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR). The advisor serves as chair of the final oral examination committee. Responsibility for conducting and evaluating the final oral examination rests with the doctoral candidate’s final oral examination committee.

Graduate Faculty Representative. Once the final oral examination is scheduled, the Graduate School appoints the Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR). The GFR is a Category P graduate faculty member who is neither a graduate faculty member in the doctoral candidate’s graduate program nor a member of the dissertation committee. No less than one week before the final oral examination, a complete dissertation must be presented to the GFR for reference.

The presence of the GFR is required at the oral examination for its entire duration. The GFR is a full voting member of the final oral examination committee and is invited by the advisor to ask questions. The GFR has the right to ask at least one question and renders an opinion by observation of the student’s answers to all questions. The purpose of the GFR on the final oral examination committee is: (1) to assess the rigor of the examination process; (2) to assess the fairness, professionalism, and integrity of the examination process; and (3) to assess conformity to rules of the Graduate School (e.g., duration of the exam, adequate time for questions by the committee members). The GFR reports a judgment of the above to the Graduate School once the final oral examination is completed.
 

Before a defense can be held, the doctoral candidate must submit a complete dissertation to the dissertation committee for review. The general schedule for the final semester is described in the table below. All the exact dates can be found on the Graduate School’s website.

Doctoral candidates are responsible for making certain that committee members are on duty in the autumn or spring semester term of the final examination (and not on leave or sabbatical). Students should avoid scheduling examinations in the summer because most faculty members are not on duty in the summer and have no obligation to participate in final examinations during that time.

Semester before final examination

Week 3: Student and advisor formally constitute the final examination committee and the committee 

Semester of final examination

Week 1: Student provides the committee members with a complete draft of the dissertation.

Week 2 – 3: Committee members have two weeks to review the complete draft of the dissertation, give critical feedback, and sign the departmental Ready to Defend Dissertation form that indicates that the student is ready to defend the dissertation that semester. If the committee decided that the student is not ready, it will indicate this on the Ready to Defend Dissertation and the final oral examination will be postponed to the next semester.

Week 3: Student submits the Application to Graduate form on GRADFORMS no later than the third Friday of the semester in which graduation is expected.

Week 4 – 7: Student uses the critical feedback from the committee to improve the dissertation.

Week 8: Student provides the committee members with the draft of the dissertation to be defended in the Final Oral Examination.

Week 9 – 10: Committee members read the dissertation, and only if they judge it to be of sufficient merit to warrant holding the final oral examination, they will approve the Application for Final Examination submitted by the student on GRADFORMS at least two weeks before the proposed defense date.

Week 11: Student submits the dissertation to the Graduate School for format review.

Week 12: Student gives a public presentation. Student defends dissertation in Final Oral Examination. Committee members complete the Oral Examination Reports on GRADFORMS.

Week 12 – 14: Student makes minor edits, corrections, and revisions in the dissertation that may have been required by the members of the committee.

Week 14: Committee members complete the Examination Reports on GRADFORMS.

Week 15: Student submits approved dissertation to the Graduate School and celebrates their achievements

Format of the Final Oral Examination

 The final oral examination must take place during announced university business hours, Monday through Friday. Exams may be held on the Ohio State University campus or via video conference, dependent upon unanimous agreement by the student and committee.
All members of the final oral examination committee are expected to be present during the entire examination. All committee members are expected to participate fully in questioning during the examination and in the discussion of and decision on the result. The final oral examination lasts no longer than two hours and is a closed session limited to the committee members. The student may give a short 15-minute presentation of the research, but at least, one-and-a-half hours of the exam should be allotted to discussion of the research and to questions by the final oral examination committee members and answers by the doctoral candidate.

