W&M undergraduate students are able to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Anthropology in five years. Candidates interested in this accelerated degree path must provisionally apply and gain acceptance to take graduate courses as early as their sophomore year and as late as fall of their senior year, although we have a preference for students to register their intent by the end of their junior year. In this process, students will meet with the Graduate Director for a review of their coursework and GPA. If that review is satisfactory, they will then write a paragraph describing their intended M.A. research and identify which professor they would work with. Once these materials are received, permission to take graduate courses is granted by the Anthropology Director of Graduate Studies, at this time the student will be considered as provisionally accepted to the BMAP program.
In this scenario the existing bachelor’s degree is paired with the existing master’s degree, allowing for a specified number of graduate credits to be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate degrees and allowing for the completion of both degrees in a shorter timeframe than completing them separately.
Students who meet certain requirements can apply; the BMAP is designed to elevate our outstanding undergraduates. To be eligible, students must have a GPA of at least 3.4 in the Anthropology major and an overall GPA of 3.2. Ideally, students will develop a Senior Honors thesis, which will serve as the foundation of their M.A. thesis, but this is not a requirement. Students with an Incomplete will not be allowed to take graduate classes until the Incomplete is off their student record, nor will they be allowed to formally apply to the BMAP program. With advance written permission from the program’s Director of Graduate Studies, up to twelve graduate credits taken by students in the BMAP may be used to satisfy both graduate and undergraduate degree requirements. An additional six credits of graduate courses can be taken prior to the completion of the B.A. degree but will count exclusively towards the BMAP.
Upon adequate performance in Anthropology coursework (or in a closely related department) and adequate progress toward the Honors thesis, students during the Fall semester of the senior year will apply for admission to the Anthropology graduate program. In their personal statement, students must clearly indicate an interest in the BMAP program. Application must be made through the online portal to the BMAP program application by December 15th of your senior year.
The One-year M.A. degree is based on the standard 30-hour (500-700 level classes) thesis M.A. degree option. Please contact the department Director of Graduate Studies for details or visit https://www.wm.edu/as/anthropology/graduate/one-year-ma/
