The human paleobiologic doctoral program is the graduate education and training effort of the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleo biology, which promotes interdisciplinary research on human evolution. Because fossils, artifacts and genomes are complex and mostly indirect sources of data for testing evolutionary hypotheses, research questions in human evolutionary studies exemplify the importance of an interdisciplinary approach.

The Ph.D. is a five-year program featuring rigorous core training in human paleontology, archaeology, molecular biology, genomics, behavior, ecology, and statistical methods. The program emphasizes problem-based learning and training and internships in how science is communicated to the public—for example, through TV, news, museums and the Internet.

The first two years of the Ph.D. program primarily consist of coursework, a professional skills and ethics seminar, and participation in a problem-based learning tutorial that integrate original research and coursework from the earliest stages of graduate training. During the second and third years, students participate in two topically distinct laboratory rotations to broaden their research skills. Following the second year, students begin directed research on their doctoral dissertations while participating in a capstone seminar. Students are encouraged to submit their dissertation in a ready-to-publish format by the end of the fifth year.