Anthropology, MA

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Admission to MA candidacy is based upon a candidacy conference with the student and his or her three-person committee held sometime prior to the end of the student’s second semester in residence. At that time the student submits in writing, a proposed program of study that the committee must accept before the student is admitted to candidacy.

Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours of course work is required for the MA if a student’s primary area of focus is biological or cultural anthropology. If a student’s primary area of focus is archaeology, then a minimum of 31 credit hours of course work is required instead.

Graduate students must maintain at least a B (3.0) average. All courses taken for degree credit must be taken for a letter grade (A-F). Credit/No Credit courses do not count toward degree credit.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 18 credits must be taken within the Department of Anthropology if a student’s primary area of focus is biological or cultural anthropology. If a student’s primary area of focus is instead archaeology, a minimum of 19 credits must be taken within the Department of Anthropology. Courses fulfilling these requirements may be upper division (300-400 level) or graduate (600+) level. ANTH 699 and ANTH 700 do not count toward this requirement.

MA students whose primary area of focus is biological or cultural anthropology must take the following courses, earning a B (3.00) or better:

2 Method courses
2 Theory courses
2 Area courses

Take 3 out of 4 graduate-level survey courses:

ANTH 601 - Ethnology Credits: 3
ANTH 603 - Archaeology Credits: 3
ANTH 604 - Biological Anthropology Core Credits: 3
ANTH 611 - Contemporary Anthropological Theory Credits: 3

MA students whose primary area of focus is archaeology must take the following courses, earning a B (3.00) or better:

1 Method course (in addition to ANTH 471 and ANTH 666 )
2 Theory courses
1 Area course

ANTH 471 - Field Mapping Credits: 3
ANTH 666 - Archaeological Data Analysis Credits: 4
ANTH 711 - Seminar in Research Design and Proposal Writing Credits: 3
ANTH 603 - Archaeology Credits: 3

and 2 out of 3 additional graduate-level survey courses:

ANTH 601 - Ethnology Credits: 3
ANTH 604 - Biological Anthropology Core Credits: 3
ANTH 611 - Contemporary Anthropological Theory Credits: 3

Plan A

24 (25 for archaeology) credit hours of course work
Thesis (6 credit hours)
Minimum of 12 credits in graduate-level courses numbered 600 and above

Plan B

30 (31 for archaeology) credit hours
Three papers on anthropological topics, one of which shall be a research proposal to the committee as evidence of scholarly ability
Minimum of 18 credits in graduate level courses numbered 600 and above