Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology



Application Deadlines

Spring semester *

  • October 15 - For program and assistantship applications

Fall semester *

  • March 15 - For program and assistantship applications
Notes :

 * If the above dates fall on a weekend, the deadline is the next weekday.
** Applicants for assistantships must have submitted complete applications, including GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and transcripts to the graduate school by the assistantship application deadline.

Applications


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Applied Anthropology

Applied anthropologists use anthropological knowledge to solve practical problems for agencies, community groups, or other clients. They do fieldwork and employ other methods to gather data in specialties as diverse as cultural resource management, health care, historic preservation, economic development, museum design, forensics, and migrant settlement. Anthropologists' recovery and analyses of the data are aimed at providing solutions to particular problems faced by their clients. Applied anthropologists work both internationally and in the United States. There is a growing demand for anthropologists with practical experience and applied training to work in local, state, and federal government agencies and in private businesses and non-governmental organizations.


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Program Description

Graduate study leading to a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology, with an applied focus, is offered by the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures. Degree requirements include a thesis, a one-semester or one-summer long internship (6 hours credit), an oral exam, and 24 hours of graduate course work. Students may elect to specialize either in applied archaeology, including bioarchaeology, or in applied cultural anthropology.

The program in applied archaeology focuses on cultural resources management, including preparation in archaeological method and theory, proposal writing, consulting practices, and ethics. Specialty areas include archaeological surface survey and excavation methods; artifact analysis; settlement pattern analysis; environmental archaeology; and osteoarchaeology. The areal emphasis is the Southeastern U.S., although principles and methods are adaptable to application anywhere.

The applied cultural anthropology specialization emphasizes medical anthropology; program evaluation; and communication in multicultural settings. Ethnographic and qualitative research methods, as practiced in applied settings, are emphasized. The program focuses on preparing students for placement in the public and private sectors as cultural resource specialists and program evaluators, especially in medical settings, as well as preparing them for further graduate study.

Click to be directed to the Office of Graduate Studies at Mississippi State University for information about applying to graduate programs and online applications.


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Degree Requirements

Students must complete 36 hours of graduate work as summarized below.

  1. Foundation/core/general courses
    1. Leveling courses. Any student who does not have an undergraduate degree in Anthropology or who is deficient in core areas (cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, and anthropological archaeology) will be required to take one or more of the following
      • AN 1143 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
      • AN 1343 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology
      • AN 1543 - Introduction to Archaeology
    2. Core course. This course is required of all students who have not already taken it or an equivalent
      • AN 6123 - Anthropological Theory
  2. Courses required of all students in the MA program
    • AN 8203 - Readings and Research in Applied Anthropology
    • AN 8216 - Internship in Applied Anthropology (6 Hours)
    • AN 8000 - Thesis (6 Hours)
  3. Courses in Archaeology/Bioarchaeology emphasis
    1. Leveling courses. These courses are required of students who have not taken them and who do not have equivalent archaeological field experience
      • AN 2510 (6 hrs) - Archaeological Field Methods: Survey
      • AN 3510 (6 hrs) - Archaeological Field Methods: Excavation
    2. Required Courses.
      • AN 6523 - Public Archaeology; required of students who have not already taken it or an equivalent
      • AN 8533 - Readings in Archaeology: Theory; is required of all masters students in the archaeology/bioarchaeology concentration
    3. 9-12 hours from the following list
      • AN 8303 - Seminar in Bioarchaeology
      • AN 8513 - Southeastern Archaeology
      • AN 8523 - Environmental Archaeology
      • AN 8553 - Readings in Archaeology: Applications
    4. Up to 6 hours from the following list
      • AN 6303 - Human Variation and Origins
      • AN 6313 - Forensic Anthropology
      • AN 7000 - Directed Individual Study (6 hour limit; ordinarily, this will be an option only for students who have completed all appropriate 4000/6000-level courses as undergraduates)
    5. 6-7 hours technical speciality :
      Students will choose two courses from one area or, with permission of their advisor, one from each of two areas. A list of possible courses is given below; it will be revised as appropriate to reflect courses added and deleted as programs make curriculum changes.
      1. Soils/geomorphology
        • GG 6503 - Geomorphology
        • PSS 6323 - Soil Classification
        • PSS 6603 - Soil Chemistry
        • FO 6483 - Forest Soils
      2. GIS and Remote Sensing
        • FO 6452 + lab - Remote Sensing Applications
        • FO 6472 + lab - GIS for Natural Resource Management
        • GR 6303 - Principles of GIS
        • GR 6313 - Advanced GIS
        • GR 6333 - Remote Sensing of the Physical Environment
        • GR 8313 - Advanced Cultural Geography
        • PSS 6483 - Introduction to Remote Sensing Technologies
        • WF 6253 + lab - Application of Spatial Technologies
          to Wildlife and Fisheries Management
      3. Resource management/impact assessment/business
        • BL 6263 - Environmental Law
        • FO 6413 - Natural Resources Policy
        • HI 6913 - The Administration of Archives and Manuscript Collections
        • AN/SO 6173 - Environment and Society
      4. Biogeography/advanced ecology
        • ST 8114 - Statistical Methods
        • BIO 6113 - Evolutionary Biology
        • BIO 8113 - Biogeography
        • BIO 6533 - Animal Behavior
        • GG 6133 - Principles of Paleoecology
        • PSS 6633 - Weed Biology and Ecology
  4. Courses for Applied Cultural Anthropology emphasis
    1. 9 hours from the following list
      • AN 8103 - Seminar in Applied Cultural Anthropology
      • AN 8990 - Special Topics in Anthropology
    2. 15 hours from the following list
      • AN 6133 - Medical Anthropology
      • AN 6143 - Ethnographic Methods
      • AN 6163 - Anthropology of International Development
      • AN/SO 6173 - Environment and Society
      • AN 7000 - Directed Individual Study (6 hour limit; ordinarily, this will be an option only for students who have completed all appropriate 4000/6000-level courses as undergraduates)


