Overview | Summary of Courses

Offered By:	ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Academic Contact:	Dr Robert Attenborough

This specialisation is no longer accepting new applicants. Please see the entry for the Graduate Certificate in Biological Anthropology (Program: 6021XBIAN).

Biological anthropology is not offered at most Australian universities. This program is designed for students with a background in a cognate field who have developed an interest in biological anthropology, but who may have relatively little prior formal background in the subject.

The aim of the qualification is to provide such a student, at the intensity and initiative levels appropriate for graduates, with a grounding in the main sub-fields of biological anthropology, either as a career- or interest-driven objective in itself, or to lead on to further study and research in the field.

Prerequisites

Applicants for the Graduate Diploma in Arts program should have obtained a Bachelor degree in a cognate field (e.g. archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, medicine, zoology), from an approved tertiary education institution, with at least six Credit level grades (60% or better) in courses other than first year courses.

The Graduate Diploma in Arts and the Master of Arts specialising in Biological Anthropology are integrated (with one exception: see below) to allow students who achieve an average grade of Distinction or higher (min. 70%) in the Graduate Diploma to transfer to the Master program.

Prospective applicants are strongly advised to consult with the coordinator or other relevant academic staff before finalising their applications.

Requirements

Candidates are required to complete courses to the value of 36 units (normally 6 courses) taught in the area of their specialisation.

Courses normally available for inclusion in this coursework program are listed under three headings: compulsory courses, core courses and elective courses. The standard structure is:

• both compulsory courses (12 units)
• at least two core courses (12 units)
• balance of courses from elective courses (12 units)

Graduate Diploma students who may wish to transfer to the MA program should note one important difference between the structure of the Graduate Diploma and the coursework component of the MA: for the MA only, BIAN6516 Research Design and Analysis in Biological Anthropology is compulsory, rather than elective. Thus Grad. Dip. students who wish to retain the possibility of transferring to the MA should include this course in their enrolment.

The information published on the Study at ANU 2012 website applies to the 2012 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2011 website.