Public Presentation

Students are required to give a 45-minute public presentation of the dissertation research before the Final Oral Examination. The public presentation is modeled after the academic job talk. Students who are pursuing careers in industry can also give a shorter talk that meets industry standards. This public presentation can be given on the day of the examination, but it can also be given in the preceding days. The public presentation may be attended by other faculty members, graduate students, friends and family, and other interested parties. The public presentation is a departmental requirement, and it is not a part of the Final Oral Examination.

Final Oral Examination Results

The student is considered to have successfully completed the Final Oral Examination when there is a unanimous vote of satisfactory by the Final Oral Examination Committee members, who will sign the online Final Oral Examination Report form available in GRADFORMS. In the case of an unsatisfactory vote, a student may revise and re-defend in accordance with Graduate School rules.

Following a successful oral defense of the dissertation, students need to present a revised version of the dissertation that addresses required revisions and suggestions from the committee. The revised version must be submitted to the Graduate School for approval before the end of the semester deadline. All the exact dates can be found on the Graduate School’s website.

All students accepted to the graduate program are expected to complete the PhD program, but students who are interested in receiving a master’s degree may do so. The master’s degree is not necessary for continuation in the PhD program; however, it can be earned on the way to completing the PhD. It is also an exit option for students who leave the program before completing their PhD.

Students who are interested in obtaining their master’s degree can do so at any point in the program after they meet the minimum requirements. The minimum requirement for the degree is the completion of the core courses of the graduate program listed below and three electives (totaling 30 credit hours). Students must pass these courses with a B-or higher and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0. The required courses are offered in the first two years of the graduate program.

Theoretical Core 

• 7001 Society and Environment (3CH)
• 7002 Anthropology of Health (3CH)
• 7003 Human Evolutionary History (3CH)
   

Methods 

• 8892.11 Data Analysis in Anthropology (3CH)
• 8891.05 Ethnographic Methods (3CH)

Professional Development

• 7720 Teaching Anthropology (3CH)
• 8827 Communicating Anthropology (3CH)
   

Electives 

• Elective 1 (3CH)
• Elective 2 (3CH)
• Elective 3 (3CH)

Format of the Master's Examination

The master’s degree will be conferred to the students upon the successful completion of the master’s examination that will test the student on the knowledge of the field. It is the final validation of performance for the degree. The master’s exam will be created by the student’s master’s examination committee, following the guidelines for master’s examinations established by the
Graduate School. The written portion may be a comprehensive exam, substantial paper, or portfolio, demonstrative of scholarly work consistent with best practices in the field.

Master’s Examination Committee

The responsibility for the examination rests with the student’s master’s examination committee. The master’s examination committee is composed of the advisor who is a faculty member or an affiliated faculty of the department and at least two other authorized graduate faculty members, including one other faculty member from our department with M-status in our department. The advisor serves as chair of the MA examination committee. Selection of the committee members is the responsibility of the student and advisor. It is best practice if the MA examination committee is established in the semester before the MA examination takes place.

Scheduling the Master’s Examination and forms to be submitted

Students who are ready to take the master’s examination should submit to the GSC the departmental Master’s Examination Form, which includes the advising sheet as well as the names and signatures of the three members of the MA examination committee. Students should also submit the Application to Graduate form on GRADFORMS. Both forms should be submitted no later than the third Friday of the semester in which graduation is expected. A student must be registered for at least three graduate credit hours during the autumn or spring semester or summer term this examination is taken. The general schedule for the final semester is described in the table below. All the exact dates can be found on the Graduate School’s website.

Master's Examination Timeline

Tasks for Student and Committee

Week 1: Student meets with master’s examination exam to discuss the format of the master’s examination.
Week 3: Student submits the Application to Graduate form on GRADFORMS no later than the third Friday of the semester in which graduation is expected.
Week 4: Student submits the departmental Master’s Examination Form to the Graduate Studies Committee.
Week 5 – 12: Student completes the master’s examination.
Week 12 – 14: MA examination committee reviews the student’s exam.
Week 14: Committee members complete the Examination Reports on GRADFORMS.
Week 15: Student celebrates their achievements.

