University of Arizona Reviews

"The School of Anthropology provides a supportive and collegial environment in which to pursue academic study. Faculty and staff are available and helpful. Courses are challenging, timely, and relevant. The are many opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations and synergies across the campus. The emphasis on medical and environmental anthropology prepares graduate students to be competitive on today's job market. The only challenges to succeeding as a graduate student in SOA right now is 1) lack of longterm funding and 2) lack of programs specifically geared toward preparing ABD students for the job market. However, faculty are aware of these issues and are working toward solutions. Tucson is a great place to live; big enough to have a lot of resources available, but with the feel of a smaller city. Great food, great music, great people!"

"My program encourages critical thinking and pushes students to explore their interests, simultaneously preparing them for the future and potential careers."

"The people are very supoortive, both the professors and the rest of the faculty and staff. The workload especially for the first year is a little heavy as we have both our own classes and teaching."

"Really I have very little bad to say about this program. The courses are good, professors are generally quite helpful and the whole experience has been a good one. As typically you have to look out for personality conflicts, and the requirements of the program are not always well laid out (although the program is changing to make this better). Teaching is also becoming more crowded with students, so expect to have a lot of work to do when TAing. Overall, however, a very good program."

"Graduate program quality in large part depends on the advisor you work with. My department has many great mentors who are also excellent scientists. In general, UA treats its graduate students indifferently, and I'm appalled at the fees they impose on us with very little student input. However, my department is awesome and shields its students from the worst of the campus bureaucracy."

"The Molecular and Cellular Biology program completely supports their students. Recent changes policies have been employed to aid each student for success and promote student well-being. The Molecular and Cellular Biology directors meet with students annually to get feedback and implement changes that would help students succeed. These changes have included new policies for student benefits on qualifying exams, how the department journal club is run, implementing new workshops and classes, and procedures for conflict resolutions. Not only has the program changed policies for their students, but the faculty and associated labs include a vast amount interdisciplinary opportunities and high expectations."

"The anthropology program offers exceptional faculty support, with diverse faculty research interests that makes for a great education. The environment among students and faculty is very amiable and supportive. Tucson is a lovely town, with all the amenities of a large town, and the feel of small old pueblo. Unfortunately, the college of social and behavioral sciences is not able to offer graduate students a lot of funding, and you may be on your own to pay for much of your educational expenses, which is very difficult in a program that may take 6-8 years. Even more unfortunately, the university overall (eg. the administration) is not very supportive of graduate students and does little to help with graduate student needs."

"It is a very competitive program and a lot is expected of us. It challenges us to thing critically and not just take everyone's word on various theories and concepts but to create our own opinion. It is an interdisciplinary program without being an interdisciplinary program but the professors are great and welcoming and incredibly knowledgeable."

"Pros: Friendly environment, Financial Aid and grant writing support Cons: less feedback about how you are doing"

"I am in a great program. However, some of the supporting programs that I am interested in are not strong, undergoing lots of change, or are not available. It is kind of frustrating. My program is great though!"

"This is a fantastic department, with great faculty and students. It was certainly the right choice for me and I'm glad I ended up here."

"Pros- the program has sufficient money to supply the students with anything they need, the professors are highly qualified and have a vast network of very reputable connections. We have world class technology, a supportive and comfortable environment and ample opportunities for personal and academic growth. Cons- some of the professors travel and do fieldwork quite a bit, leaving their grad students for periods of time in which they can only communicate via email or phone. I do not have to deal with this issue as my advisor is always present; however I have heard of it being problematic for some."

"Pros: Brilliant faculty, great facilities and technology, financial support, very affordable housing options, great weather Cons: Population in Tucson, poor statistics program"

"Excellent program, very affordable and quiet city...Perfect for a pleasant grad-school experience!"

"Pros: Professors and advisors are very available. Cons: I wish there were more sub-programs available."

"The pros include a relaxed environment with a highly supportive faculty and staff. Great access to technology and cutting edge research. The cons are that some classes are not very challenging and the students are not very competitive."

"The faculty in the program are great and supportive of the students!"

"This is a terrific program, even better than I expected."

"The UofA has great graduate programs. Just sometimes an unsafe campus."

"This program is great and the faculty are supportive."