The Graduate School requires a minimum of 30 hours of graduate
course credit, including at least 15 hours of 500-level credit,
as specified in the Graduate Catalog. In addition, the following
departmental requirements apply to all M.A. degree candidates:
1. Each student must complete FIVE core courses, (ANTH 500 A, B, C, D & E) with an average grade of B or higher, no more than one C, and no grade lower than C. These courses should be taken by new M.A. students within the first 2 terms, and must be completed by the end of the third term. Once the 5 core courses have been satisfactorily completed, performance in them together with an evaluation of the student's overall academic record will serve as a basis for departmental decision on retaining a student in the M.A. degree program.
2. Each student must complete 1 or more regular graduate-level courses or seminars in each of 2 subdisciplines of the student's choice (from among archaeological, linguistic, physical, sociocultural anthropology) beyond the core courses.
3. A further 6 hours of course work will be assigned by the student's committee after consultation with the student. These 6 hours may include up to 4 hours of graduate credit to meet tool requirements, and may not include more than 3 hours of independent study or thesis. No more than 3 hours of credit in ANTH 501, 590, 597, and 599 (thesis) may be applied toward the Graduate School requirements of 30 hours of graduate course credit and 15 hours of 500-level credit. The department requires two additional seminars (500-level course) beyond the 4 core courses and the thesis hours.
4. Each student must demonstrate a reading competence in a language foreign to the student that is relevant to the research program.Students entering the program may petition to have previously taken courses accepted for credit as equivalent to core courses in cases where the equivalence can be documented.
M.A. Degree Committee Thesis, Research Paper
Each student in the M.A. degree program will consult with the
Director of Graduate Studies and faculty advisor to select a three-person
faculty committee (including committee chair), which will assume
major responsibility for the student's advisement. At least 2
members of this committee, including the chair, must be from the
Department of Anthropology, and the third member may be selected
from outside the Department. The chair should be chosen by the
end of the first year, and the entire committee by the end of
the third term.
Under the direction of the M.A. degree committee, the student
will complete a thesis and register for at least three hours
of Anthropology 599 while doing so. A student may submit a published
paper, or one accepted for publication in an approved professional
journal, instead of a thesis, or may be authorized by the department
to substitute a research paper for the thesis. Passing of a
comprehensive examination on the student's entire program is
a Graduate School requirement. One properly bound copy of the
thesis, research paper, or article must be deposited with the
Department before the degree is granted.
An option is available, at the discretion of the departmental
faculty, to allow exceptional M.A. students accelerated entry
in the doctoral program at the end of their first year of M.A.
study. For these students, the following are sufficient for
the M.A. degree in Anthropology: (1) completion of 30 hours
of coursework, including 21 hours at the 500-level (which can
include up to 9 hours of Anthropology 598: Research); and (2)
a research paper (normally one prepared for a class in the student's
sub-discipline) approved by the student's advisor and the Director
of Graduate Studies, and submitted to the Graduate School. No
additional stipulations on the nature of the coursework (beyond
the core courses) nor a language requirement are imposed.