Graduate advising is best understood as a relationship between graduate student and faculty advisor (and co-advisors) where both parties follow best practices in fulfilling their responsibilities as graduate student or advisor. The relationship between a graduate student and advisor is one that can have a great impact on the academic achievements and life of a graduate student. This relationship can greatly encourage the academic pursuits of the graduate student, proving to be one of the most influential interactions of the scholar’s life. A relationship in which mutual expectations are not understood, however, may diminish a graduate student’s potential. This section outlines
the minimum expectations for best practices in graduate advising in our department.

Communication and Graduate Advising

As valued members of the Ohio State community, graduate advisors and graduate students should act responsibly and be treated with respect. Regular and clear communication is essential to good graduate advising, especially when students are completing their studies at a distance. It is recommended that as much communication as possible occur in person, via video-conferencing, or over the phone to enhance clarity, reduce ambiguity and misunderstanding, and to resolve conflict. Written communication, e.g., via e-mail, is appropriate, especially to document situations and potentially contentious issues. Problems that arise should be addressed immediately and clearly so that both parties can work to remedy issues in an expedient manner. The grievance section below explains the different steps for resolving a conflict if the advisor and students are unable to do so themselves. Graduate students and advisors should recognize that social media can blur the line between professional and personal lives and should be used only if deemed appropriate by both parties. It is recommended that graduate student and advisor meet between weekly to monthly depending on circumstances.

Committees Advising Students

Students will work with one to three committees over the course of the graduate program. If students opt to obtain a master’s degree, they will work with their Master’s Examination Committee (also called MA committee). When students prepare for and take the Candidacy Exam, they will work with the Candidacy Examination Committee (also called candidacy committee). And when students work on their dissertation research and defend their dissertation in the final oral examination, they will work with the Final Oral Examination Committee (also called dissertation committee). Committee members may be different for each of these examination committees, and students are encouraged to discuss with their advisors the committee members that can best support their work at each stage of the program. It is recommended that students take relevant classes with faculty that they want to ask to serve on their examination committees, and at a minimum meet with faculty before asking them to serve on examination committees. It is recommended that the full committees – candidacy or dissertation – meet at least once a semester. It is the student’s responsibility to organize these meetings in coordination with their advisor.

Procedures for Changing Advisors

Graduate students are admitted with a designated advisor, who must be a member of the anthropology faculty. The advisor provides supervision and research support that is critical to the student’s success, and a mutual understanding of advisor-advisee responsibilities is essential. Best practices for maintaining a productive advisor-advisee relationship are described below.
If necessary, the student or the advisor may terminate the advisor-advisee relationship at any time by notifying the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in writing (letter sent via e-mail). The student will then have two weeks in which to meet with the DGS to devise a plan for finding a new permanent advisor. Either a temporary advisor will be appointed or the DGS will become the student’s temporary advisor until the permanent advisor is found. Students who are not able to obtain a new permanent advisor within the Department of Anthropology during the following semester (or Summer Term) cannot continue in the anthropology graduate program, which means that the GSC will request that the Graduate School deny further registration for the student in the program.
 

1. Conduct academic pursuits in an ethical manner and develop professionally.
2. Uphold OSU’s Code of Student Conduct and departmental Code of Conduct.
3. Uphold academic integrity for all coursework, including distance learning courses. Academic integrity is a commitment to five fundamental values of education: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.
4. Pursue opportunities that advance career as a graduate student and beyond.
5. Take ownership of academic progress and perform duties in a conscientious and timely manner.
6. Keep aware of Graduate School policies by reviewing both Graduate School and Departmental Handbook, especially during the periods prior to the start and end of semesters and terms, GA appointment processing, fellowship acceptance, administration of candidacy and final examinations, the semester of graduation, and commencement.
7. Identify and meet all stated university deadlines, policies, and procedures, including those of the Graduate School (e.g., enrollment deadlines).
8. Devote significant and productive time toward degree completion.
9. Stay abreast of requirements for degree completion through active and regular discussions with advisor.
10. Communicate career goals and concerns related to academic progress clearly.
11. Initiate communication with the advisor, respect the responsibilities of the advisor, and maintain open communication with advisor.
12. Communicate need for time off or reasonable accommodations for health conditions and familial responsibilities.
13. Allow sufficient time for the advisor to provide feedback in advance of deadlines, generally two weeks.
14. Maintain professionalism by keeping up with graduate student responsibilities even when their advisor is not present.
15. Treat departmental members, including faculty, staff, and other students with respect.
16. Explore and utilize all campus resources that the student may find beneficial to them. Examples of campus resources include, but are not limited to, the Office of Ombuds Services, Counseling and Consultation Service, and the Student Advocacy Center.

