The graduate masters degree program in anthropology emphasizes archaeology. Additionally, the program offers students interested in professional training in museum studies the option to complete a Museum Studies Certificate in combination with their M.A. program in archaeological fieldwork.
Focusing on the emergence and development of hunter-gatherer and early farming communities in the western United States, as well as complex societies in Mesoamerica and the Near East, the program’s strength is the diversity of research opportunities it affords students. These include research venues in the Great Basin and American Southwest regions of North America as well as Mesoamerica and the Near East. Museum internship opportunities are often available, both on and off campus, for students adding the Museum Certificate requirements to their program. Annual archaeology field schools focus on providing training in both survey and excavation, with an emphasis on detailed documentation, resolving field problems through hands-on mentored learning, data analysis, and reporting findings. The optional Museum Studies Certificate allows students hands-on professional training in all aspects of museum collections management, exhibition development, and museum public outreach.
Rather than emphasizing specialized or topical interests, the program equips each graduate student with the basic skills necessary for a future in professional archaeology and/or museum studies, including preparation for continuance in academia through a subsequent Ph.D. degree in anthropology or archaeology, a career in public archaeology, or placement in a museum.
Up to six students are admitted to the graduate program each year. Most students take three years to complete the requirements. The total number of graduate students in the program varies from between 10 to 15 participants.
