Anthropology Major, MA

In addition to the Graduate Council requirements, requirements for the Master of Arts degree with a major in anthropology, in the appropriate sequence of completion, are as follows.

Admission

Students applying for the MA program must:

• Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with a major in anthropology. Applicants with a major in a related field (such as biology, sociology, geology, classics, history, historic preservation, or geography) will be considered only if they have a formal minor in anthropology or its equivalent.
• Have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 in the major, 3.3 overall.
• Have completed appropriate undergraduate courses in archaeology or anthropology, with an anthropology minor preferred, if applying to the concentration in Mediterranean archaeology.
• Make formal online application to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Office of Graduate Admissions. Copies of the application form, transcripts, and GRE scores that are sent to Graduate Admissions should also be sent directly to the Department of Anthropology at the same time. In addition, the department requires a letter of intent from the applicant indicating career goals and reasons for selecting the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, three letters of recommendation, and one sample of the prospective student’s written work (a class paper or research report). These materials should be sent directly to the Graduate Secretary, Department of Anthropology, South Stadium Hall 250, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0720.
• Specify that they are applying for admission to the MA program, and state the concentration (archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, Mediterranean archaeology, zooarchaeology) they will pursue.

Detailed information about the MA program and application procedures may be found at the department website at http://web.utk.edu/~anthrop/graduate.html

Requirements

The program leading to the Master of Arts degree is a general curriculum that allows for concentration after completion of a core course sequence. Formal requirements include the following.

• Because of the structure of first-year studies, MA students must plan to begin their studies in the fall semester. A minimum of 30 hours in graduate courses, at least 20 hours at the 500 level or higher, and 24 hours in course work graded A-F. Course work must include three core classes taken in the first year.

                   ANTH 510 Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology .
                   ANTH 560 Theory in Archaeology .
                   ANTH 590 Method and Theory in Biological Anthropology .

• One additional course from two anthropology concentrations besides the student’s primary concentration.
• Students concentrating in Mediterranean archaeology should select their additional 18 hours from courses offered in the Anthropology, History, or Classics departments.
• During the first year, comprehensive Graduate Evaluation Examinations (GEEs) are required of all MA students and are based on the content of the core courses.
• All MA students must attend the graduate section of the visiting lecturer program (ANTH 550 ).
• A graduate-level introductory statistics course, usually STAT 537  or ANTH 504 . With permission of the department head an equivalent graduate level course may be substituted.
• A formal performance review of each MA graduate student’s progress will take place each year.
• An MA thesis proposal.
• Successful completion of the thesis and final oral presentation and examination.