1. Uphold Ohio State’s Code of Student Conduct and the departmental Code of Conduct.
2. Conduct advising in an ethical manner, including when recruiting advisees.
3. Communicate with the co-advisor, the student’s candidacy or dissertation committee and the Graduate Studies Committee regarding the student’s program of study.
4. Communicate clear intentions, expectations, and requirements to potential and current advisees, including how long the advisor expects to stay in their current position and the amount of funding support available to advisees.
5. Address problems immediately so both parties can remedy issues expediently.
6. Maintain open lines of communication with graduate students, including those enrolled in distance programs, and interact with graduate students in a professional manner.
7. Communicate clear expectations for time to degree completion and other professional expectations.
8. Provide periodic and regular evaluations of progress toward degree.
9. Provide timely written feedback on advisee’s professional writing (e.g., article drafts, dissertation chapter drafts), generally within two weeks.
10. Provide prompt and honest feedback on students’ work.
11. Give students appropriate credit for their work (e.g., as reflected in author strings in journal articles or books).
12. Aid in preparing students to be the best professional they can be.
13. Initiate conversations about academic progress and stay current about degree requirements and procedures.
14. Initiate conversations with advisee about career goals. Support academic and non-academic career goals.
15. Help graduate students develop professional skills that will make them competitive for employment in their given field.
16. Encourage students to take part in activities that will enrich their academic development, e.g., by participating in professional conferences and other networking activities.
17. Respect advisees’ academic and non-academic commitments and responsibilities.
18. Treat departmental members, including students, staff, and other faculty with respect.
19. Allow reasonable time for students to prepare requested materials.
20. Do not require that a student continue to provide a service (e.g., teaching, laboratory management, mentoring of other students) under terms that can hinder a student’s degree completion.

1. Establish graduate advising best practices that pertain specifically to the graduate program and its graduate degrees.
2. Update the graduate program handbook so that is aligned with the practices in the Graduate School Handbook, including the steps and processes for students to complete degree requirements and grievance procedures for graduate students and advisors.
3. Ensure that the graduate program handbook is consistent with the department’s Pattern of Administration, which sets forth the duties and responsibilities of the Graduate Studies Committee.
4. Create and maintain an easily accessible online list of information for graduate students that contains links to the Graduate School Handbook and other relevant links (e.g., travel requests) and university resources.
5. Provide yearly written review of performance for graduate students and advisors.
6. Maintain clear communication with students and advisors and facilitate communication between students and advisors, particularly during adverse events or tense communications. Enable students to have access to a formal and unbiased grievance and arbitration process.
7. Hold a yearly orientation to familiarize new students and faculty with the graduate program and the university.
8. Outline all steps a student and/or advisor may take to resolve issues at the departmental level and beyond (see Grievance section below).

Overview

An important component of the assessment of student’s progress in the
program is done through the academic portfolio. The academic portfolio documents students’ progress in the program and preparation for their professional careers. The portfolio is the main source of information used by the faculty to evaluate students every spring semester. In preparation for this annual evaluation each student is required to submit their academic portfolio to their advisor and the graduate program coordinator (GPC) by the end of the 4th week of the spring semester. This requirement applies to all graduate students in the program, regardless of whether they are graduating that semester.

