Global health, history, or asian studies?
It really depends on what anthropology subfields and topics interest you most. Are you interested in a particular ethnographic region? Then a minor in language and area studies for that region might be a good choice. Are you interested in medical anthropology? Then a minor in global health or microbiology might be appropriate. Are you interested in archaeology? Then a minor in geology might be appropriate. Are you interested in biological anthropology? Then a minor in genetics or nutrition might be appropriate.
Of course, a minor doesn’t necessarily need to complement your major directly. Some students will focus more on enhancing their employment prospects when choosing a minor. So, for example, they might choose a minor in business.
Whether or not you plan to go to graduate school or professional school also might be a factor in your choice of a minor. If you plan to go to graduate school in biological anthropology, then a minor in biology might be more important than if you do not plan on doing so. If you plan to go to law school, a minor in philosophy might be appropriate. If you plan to go to graduate school in public health, a minor in statistics might be appropriate.
Yeah, it kind of depends. Any of those minors could be great.
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I am planning to go to graduate school (hopefully a dual MD-PhD program) in medical anthropology. I will be studying health and development in Eurasia. I am interested in all three minors, but can unfortunately only pick two.
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^ In that case, why not just do a minor in language and area studies for the region that interests you. Global health is basically a public health minor. You can get that content in your medical and graduate training (though you could always take undergrad electives in medical anthro and development as part of the anthropology major). It’s harder to get the language skills later, IMO, and these could be important for fieldwork and communicating with colleagues. Relevant history could be a component of an area studies minor. Since you’d be taking the premed courses anyway, you might consider some elective courses in microbiology, parasitology, immunology and nutrition. (In my view, a micro or nutrition minor might be more useful than a global health minor, or, better yet, do a major in micro and do the minor in anthro or language and area studies.)
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For the history minor, I can concentrate in Eurasian history. I can do a modified major; would a anthropology major modified with asian studies be good? The modified major would be seven courses in the primary department (anthropology) and four courses in the secondary department (?).
I can do a modified major in anthropology with anything, not just asian studies.
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^ A “modified major” is not a common structure for majors at most schools. It seems to be particular to your school, so I’m not very familiar with it. Insofar as I understand your description, it’s similar to allowing a certain number of relevant courses outside the major department to count toward the major requirements.
In any case, it seems like that particular structure can give you the flexibility to craft your course selections in a way that is more compatible with your interests. So, yes, an anthro major modified with Asian studies could be a good option. As I mentioned previously, an anthro major (emphasis on med anth, bioanth, development, Asian ethnography) modified with some relevant biology courses could be another good option (especially since the premed requirements will already give you the coursework in supporting sciences to take intermediate-level and possibly certain advanced-level biology courses). A history minor focused on Eurasian history could be good, too. There’s no right or wrong answer; what you don’t get to study as an undergrad, you can often pick up as a medical or PhD student. Except for your general direction, you will craft your program as your interests evolve and change.
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Thanks for the advice. I think I will do a major in anthropology and a minor in asian studies with some of my electives in asian history instead of a actual minor in history. I might also complete a minor in biology (with a specialization in microbiology or human biology) and specialize in biological anthropology for my anthropology major. I know medical anthropology is a subfield of cultural anthropology, but I feel as if a biological concentration is better.
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Don’t underestimate the value of getting good skills in a regional language - lots of ways to do it (including spending summers there), but the difference in career options for those with a relevant language is substantial.
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You don’t need to do any minor - you can just take classes in all three of those fields without having a formal minor. that allows you the flexibility to take what you need/want and not what you don’t.
However, if you had to pick, I strongly recommend doing the language. If you want a PhD in medical anthropology, you’re going to have to pass a language exam in two reading languages. Most PhD programs in anthro will expect you to be pretty good in one language and to have started on a second one by the time you are admitted, because language exams are usually administered in your second or third year. So having a language will make you more competitive. You can always just take some classes in Asian studies and global health.
Also MD/PhD programs usually have the PhD part in some biomedical field; there are very few MD/PhD programs that allow you to do the PhD part in the social sciences. Why do you need the MD part? (Also, you’d have to complete the pre-med requirements, which would make it hard to do anthro + a minor + take the other classes).
Why? If your are interested in med anth then no, a biological concentration isn’t better because that’s not what you want.
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At least one language will be required for a doctoral program in anthropology. Some, but not all programs, require two.
