Objectives 

Degree Tracks 

APPLICATION INFORMATION Applications for Autumn 2008 admission are due February 8, 2008 if the applicant wants to be considered for departmental financial aid. Our Department requires 2 letters of recommendation. Admission Undergraduate background in anthropology is preferred but not required. Graduate students lacking such background may take undergraduate courses without credit. The Graduate Record Examination is required. Applications must be accompanied by a personal statement specifying interests and goals within either archaeology, ethnology, or museum studies. Two letters of recommendation from undergraduate professors or other professionals in the field are required.

Objectives The M.A. requires an emphasis in one of three areas: Archaeology, Ethnology, or Museum Studies. The Archaeology program provides training that integrates the academic and applied aspects of archaeology. It prepares students for Ph.D. programs in anthropology and careers in cultural resource management. The program in Museum Studies emphasizes both academic and professional training using archaeological and ethnographic materials. It prepares students to meet the growing need of modern museums. The Ethnology program emphasizes action anthropology, gender studies, and ethnohistory. It creates a unique forum for applying anthropological analyses and methodologies to pressing global issues of human rights and underdevelopment

Degree Tracks Archaeology Philosophy Requirements Ethnology Museum Studies Requirements General M.A. Requirements

Graduate students with an archaeology emphasis must assume full responsibility for acquainting themselves with, and satisfying, all the requirements for the Master’s degree. They are expected to read the Anthropology Department Graduate Student Handbook and DU Bulletin of Graduate Studies very carefully. They should consult with their Advisor and/or the department’s Director of Graduate Studies to assure that they are meeting all degree requirements in the correct manner and order. Faculty Advisors Dr. Sarah Nelson, Professor (PhD, University of Michigan) Dr. Dean Saitta, Associate Professor (PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst) Dr. Larry Conyers, Assistant Professor (PhD University of Colorado, Boulder)   Philosophy The MA degree in archaeology is designed to offer students training in both the “academic” (anthropological) and “applied” (e.g., cultural resource management) aspects of archaeology. These different aspects of our discipline are often thought to be either mutually exclusive or in conflict with each other. Our goal at DU is to provide training that can coherently integrate these two aspects. We seek to graduate individuals who can successfully move either straight into a PhD program in anthropology, or into the world of public, applied archaeology.   Requirements for the Degree Requirements for the MA in Archaeology include the following (see the Department’s Graduate Student Handbook for additional details): I. Credit Requirements: A. THESIS OPTION: 45 qtr. hrs. of course work that may include up to 10 qtr. hrs. taken in related fields and up to 10 qtr. hrs. of independent study. B. RESEARCH PAPER OPTION: 60 qtr. hrs. of course work may include up to 15 qtr. hrs. taken in related fields and up to 10 qtr. hrs. of independent study. II. Completion of Tool Requirement: Archaeology MA students may satisfy their Tool requirement with either Quantitative Methods in Anthropology (ANTH 3680) or by demonstrating reading proficiency in a language other than English. III. Successful presentation of a Qualifying Project in the spring quarter of the first year. IV. Successful completion of a Masters Thesis or Research Paper.   Ethnology The Ethnology track creates a unique forum for applying anthropological analyses and methodologies to pressing global issues of human rights and under-development. The ethnology concentration is a flexible program which aims to provide students with both theoretical and applied skill sets. Geographical strengths within the department include the American Southwest, Southeast Asia/Indonesia, and Latin America. The ethnology concentration serves the needs of a variety of students. Beyond the required History of Anthropological Theory, an introductory master's seminar and Advanced Anthropology, the programs of cultural anthropology students are tailored to their individual needs. They are not required to take particular courses, but must take 45 hours with a thesis or 60 hours with a research paper. Of those credits, up to 15 hours may be taken in other departments. The topic of the thesis or paper must be on cultural anthropology. Learn more about Cultural Anthropology   Museum Studies The Museum Studies