Academic Portfolio

In the academic portfolio, students describe their progress in the program and how it prepares them for careers in and/or outside academia. They also list and describe the coursework completed, teaching activities (e.g., courses taught, teaching evaluations), service (within the department and profession), and career goals. In addition to the academic portfolio, the form of which can be found in the appendices, students will submit: (1) a curriculum vitae, which lists all research, teaching, and professional activities and achievements; (2) a student advising report; (3) cumulative SEI (Student Evaluation of Instruction) report and SEIs for courses taught; and (4) copies of publications.

Evaluation Process

In preparation for the faculty meeting devoted to the annual evaluation of the students, the Graduate Studies Committee reviews all the academic portfolios to assess whether students are making satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress towards completion of the degree. The committee uses a rubric to assess completion towards the degree and career goals (see table below). At the faculty meeting, the Graduate Studies Committee presents their assessment of each of the students, highlighting areas in which students are not making satisfactory progress. In the meeting, faculty provide the advisor and the graduate studies committee with important feedback on student progress (e.g., coursework, research activities, teaching). After the discussion, the faculty vote whether the student is meeting academic expectations and is making satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress towards completion of the degree. The advisor prepares an evaluation letter outlining the student’s progress over the past year and communicates whether the student is meeting academic expectations and is making satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress towards completion of the degree. Upon receiving a copy of the annual evaluation letter, the student should schedule a meeting with their advisor to discuss their individual progress and prospects for further study.

The rubric and scores guide the discussion in the faculty meeting, but the faculty use a holistic approach to evaluate students. If students are scored as below expectations in one or more categories does not mean that they will be automatically evaluated as making unsatisfactory progress overall.
Unsatisfactory progress. If it is determined that a student is making unsatisfactory progress, they will enter a probationary period in the upcoming academic year. Students who are not making satisfactory progress, will be requested to create a remediation plan with their advisor, and to prioritize work on areas where they are underperforming. A copy of the annual evaluation letter is placed in the student’s file and shared with the Graduate School, which will send a progress warning letter. Students that receive an unsatisfactory evaluation may become ineligible for financial support from the department. If a student receives a second unsatisfactory rating in subsequent years, the department will ask the Graduate School to deny the student further registration in the program. More information about the process can be found in the Graduate School Handbook section 5: Academic and Professional Standards.

Support for Underperforming Students

The ability of students to succeed in the program is also associated with the student’s previous preparation. The graduate program in anthropology recognizes the need to support students from different backgrounds in their academic trajectories and offers a constructive structure that allows for the remediation of students struggling to succeed. Through assessments inside and outside the classroom, the department will follow the progress of students closely and offer support for those students who are not making satisfactory progress. These remediation strategies do not replace graduate school requirements (e.g., passing grades, minimum GPA), but are meant to complement them, supporting students who are struggling to make satisfactory progress. The program offers several ways to support students:

• Student’s narrative assessment of proficiencies will be shared between classes, so that faculty teaching the seminars will know at the start of the semester in which areas, if any, the students are not yet meeting the expected learning outcomes for the program.

• Students who do not master core concepts as defined by advisor and mentoring committee will be requested to use the electives to take classes that cover these topics or will be able to petition to develop independent studies with advisors and committee members to master them.

• Students who do not demonstrate satisfactory progress during the semester of candidacy will be allowed to defer candidacy to the 6th semester and will enroll in another 7 credit hours of independent study to prepare for candidacy.

• Students who earn a C+ or lower in any of the bi-annual graduate seminars will have the option to develop mastery of content and skills from that seminar through guided independent studies in following semesters, so that they are not delayed for two years in their curricular progress.

• Students who do not show satisfactory progress, as documented in their annual academic portfolio will be requested to create a remediation plan with their advisor, and to prioritize work on areas where they are underperforming.
 

