Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology - Archaeology Concentration

 

The Ph.D. program offers concentration only in archaeology. It emphasizes a sound understanding of archaeological science, inter-disciplinary training and the development of practical skills applicable to both pure and applied research. Rather than dichotomizing pure and applied approaches to archaeological research, the program melds the two within the basic tenets of archaeological science.

The discipline of archaeology has undergone marked changes over the last three decades with a steady decline in traditional university faculty positions balanced by a dramatic growth in applied archaeology/cultural resource management (CRM) employment. Applied positions are broadly distributed within government and private sectors. Recent surveys show 60-70% of the Society for American Archaeology membership belongs to the applied sector and 80% of all archaeology undertaken in North America is related to applied research.

Accordingly, the Ph.D. program is designed to integrate experiences and perspectives of applied research throughout the curriculum. That curriculum provides the strong theoretical and methodological training typical of the best traditional academic programs while exposing all students to the skills necessary to conduct applied research. In this way, the Ph.D. curriculum prepares students for either applied or academic positions upon graduation.

Admission to the Ph.D. program

Candidates for admission to the Ph.D. program should hold a Master’s degree in either (1) anthropology, with a concentration in archaeology; or (2) museum studies. Candidates with degrees in other fields may be admitted at the discretion of the faculty. Additional archaeology coursework may be required. Applicants for admission should have a minimum grade point average of 3.5. Applicants with GPAs lower than 3.5 may be admitted on probation at the discretion of the faculty. Applicants must submit scores from the General tests of the Graduate Record Examination. Candidates are encouraged to apply for Graduate Assistantships that provide full tuition and a stipend.

Students who enter the Ph.D. program with a Bachelor’s degree must complete the M.A. course work described above, and they must sit for a comprehensive written examination. The comprehensive examination normally will be taken near the end of the second semester of residence. Those passing the exam will move forward into the Ph.D. program. Those failing twice to pass the exam will receive a terminal M.A. degree.

Students holding an M.A. from another institution must pass the comprehensive examination described above. At the discretion of the faculty, they may be required to do additional course work at the M.A. level before sitting for the comprehensive examination.

Ph.D. Curriculum Requirements

The Ph.D. degree requires completion of a minimum of 72 hours of course work beyond the Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 42 hours beyond the Master’s degree. There is no formal language requirement, although students are strongly encouraged to acquire linguistic competence appropriate to their areas of specialization. Students are required to obtain computer and GIS skills through their coursework.