The Department of Anthropology offers a graduate program leading to a degree of Master of Arts in Applied Archaeology. The MA program in applied archaeology is designed to meet a need for increased training of professional archaeologists employed in the fields of historic preservation, cultural resource management, and heritage planning and tourism.
The program is designed to prepare students to meet the US Secretary of the Interior’s qualification standards for professional archaeologists upon graduation (for individuals already employed in the field of cultural resource management) or to meet all the requirements except for a full year of experience a supervisory level (for students who enter the program immediately after graduation with a BA degree). Students are trained in the current relevant subjects for professional archaeologists including preservation law, ethics, business, and archaeological methods, have the writing skills to prepare technical reports and publications for the general public, and have specialized training in critical technical skills such as artifact and faunal analysis, geophysical surveys, and Section 106 and NEPA compliances.
Department resources include zooarchaeology and forensic comparative collections, flotation and microscopy labs, geophysical, and geochemical instrumentation, and 3-D scanning and photogrammetry equipment. Faculty members are experienced teachers and active researchers in different aspects of cultural resource management and applied archaeology. Archaeological Services, an externally funded research center housed in the Anthropology Department, provides employment opportunities as well as professional and supervisory experience for students prior to graduation. The MA program is supported by an advisory board of professional archaeologist representing private companies, state and fedearl agencies, and tribal historic preservation offices, to ensure that the program remains responsive to industry needs.
Admission Criteria
Students who enter the program usually hold a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, history, geography, or a related field. Depending on their undergraduate coursework, students may be required to take courses as a condition of their admission, including a 6 week (or equivalent) North American archaeological field school. Applicants must meet all the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and Research and must take the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) before admission.
Program Requirements
The degree program requires a minimum of 36 semester hours of credit including the thesis credits. The program includes six core courses: ANTH 610 , ANTH 612 , ANTH 616 , ANTH 618 , ANTH 714 and ANTH 745 in addition to 12 semester hours of electives, an optional internship, and required thesis. At least 9 credits of electives must be from courses with Anthropology prefixes; the remaining credits may be from related departments. Students may arrange an internship as part of their degree for up to three credits. All students will be required to complete a thesis, which may be in the form of a cultural resource management report. The internship may be used as preparation for the thesis. Students are encouraged to enroll in the certificate in Geographic Information Science and Geospatial Techniques from the Geography and Regional Planning Department, or another relevant certificate program from another department. Courses in these certificate programs can be used to fulfill the non-ANTH electives for the MA in Applied Archaeology.
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