Departmental Grievance Procedures

 It is generally preferable for problems between students and advisors to be settled through open and direct communication by the parties themselves. Therefore, regular and clear communication between students and their advisors is key to establishing and maintaining an effective advising relation. However, if talking to an advisor or immediate supervisor does not resolve a problem or potential grievance, students are encouraged to resolve the problem with help from the other committee members. If that does not resolve the problem, the student should reach out to the Director of Graduate Studies (or the Department Chair if there is a conflict of interest). The process described above also applies to problems among students and between students and staff/faculty. If the concerns cannot be resolved internally within the department, students are encouraged to contact the assistant dean for graduate studies within the College of Arts and Sciences. In situations where students believe the issue has not been resolved within the College, they can request further review from the Graduate School. The staff of the Graduate School is also available to provide consultation with graduate students about problems or potential grievances.

Graduate School Grievance Procedures

The Graduate School is specifically authorized by the graduate faculty and Graduate Council to review grievances related to graduate examinations and graduate associate appointments. The Graduate School is occasionally called upon to address a complaint by a graduate student related to other academic matters. The Graduate School becomes involved in such matters only after all reasonable efforts in the department to resolve the problem have failed. The grievance procedures of the Graduate School can be found in Appendix D of the Graduate School Handbook.

Sexual and other harassment

 In accordance with university policy, complaints of harassment, sexual or otherwise, and allegations of scholarly misconduct are directed to the appropriate offices authorized to address them. Complaints involving discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct are reported to the Office of Institutional Equity, while allegations of scholarly misconduct are reported to the Committee on Academic Misconduct or the Office of Research Compliance. Workplace complaints may be reported to Employee and Labor Relations or via the university's

Graduate and Professional Student Ombudsperson

Students are also encouraged to contact the Ombuds for graduate and professional students if they experience conflicts or problems. Currently, Dr. Campos-Astorkiza serves as the Ombuds for graduate and professional students, and she can be reached via email or (614) 292-4252. The graduate and professional student (GPS) ombudsperson is an independent, confidential, neutral, and informal resource for all graduate and professional students for resolving issues and conflicts, and for exploring options and making important decisions. The primary mission of the GPS ombudsperson is to support graduate and professional students in addressing issues and challenges they may face in their academic and professional careers at OSU. The GPS ombudsperson addresses issues and challenges that students may face with faculty and advisors, within their programs or within the university at large, with the goal of supporting a positive learning and work environment and advancing fairness and equity for graduate and professional students. Please see the Office of the Ombudsman website for more information.

A graduate student’s principal objective is to earn a graduate degree. The department recognizes that paid apprentices for research, teaching, or service activities in the form of graduate associate appointments at the university can form an enriching experience for graduate students. In addition, most of the financial support for graduate students in our department comes in the form of graduate associate appointments. Appointment as a graduate associate contributes to the overall objective of earning a graduate degree by providing an apprenticeship experience along with financial support. This apprenticeship complements formal instruction and gives the student practical and personal experience that can be gained only by performing instructional, research, or administrative activities.

Appointments

Most students in our department are hired as graduate teaching associates (GTA) (50% appointment), graduate teaching fellows (GTF) (25% appointment), social media graduate administrative associates (GAA) (25% appointment), or as graduate research assistants (GRA) (generally 50% appointment on external grants). The department uses the university established minimum stipend for graduate associates, which is $21,280 for a nine-month 50% appointment. A 50% GA appointment also covers tuition and fees. Per college rules, the limit of semesters that students can work as graduate teaching associates in the department is 10.

Credit Hour Requirements

Students who are pre-candidacy need to be enrolled for a minimum of 8 credits each semester when they hold a 50 percent or greater GA appointment, except during the summer term, when the minimum is 4. Students who are post-candidacy need to be enrolled for a minimum of 3 credits each semester when they hold a 50 percent or greater GA appointment. For more details, consult the Graduate School Handbook.