concentration in anthropology provides students with a solid background in the theoretical and practical sides of museum studies. Theoretical course work is complemented by hands-on training in the Museum of Anthropology (a "teaching museum"), and through supervised internships. The program emphasizes critical approaches to the study and representation of material culture, art and cultural expressions; the history and philosophy of museums and their role in society; cross-cultural approaches to museology, and public interest anthropology. Students are expected to achieve graduate level competence in anthropology as well as museum studies. Our goal is to train students to be practicing anthropologists in museums or related institutions and organizations. The Museum Studies program is designed to accommodate the diverse academic and professional interests of students. Students are encouraged to be creative in structuring their own course of study, drawing on the many resources available at the University of Denver and in Denver-area museums. The program works closely with the Museum Studies Program in Art History, offering joint courses in conservation, information technology, and museum management. Both programs benefit from institutional ties between DU and the Denver Art Museum and Denver Museum of Nature and Science, providing students with research, internship and job opportunities. Other Denver-area museums and cultural organizations offer ample internship and job opportunities. Continue>>   The Museum Studies program also periodically offers guided inter-term and summer study tours to expose students to museums and museological practices in diverse cultural and national settings. Department of Anthropology colloquia and a Gallery Talk Series, which feature presentations by faculty members, students and visiting speakers, provide a forum for discussion of current issues in the field. The Museum Studies concentration in the Department of Anthropology prepares students to be both scholars and practitioners. The program rests on the philosophy that anthropology should be in service to both science and the public, and that cultural work is an essential and valuable part of social life. Students are trained, both academically and professionally, to meet the many challenges of cultural work in contemporary society. Museum Studies Requirements for 2007/2008 ANTH 4744 - Working in Museums ANTH 4740 - Critical Perspectives in Museum Studies ANTH 4745 - Museum Practicum ANTH 3981/4981 - Museum Internship (can be taken for 4 credits) ANTH 4740 and ANTH 4744 must be taken in the first year. The program requires completion of 48 quarter hours with a Masters Thesis; 48 quarter hours with a Masters Paper and Masters Exhibit; or 60 quarter hours with a Masters Paper. At least two of the following: ANTH 3661 - Learning in Museums ANTH 3741 or ARTH 3872 - Introduction to Conservation ANTH 3742 - Museum Exhibit Development ANTH 3743 - Managing Collections ANTH 3702 - Museum Management ANTH*** - At least one ETHNOLOGY and one ARCHAEOLOGY course Departmental Requirements ANTH 3660 Theory, Method and Context ANTH 4000 Advanced Anthropology ANTH 4800 Ethics in Professional Practice Recommended Electives : ANTH 3290 - Art and Anthropology ANTH 3880 - Technology and Adaptation ANTH 3890 - Context of Material Culture Total Credits Museum Track M.A.: 48   Departmental Requirements ANTH 3660 - History of Anthropological Theory ANTH 4000 - Advanced Anthropology ANTH 4800 - Ethics in Professional Practice Total credits for degree: 48 Plus: Qualifying Examination Requirement Research Tool Requirement: Proficiency in a foreign language or Quantitative Methods   Forty-eight quarter hours with a thesis, or a research paper in the Archaeology and Ethnology tracks. 48 quarter hours with a master’s exhibit, research paper, or other exit project in the Museum Studies track. Reading proficiency in one foreign language or proficiency in quantitative methods is required of all students. Students will also complete a written Qualifying Examination during the first year of study for the degree. Up to 15 qtr. hrs. may be taken in related fields with departmental approval, and up to 10 qtr. hrs. of independent study is permitted. A Master’s Project (thesis, research paper, museum exhibit, or other museum related exit project) is required of all students. If a thesis option is chosen, an advising committee must be formed consisting of three faculty members from the department plus a tenured faculty member from outside the department to serve as thesis defense chair. The other options require a committee of three faculty members from the department. Find more information on the Graduate Studies page.

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