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Internship

AN 8216 - Internship in Applied Anthropology - Each student is required to participate in a summer or one-semester internship program. The student will receive six hours of credit for an internship lasting for the 10-week summer term or the 15-week semester. This requirement may be waived in lieu of prior appropriate documented work experience. Internships will be coordinated through the student's committee chair, who will monitor internship progress.

  • Archaeology/Bioarchaeology. Internships will be arranged with state and federal agencies that must take into account or manage archaeological resources. Students also may choose to serve as interns with cultural resources management firms or with local government units. Internships will be arranged with the prior understanding that each intern will work on a variety of projects and problems, gaining a wide-ranging knowledge of the unit's organization and responsibilities in relation to applied archaeology.
  • Applied Cultural Anthropology. All students participating in the program will do an internship in the area of health, education, community development, or social services. These internships will take place in area businesses, schools, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. An important component of these internships will be to allow anthropologists to learn to work in teams with other professionals (social workers, educators, doctors).


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Thesis

Each student will be required to write a thesis based on original research. Such research may be partly conducted during the course of the internship but the thesis must make a contribution to anthropological knowledge and may not be merely a descriptive or client-driven report. Students in applied cultural anthropology may not collect data during their internship without prior approval of their major advisor and the Institutional Review Board at Mississippi State University.


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Transfer credits

At least 15 hours of graduate course work plus six hours thesis credit and a six-hour internship (unless replaced by appropriate work experience) must be completed at MSU.


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Curriculum

Each graduate course usually is offered once every two years.

  • AN 6123 - Anthropological Theory
  • AN 6133 - Medical Anthropology
  • AN 6143 - Ethnographic Methods
  • AN 6163 - Anthropology of International Development
  • AN 6173 - Environment and Society
  • AN 6303 - Human Variation and Origins
  • AN 6313 - Forensic Anthropology
  • AN 6523 - Public Archaeology
  • AN 7000 - Directed Individual Study
  • AN 8103 - Seminar in Applied Cultural Anthropology
  • AN 8203 - Readings and Research in Applied Anthropology
  • AN 8216 - Internship in Applied Anthropology (6 Hours)
  • AN 8303 - Bioarchaeology
  • AN 8513 - Southeastern Archaeology
  • AN 8523 - Environmental Archaeology
  • AN 8533 - Readings in Archaeology: Theory
  • AN 8553 - Readings in Archaeology: Applications
  • AN 8990 - Special Topics in Anthropology
  • AN 8000 - Thesis (6 Hours)


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Funding Opportunities

AMEC students, especially graduate students in Applied Anthropology, are encouraged to look over the following list and brief descriptions of funding opportunities for research and travel. You may discuss any of these with your major professor or with Dr. Peacock if you have not yet chosen a major professor. We strongly encourage students to seek outside funding for research and travel, as it benefits the department and adds to a student's CV.

