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Degree Requirements

The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree is 33 (with thesis) or 36 (without thesis). In addition to the University's general requirements for graduate study and any coursework or other study required as a condition of admission, the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology requires the following:

A. 9 semester credit hours of required basic courses:

ANT 5023 History, Method, and Theory of Archaeology
ANT 5033 Paradigms of Americanist Anthropology
ANT 5073 Advanced Biological Anthropology

B. 3 semester credit hours from one of the following methods courses, depending on the student's area of interest:

ANT 6353 Field Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
ANT 6623 Seminar in Analytical Methods in Archaeology

C. 15 semester credit hours of elective courses chosen in consultation with the student's advisor and subject to the following conditions:

1. Students will normally take a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of electives in regular, organized graduate anthropology courses (this excludes fieldwork, independent studies, and internships).
2. Students are expected to develop a primary regional expertise. Knowledge of this region will be evaluated as part of the comprehensive evaluation (see below). In addition, students must take at least one other course focusing on a second region. This course may be in a subdiscipline other than that of the student's main interest.

D. Although there is no program-wide language proficiency requirement, certain programs of study require students to demonstrate proficiency in a second language or in statistics. Students should consult their advisors regarding this matter.

E. A written comprehensive examination, tailored to the student's program and area of concentration, is required. The comprehensive examination will be taken no later than nine months after the completion of the required coursework. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examination is required for advancement to Option I or Option II.

F. Option I (with thesis). 6 semester credit hours of ANT 6983, Master's Thesis.

or

Option II (without thesis). 9 semester credit hours of additional, organized coursework. Students seeking this option must petition the Anthropology Graduate Program Committee. Normally, permission is granted only on presentation of evidence that the student has previously done scholarly work equivalent to that required in a Master's thesis. Such evidence would be a scholarly contribution of monograph length, reflecting in-depth research on a topic. A major published article or monograph may potentially meet these requirements.