Most commonly, the PhD component of an MD/PhD program is in one of the biomedical sciences, but several medical schools will permit a PhD in anthropology (though you might have to make separate application to each program). Among these are Harvard, Berkeley/UCSF, UNC, Emory, UPenn, Rutgers, Michigan, Duke, Chicago, Washington U, and CWRU.
A minor in a biology field could be usefully combined with an anthropology submajor in bio-anthropology since there are some shared areas of interest, e.g., nutrition, infectious diseases, genetics, growth & development, reproduction, evolutionary medicine. Those areas of shared interest )albeit from different perspectives do have relevance to certain areas of medical anthropology.
So, again, it comes down to your current interests and how they evolve as you go through your degree programs.
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I have a interest in both medicine and anthropology, which is why I want to do a dual MD-PhD program. I have done a lot of searching, and I have found fifteen fully funded MD-Phd programs in social sciences.
I want a biological concentration in anthropology because I am feel as if my all my other research interests not in medical anthropology (forensics, genetics, nutrition, etc.) fall in that area, and I can gain some knowledge in cultural anthropology at graduate school along with the required cultural anthropology classes for my major. I’m still interested the most in medical anthropology, though, and can do a cultural concentration instead.
I think I will take language classes, but I’m not sure what to take them in, because there is so many different cultures and languages in Eurasia. However, I’m most interested in India and other south Asian countries, and can do one of the main languages there.
I think studying abroad in Eurasia would be great.
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Sure, you may be interested in both medicine and anthropology, but that’s why you get a PhD in medical anthropology. Do you want to practice medicine as a clinician? That’s what I mean when I ask “why do you need the MD.” Grad school really isn’t a time to explore interests so much as it is to earn a credential to do what you want to do, so you should only spend the extra time getting the MD if you want to practice clinical medicine or do something else that the MD is really necessary for (teach in a medical school, do research in a hospital, etc.)
There are 15, but do all 15 have people doing research in what you want to do? This is particularly important because you have a specific interest in Eurasia.
Also, I have to say that when you said “Eurasia” I assumed you meant Russia, Mongolia, and other Eastern European/central Asian nations, like Kazakhstan, Turkey, Georgia, Lithuania and Latvia. Basically former Soviet republics. In the academic sense, “Eurasia” usually refers to these countries, not simply to all countries in Europe and Asia - which would be way too broad an area on which to focus anyway, especially since these regions have very very different health and development needs.
In that sense, India and other South Asian countries wouldn’t be considered “Eurasia.” For example, the Journal of Eurasian Studies specifically focuses on countries that were part of the former Soviet Union; the Turkic and Central Eurasian Studies Department at UW focuses on central Asian countries; the Association for Slavic, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) focuses on Eastern Europe and Central Asia…do a general Internet search for “Eurasian studies” and you’ll see what I mean.
If you’re interested in India and other South Asian countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, et al.), the regional specification you’ll want to give is “South Asia.”
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Oh, then I’m mostly interested in South Asia. I used Eurasia because I thought it referred to the entire landmass of Europe and Asia, as I am interested in the entire area. However, I’m still primarily interested in South Asia.
I am interested in applied medical anthropology, development in health, and globalization. I believe that since the MD is for primarily clinical work, the application of medicine taught will help me.
I want to become a college professor in anthropology and medicine, which is what the MD is necessary for.
There are medical psychologists who teach in medical schools, who do not also have an MD.
In addition to medical school, you might consider public health schools. Some public health schools have joint graduate programs with anthropology departments, and there are quite a few that have joint programs with medical schools.
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^Yes! My graduate program (Columbia) has a joint program in anthropology and public health which is probably pretty close to what you are looking for, OP.
Just as a note, PhDs in anthropology already take a minimum of 6 years, and about 9 years on average. Add 4 years of medical school to that. Even assuming you can shave off one year because of the joint nature of the program, we’re still talking a minimum of 9 years and an average of around 12.
But this is all moot right now because you’re not even in undergrad! So to bring it back around, I recommend the global health minor. The Asian studies minor could work, but many schools concentrate only on East Asian cultures in an Asian studies program. If you’re interested in South Asia that won’t do for you.
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Thanks to everyone for all the information.
I have ultimately decided on a modified major of anthropology as the primary department and biology as the secondary department. For the minors I believe I will choose global health and asian studies (with a concentration in South Asia).
I won’t worry too much about the MD/PhD when I am an undergraduate and will instead focus on studying my other interests that I will not get a chance to study in graudate school. However, I will probably learn a South Asian language and/or study abroad in South Asia.
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