M.A. Requirements

As a student in the M.A. in Applied Archaeology, you are officially a student in the Graduate College, though your work is entirely regulated, governed, and evaluated by the faculty of the School of Anthropology.

The Graduate College sets certain minimum and essential requirements for completion of graduate degrees. The School of Anthropology has additional requirements, which are outlined below. You are responsible for satisfying both sets of requirements. Internal and Graduate College forms must be completed and turned in to the Advising Office upon each step made towards your degree(s). Forms required by both the School and the Graduate College must clear the Anthropology Advising Office.

Upon completion of the Master or Arts degree, you will have demonstrated, through academic studies and research, mastery of basic ideas and concepts in your field, and you will have written a potentially publishable research report or thesis. You will also have completed an internship with a private company, non-profit organization, or government agency, and fulfilled various other requirements of the M.A. in Applied Archaeology.

M.A. Applied Archaeology Graduate Handbook

For all degree requirements and information for the M.A. in Applied Archaeology, read the specialized Graduate Handbook for the program.

View the Handbook

Prerequisite Field Study

It is assumed that students enrolled in this specialized Master’s program have already attended an archaeological field school or have, minimally, several months of archaeological field experience to their credit. If this requirement has not been met, then the student must complete a formal archaeological field school (or equivalent) the summer before entering the program or following the first year of graduate studies.

This prerequisite is in addition to the internship requirement. Since this may delay graduation, it is strongly urged that students interested in the M.A. in Applied Archaeology complete a field school or have accumulated significant field experience (minimally at the field crew level) before they enter the program.

Required Forms

The forms you will need to prepare and submit at various stages of your graduate training are mostly processed electronically through GradPath. All students need to file a responsible conduct of research statement before start filing GradPath forms. Student should file GradPath forms generally following the order in which they are arranged.

Before M.A. thesis defense, M.A. student needs to file:

  1. M.A. Plan of Study (generally by the end of the 2nd semester)
  2. Master’s committee appointment form

After successful M.A. thesis defense, a Master’s completion confirmation form is filed by the program coordinator.

Course Requirements

The minimum unit requirement for the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology is 33. Three of these required units are enrollment for either a M.A. Thesis (Anthropology 910) or Master’s Report (Anthropology 909), in consultation with your major advisor. Other courses for the M.A. degree should also be chosen in consultation with your advisor.

Master’s Plan of Study

Students in M.A. programs must complete a “Master’s Plan of Study” form by the end of their first year. You should list all courses that you plan to use for your M.A. degree, and show it to your major advisor before submitting it to the Anthropology Advising Office for signature. Courses listed for the M.A. degree must be 500-level or above.

Required Courses

  • ANTH 636 – Foundations of Archaeological Interpretation (3 units)
  • ANTH 637 – Archaeological Methodology (3 units)
  • ANTH 540A – Cultural Resource Management (3 units)
  • ANTH 562 – Archaeological Quantitative Methods (3 units)
  • ANTH 595A – Ethics in Anthropology (3 units)
  • Elective in North American Prehistory (1) (3 units)
  • Elective in Laboratory Methods (2) (6 units)
  • Elective in Historical Archaeology (1) (3 units)
  • ANTH 593 ‐ Internship (3 units)
  • ANTH 909 or 910 – Master’s Report or Thesis (3 units)

Total Units: 33

Residence Requirement

For the Master of Arts degree, a minimum of twelve (12) units must be taken in residence at the University of Arizona campus.

Minimum GPA Requirement

The minimum GPA requirement set by the Graduate College is 3.0. Should your grade-point average fall below this threshold, you will be placed on academic probation by the Graduate College. If, by the end of the following semester, you have not raised your cumulative GPA to 3.0 or higher, the School of Anthropology will request that you terminate your graduate studies.

No student on academic probation may hold a scholarship, assistantship, or fellowship.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

We have developed a set of criteria for monitoring student progress through the program. These standards assist faculty in their annual evaluations of student progress toward degree completion and, equally importantly, they help students assess their own progress.

Criteria for satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of your Master’s degree include the following:

  1. Submission of the annual self-evaluation
  2. Regular meeting with your advisor(s) on a schedule negotiated between you and your advisors
  3. Adherence to appropriate schedules (outlined below), including completion of the Master’s thesis or paper and written and oral exams
  4. Fulfillment of all formal Graduate College requirements (GPA, etc.) as specified in the Graduate Catalog