  • Travel Assistance Grants for Graduate Students (TAGGS). The Office of the Graduate School at MSU offers 20 Travel Assistance Grants annually, 10 for each of two travel periods. For these travel periods, there are corresponding time intervals for submission of applications to request funding. The level of funding offered ranges between $1,000 and $1,500 per request. Grants are offered in support of graduate students who plan to travel to national or international conferences. Preferences will be given to doctoral students. A graduate student may apply once per year. No more than two requests will be accepted per department per application period. Consideration of the award is contingent on 1) receipt of online application (requires student to authenticate using Net ID/Password); 2) documentation of an abstract being accepted to the conference; 3) provision of original MSU Travel Authorization and Reimbursement Form; and 5) a brief letter of request that justifies why funding assistance is needed (must be submitted electronically as part of the online application). Travel periods: November 1 - April 30 (Application period: August 15 - November 15) and May 1 - October 31 (Application period: March 15 - May 15). All requests must be authorized by e-mail approval of department head. Within two weeks of request, a graduate student will be informed whether or not the funds will be granted. Applications will be considered until either the interval for acceptance of application expires or the maximum funds available per granting period have been exhausted. Additional information and the application form are available on the website of the Office of the Graduate School.
  • The Laboratory for Archaeological Chemistry at the University of Madison-Wisconsin has annual research grants for graduate students to help train them in analytical methods of chemical analysis using archaeological/bioarchaeological materials. Equipment includes a variety of mass spectrometers, atomic emission spectrometers, laser ablation spectrometers, etc. The award is to perform the analytical services for free for a project proposed by the student (thesis projects are an obvious route), with direct student participation encouraged. Deadline for application is Jan. 1 each year, with the award to be announced on March 15. Details and answers to questions can be obtained from T. Douglas Price or James H. Burton.
  • NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program). Early stage Master's students in Archeology, Cultural Anthro and Medical Anthro are eligible to apply to the NSF GRFP (Graduate Research Fellowship Program): http://nsfgrfp.org/ and http://nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply
    NOTE: Must be done within first 12 months, so apply early!
  • National Science Foundation short-term summer courses. April 1 is the deadline for NSF's three-week summer training program in research design for cultural anthropology (for graduate students). Details on the Methods Mall, at http://www.qualquant.net/training/.
  • The Geological Society of American, Archaeological Geology Division, annually offers the Claude C. Albritton, Jr. Scholarship. This scholarship supports field and/or laboratory research for a graduate student pursuing a Masters or Doctoral degree. The research must "involve interdisciplinary archaeology-earth sciences concepts and methods. Specific disciplines/subdisciplines and geographic areas are open, but can include geomorphology, pedology, sedimentology, archaeometry, stratigraphy, paleontology, zooarchaeology, and archaeological materials and characterization". [Note: this is ideal for using the Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer here at MSU, for example; radiocarbon and other dating also is supported]. Any student enrolled in the archaeology/bioarchaeology track is eligible. Awards are up to $650. Proposals are due by March 1 every year. Follow the link for information on applying: http://rock.geosociety.org/arch/GSA_Awards.htm.
  • Geochron Laboratories Graduate Student Awards. Each year, Geochron Laboratories awards research grants to graduate students for free analytical services, such as isotopic analyses and radiocarbon dating. They give several awards each year. Applications must be received before May 1. Follow the link for details: http://www.geochronlabs.com/research.html .
  • The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research, sponsored by the American Philosophical Society, supports "exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and data and to provide the imaginative stimulus that accompanies direct observation. Applications are invited from disciplines with a large dependence on field studies, such as archaeology and anthropology." Grants are available for graduate students "who wish to participate in field studies for their theses or for other purposes." Awards are to support travel, and range from "several hundred dollars" to $5,000. There is no deadline for application. The applications are on-line at http://pull.xmr3.com/p/4028-7D73/63428231/Applications_available.html.


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Forms


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Graduate Coordinator :
Dr. Evan Peacock

Office : 106 Cobb Institute of Archaeology

Address : Post Office Box AR, Mississippi State University, MS 39762

Phone : (662) 325-1663

Email : peacock@anthro.msstate.edu


Office of Graduate Studies
at Mississippi State University.

Graduate Students: Past and Present