Anthropology, Historical Archaeology Specialization, MA

The Master of Arts program is designed to train students for proficiency in the general field of Anthropology with a specialization in Historical Archaeology. This is a terminal degree. Students in the M.A.-only program in Historical Archaeology may not apply for William & Mary’s Anthropology Department’s Ph.D. program until after the thesis has been successfully defended and final copies deposited in the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.

Course Requirements

Each student in the M.A.-only program must successfully complete 30 semester hours of graduate coursework, including:

ANTH 600   - Socio-Cultural Theory (3)
ANTH 603   - Archaeological Theory (3)
ANTH 700   - Thesis (a total of 6 credit hours). All students will register each semester for ANTH 700 (Thesis) in addition to the normal course load of 12 semester hours.
Electives

Students who have not had adequate archaeological field experience will be required to enroll in ANTH 625 - Field Work in Archaeology (6 credits, summer program), but credit earned for this course cannot be counted toward a graduate degree at William and Mary.

Upon approval of the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, students may schedule up to six graduate credits in courses in other departments or programs not cross-listed under Anthropology.

Thesis Requirement

Each M.A. student will write a thesis on a research topic approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the student’s thesis committee. The thesis should be article length and of publishable quality. It should contain a clearly stated problem, relevant data, and theoretically informed analysis.

Exam Requirement

The thesis, supplemented by an oral defense before a faculty committee, meets the exam requirement.

Language Requirement

There is no language requirement for the M.A. degree.

Residence Requirement

Full-time students are expected to remain in residence while they complete the entire 24 semester hours of classes and 6 hours of ANTH 700 - Thesis . Typically, this is done by the end of the second semester of residence, though some students elect to extend the coursework over three semesters.

Satisfactory Progress

To be eligible to graduate, all students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all courses undertaken for graduate credit at William & Mary after admission to a degree program. No credit toward a degree will be allowed for a course in which a student receives a grade below C (grade point = 2.0). Any student receiving two grades of “C” or below in any semester will be withdrawn from the program at the end of that semester.

All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within six (6) years from the first term of enrollment in the master’s program, excluding periods of approved leave and military service. Requests for extension beyond the six (6) year limit must be filed following the procedures outlined in Time Limits for Degrees and Extensions in the Graduate Arts & Sciences Catalog.