Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Anthropology focuses on delivering advanced training and research opportunities in archaeology, biological anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology. 

The M.A. program is normally completed in about two years. During the first semester, the Director of Graduate Studies serves as a student’s advisor until the student has requested and been accepted by another full-time faculty member. In consultation with the advisor, each student designs a program to meet his/her educational and professional needs. Students are expected to meet the requirements for the M.A, which includes satisfactorily completing coursework and submitting a thesis that is acceptable to their committee, by the end of their second year in the program.

A minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate study are required for the M.A., of which 24 hours must be derived from formal course work (i.e., any course taken for graduate credit for which the student receives a letter grade – A, B, C, etc.). Course requirements may be adjusted to take into account undergraduate studies and the acquisition of specialized skills or methods that are relevant to the student’s program of study. For graduate courses with 3 credit hours (such as in non-anthropology departments or 6000 level courses) an additional 1 hour of credit may be added to supplement the credit hour total. 

• Students must take at least one course in each subdiscipline (see A, B, and C below).
  

• Students focusing on archaeology must take 6025 and either 8019, 8020, 8036, 8037, 8038, or 8039.
• Students focusing on sociocultural anthropology must take 6085 and 6071.
• Students focusing on biological anthropology must take both a methods course and a theory course approved by their advisor.
  

• Students must select an elective course in consultation with their advisor or DGS.
  

Waiver of Course Requirements

Students with strong undergraduate preparation in Anthropology may request that specific requirements be altered or waived. A written petition for a waiver or change should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies. The decision to accept or reject the petition will be made by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the student's advisor and the faculty member responsible for the course(s) in question. Such waivers or alterations do not alter the student's obligation to take 30 semester hours of graduate study, of which 24 hours must be derived from formal course work.