Master's Program

Master's Program in Anthropology

The master's program is designed to be completed in two years. The degree is awarded upon successful completion of required coursework and a passing grade on the master's examination. A thesis is not required, but independent research is strongly encouraged, especially for students who intend to pursue the doctorate. There are both general University requirements and department-specific requirements. These are described separately below.

University Requirements

The Graduate School has requirements concerning hours of coursework, GPA, continuous registration, and language proficiency. These requirements include the following: (a) minimum of 30 credit hours in graduate courses (5000 or above), (b) 3.0 or higher GPA, and (c) continuous registration (3 credit hours minimum) fall and spring until graduation. Please consult the Graduate Handbook for a complete description of these requirements.

There is a University (not departmental) language requirement for the MA (not MS) degree. The student's committee must approve the choice of language, and standard proficiency must be certified by the Department of Languages and Literature. There is no language requirement for the MS degree. Further information is available here .

Please check your paperwork. There is not that much but ignoring it can keep you from graduating on time. You need to fill out a Supervisory Committee form and an Application for Admission to Candidacy. The latter must be submitted to the graduate school no later than one semester before you anticipate graduating.

Departmental Requirements

Required Coursework

Proseminar Series (Anthropology 6100, 6200, 6300, 6400), to be taken in the first year (students who have previously taken 6161 are exempt).

Anthropology 6940 (Masters exam preparation), to be taken in the 4th semester. The course is designed to give students time to study for their exam.

Statistics. All graduate students are expected to have basic proficiency in statistics. Most graduate students (particularly those in Biological Anthropology, Evolutionary Ecology, and Archaeology) will be expected to gain additional statistical expertise, as determined by the student's supervisory committee.

Program-specific requirements: In addition to the department-wide courses above, masters students are required to take one of the following sets of courses. Courses in addition to these may be required by a student's supervisory committee.

Archaeology

ANTH 5461 - Behavioral Ecology
ANTH 6342 - History of Archaeology
ANTH 6361 - Behavioral Ecology and Archaeology
ANTH 6381 - Archaeological Practice
Electives - 5 to 9 courses (15-27 credit hours)

Biological Anthropology

ANTH 5291 - Evolution of Human Health
ANTH 5261 - Paleoanthropology
ANTH 6411 - Human Evolutionary Genetics
Electives - 6 to 9 courses (15-27 credit hours)

Cultural Anthropology

ANTH 6165 - History of Anthropology
ANTH 6170 - Seminar in Ethnology
ANTH 6163 - Ethnographic Data Collection
Elective courses in Anthropology: 3 (9 credit hours)
Additional elective courses: 4 to 9 (12-27 credit hours)
Total elective courses: 7 to 12 (21-36 credit hours)

Joint Program in Anthropology and Health Services Administration

This is a certification program offered through Anthropology and Health Services Administration. Students must meet the course and other instructional requirements for the Cultural Anthropology Master's Degree as itemized above, as well as for the Health Services Administration Program. In addition, HSA students are required to take four of the following 3-credit courses:
ANTH 6193 - Medical Anthropology
ANTH 6291 - Evolution of Human Health
ANTH 6192 - Culture, Health and Healing
ANTH 6242 - Anthropology of Clinical Medicine
ANTH 6334 - Population Issues in Anthropology
ANTH 6133 - Maternal and Child Health
ANTH 6241 - Darwinian Medicine
ANTH 6130 - The Anthropology of Food
For admission to this program, you must be accepted into the Anthropology graduate program and then apply separately to the HSA program. For further information, contact Polly Wiessner at 581-5757.

Masters Qualifying Examination

All students are required to take a qualifying examination by the end of their fourth FTE semester in this department. The exam consists of a written component (6-8 essays written in 2 four-hour sessions) followed within 10 business days by an oral examination. It is generally expected that all required courses will be completed prior to the examination.

Written exam

The 6 to 8 essay questions will be selected by the student's supervisory committee from the posted list established for the student's particular program. Click here for general guidance about preparing for the exam and click on the program name below to find the list of questions for that program:

Archaeology
Biological Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Evolutionary Ecology

Oral exam

The oral exam is conducted by the supervisory committee. The committee will usually ask the student to elaborate on areas within the written exam that they feel deserve further attention, but other topics may be raised as well.

Evaluation

The student's supervisory committee will evaluate the exam and will discuss the result with the student immediately following the oral exam. Students who pass the exam will be awarded the MA/MS degree, assuming all their course requirements have been completed. Students who pass may be encouraged to continue into the Ph.D. program; this is a separate decision made at the meeting, not an automatic consequence of passing the exam. Students who fail may retake the exam, once only, if their committee thinks this is advisable.

No thesis is required for the MA/MS degree. However, students interested in an academic career are encouraged to begin research likely to result in a publishable paper.

Financial Aid

Opportunities and policies are on the financial aid page