Workload Expectations

It is expected that graduate associate responsibilities will not interfere with a student’s reasonable progress toward completion of the graduate degree and may align and support the student’s graduate degree. It is important to understand that the student is to work a maximum of 20 hours per week on duties that are not directly related to their graduate degree.

Supervision

Graduate Teaching Associates (GTAs) are supervised by one of the three faculty coordinators for the introductory courses: 2200: Introduction to Biological Anthropology, 2201: Introduction to Archaeology, and 2202: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. GTAs teaching 3597.01: Crisis! An Anthropological Perspective of Global Issues or 3597.02: Women, Culture, and Development are supervised by the faculty coordinator for cultural anthropology. GTAs should add faculty coordinators as assistants to their CarmenCanvas courses.

Graduate Research Associates (GRAs) are supervised by the faculty responsible for the research project. Often the faculty lead is the principal investigator (PI) for the research grant that covers the GRA’s stipend, tuition, and fees.

Summer Teaching Positions

There are limited opportunities to teach in the summer and the department tries to divide these teaching opportunities equitably. Therefore, the number of times students can teach summers is limited to two. This limit does not apply to the graduate teaching fellow. In addition, if we cannot fill summer positions with students who have taught fewer than two summer courses, then a student may be able to teach more than two summer semesters.

Graduate Teaching Fellow

The Graduate Teaching Fellow (GTF) position is a 25% position that is combined with a 50% GTA position. The main responsibilities are to support the graduate teaching associates in the department, which includes organizing and leading the orientation of new GTAs, sending reminder emails to GTAs, assisting with management of master courses, organizing lab schedules for 2200, and organizing the GTA appreciation lunch in the spring semester. The GTF also serves as the student representative on the departmental teaching committee. Students who want to be considered for the GTF position can indicate that on the departmental GTA application form (see appendices).

Application Procedures

To apply for a graduate teaching position, students complete a Qualtrics form sent out by the Graduate Program Coordinator by the 10th week of the spring semester. On the form students indicate their teaching preferences, their course schedule for the upcoming semesters, teaching experiences, and teaching evaluations.

Assignment of teaching positions

The graduate program coordinator (GPC) will use the information from the GTA Application forms to assign the course sections that GTAs will be teaching, taking into account the course schedule, teaching experience, and teaching preferences. Students who are teaching for the first time will preferably not be instructor of record but assigned as assistants to sections associated with a course taught by a faculty member. Because there are many more sections for 2200 than for 2201 and 2202, students may be assigned to teach introductory courses that are not in their sub-field.
Evaluations. The department recognizes that SEIs have limited value in assessing the effectiveness in teaching and student learning and that sexism, racism, and other prejudices affect teaching evaluations. Therefore, we will use self-assessments, peer evaluations, and faculty observations in addition to the SEIs to evaluate teaching.

Office Space

There are desks available for graduate teaching associates in the 4005 Smith Laboratory. The desks are equipped with docking stations and monitors to hook up laptops. Graduate teaching associates can hold office hours in this office. Students without GTA appointments can also request a desk to use for work on campus by contacting the Graduate Teaching Fellow.

Flexible Work Agreements

The university rules stipulate that graduate associates should have a regular presence on the Columbus campus, unless the nature of the work assignment explicitly requires extensive off-site work (e.g., GRA assigned to conduct field research). The presence requirement also applies to graduate teaching associates who are teaching online courses. Requests for exemptions must be made in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies and approved by the Department Chair and the Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Students who do not live in the Columbus area must have a Flexible Work Agreement approved by Human Resources.

Graduate students on fellowship, including those on dissertation year fellowships, should be aware of the Graduate School fellowship rules which state that fellowship students must be in attendance on the Columbus campus. Requests for exemptions to this requirement must be made to the graduate school.
 

Forms for graduate students are available in the pdf form of the handbook: 

or as you may request hard copies of the forms from Sarah Palazzo