A rigorous Ph.D. concentration in medical anthropology is available to students at the University of Arizona.

Students are encouraged to contextualize medical anthropology in terms of more broadly conceived anthropological theories and issues related to: health, development and structural inequality; political economy and political ecology; ethnic, class and gender relations; social formations ranging from the household and kinship networks to the 'community", NGOs, professional organizations, international funding agencies, and the state; national as well as global response to disease transmission and health care provision; ideologies experienced and reproduced at the site of the body as well as propagated by medical systems and public health practices; governance projects, the politics of responsibility, and self management projects; and changes in consumer behavior and perceptions of risk and harm reduction.

For a fuller description of the concentration area at the University of Arizona, its resources, network of current and past graduate students, course offerings and syllabi:
    http://fp.arizona.edu/medanthro/

The department primarily trains Ph.D. students in the medical anthropology concentration, but students not already having a MA/MS/MPH first register for a MA as a prerequisite for entry into the Ph.D. program. The MA is seen as a step in the Ph.D. process as well as a screener for those not sure if they wish to pursue this course of study or go into the health sciences, law etc. On average, between two and four students are admitted to the concentration a year.

Students intending to concentrate in medical anthropology should register for ANTH 536a (Anthropology of the Body, Health and Illness) and develop a plan of study approved by their committee.

Plans of study will differ in accord with student's background and research interests as well as their subfield area of focus. Students focusing on sociocultural, biocultural, and linguistic anthropology may follow a program of courses in medical anthropology in fulfillment of the minor in Anthropology for the Ph.D. course and comprehensive exam requirements. Students in other concentration areas such as applied anthropology may opt to split coursework for their minor in Anthropology between applied and medical anthropology. To do so, they must take three or more graduate seminars in medical anthropology.

The following faculty members are core faculty members in the medical anthropology concentration: Linda Green, Rhonda Gillett Netting, Mark Nichter, Mimi Nichter, Ivy Pike, and Susan Shaw. Mark Nichter coordinates the concentration area and questions related to course requirements.

The following additional faculty members/adjunct faculty have served on recent medical anthropology related MA and Ph.D. committees: Ana Alonso, Mamadou Baro, Ann Betteridge, Victor Braitberg,  Norma Mendoza-Denton, Jim Greenberg, Jennie Joe, Steve Lansing, Tad Park, Cheryl Ritenbaugh, Jennifer Roth-Gordon, and Ann Wright.

Recommended courses for sociocultural students doing concentrations in medical anthropology at the Ph.D. level

At least five of the following courses (15 hours)
 

• *536a Anthropology of the body, health and illness
• *536b Ethnomedicine
• *571a-b Medical anthropology in clinical and community contexts in the west
• 675a Anthropology and International/Global Health
• 675b continued
• Anthropology and adolescent health
• 538A Women's Health in Global Perspective
• Women's Health in the U.S.
• Special seminars or reading courses in medical anthropology

*May count for major credits if more than 15 credits are taken in the medical anthropology concentration.

At least five cultural anthropology courses beyond the two semester culture core. The following course/topical areas have been commonly recommended to sociocultural students interested in medical anthropology by their committees. The listings reflect subject areas and not necessarily exact titles of seminars which change year to year.

• Anthropology and public policy; Anthropology and Development, Applied anthropology
• Anthropology and globalization
• Anthropology of religion
• Anthropology of social movements
• Colonialism, imperialism, and globalization (under different titles)
• Culture and Power
• Ecological anthropology, Political Ecology
• Economic anthropology
• Ethnicity and race
• Gender, Class and ethnicity, Gender related special seminar
• History, anthropology and social memory
• Political economy [under different titles- in anthropology or related social science field]
• Psychological anthropology
• Structural and political violence; human rights
• Writing culture 

Additional courses which have been strongly recommended by committees

• At least one linguistic anthropology class: Language and culture, Language and gender, Discourse analysis Narrative analysis
• Human adaptation and/ or a relevant biocultural seminar {for biocultural students coursework fit to needs of academic program of study tailored by committee}
• Epidemiology or biostatistics : one of these classes to meet department statistics requirement
• Methods/data management course : in this department or another department
• Grant writing/professional skills
• Ethnographic area course / special reading course : in this department or another department

Medical anthropology postgraduate certificate

A graduate certificate in medical anthropology for motivated health science professionals, developing world social scientists, and social scientists in the USA who have been trained by departments that do not offer specialized training in medical anthropology is offered by the department. Requirements include 12 hours of coursework directly related to medical anthropology and a three credit research project resulting in a publishable paper or defendable grant proposal.

The University of Arizona also offers MD and MPH degrees from the College of Medicine and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, respectively. Candidates interested in obtaining Ph.D.s in medical anthropology as well as an MD or MPH must apply separately to each program. Students may attempt to secure both degrees simultaneously or sequentially (which generally makes more sense).