BA in Archaeology/MA in Anthropology

crew removing turf at Dun Ailinne in Co. Kildare Ireland with professor Susan Johnston.

The dual Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology/Master of Arts in Anthropology program allows students to complete the graduate degree on an accelerated timeline by completing 12 graduate credits as part of the undergraduate program. In addition to traditional class work, archaeology students fulfill requirements through lab research and fieldwork, with sites including Ireland, Israel and Kenya.

Students are advised to consult their departmental advisor regarding the details of the degrees and course of study.

 


Application Requirements

Eligible students will apply for formal admission into the BA/MA program by February 15, through the CCAS Combined Degree Application process. Students will be recommended for admission to the MA program on the same basis as other applicants for the degree, with the final decision being made by the CCAS graduate dean.

Combined Degree Programs

 


Degree Timeline

Combined degree students are admitted to the master's program with the understanding that during their undergraduate program, they will complete 12 credits of master's coursework, which also count toward the bachelor's degree. 

This leaves 24 credits left to finish out their 36-credit master's degree. Most students complete six credits over the summer, nine credits in the fall semester and nine credits in the final spring semester, totaling one calendar year beyond the bachelor's degree. During that year, they are officially graduate students and eligible for consideration as teaching assistants or graders.

Sample BA in Archaeology/MA in Anthropology Schedule

  • ANTH 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004 (13 hours)
  • Language requirement, if needed (12 hours)
  • GCR courses (ca. 39 hours) (parts of natural science, social science, and foreign culture fulfilled as part of Anthropology major, one or two of the others can be substituted for electives in junior year)

Any Summer (3-6 hours)

  • Archaeological Field School

Fall (15 hours)

  • Upper-level Archaeology (from Anthropological Archaeology or Ancient Civilizations sections)
  • Upper-level Art History (from Anthropological Archaeology or Ancient Civilizations sections)
  • Upper-level Classics (from Ancient Civilizations section)
  • Electives/ GPAC courses

Spring (15 hours)

  • Upper-level Archaeology (from Anthropological Archaeology or Ancient Civilizations sections)
  • Upper-level Art History (from Anthropological Archaeology or Ancient Civilizations sections)
  • Upper-level Classics (from Ancient Civilizations section)
  • Upper-level History (from Ancient Civilizations section)
  • electives/ GPAC courses
  • Apply to the BA/MA

Fall (15 hours)

  • Graduate seminar (e.g., Anth 6302)
  • Four electives, which may include a second graduate-level course or an upper-level undergraduate course taken for graduate credit

Spring (15 hours)

  • Methods course (e.g. Anth 3531 or 6351, Anth 3838)
  • Proseminar (e.g. Anth 6101, Anth 6102, Anth 6103, Anth 6104)
  • Three electives, which may include a graduate-level course or upper-level undergraduate course for graduate credit

Summer After Senior Year (three–six hours)

  • Anth 6995, Research

Fall (nine hours)

  • A Proseminar not taken in Senior Year (Anth 6101 biological anthropology, Anth 6104 linguistics, Anth 6102 sociocultural, Anth 6103 Archaeology)
  • Placing-out exams two other proseminars (of your choosing)
  • Two electives (could include thesis research or internship)

Spring (nine–12 hours)

  • Three electives (could include thesis research or internship)
  • Hand in thesis or other culminating exercise

Course Requirements

Students take 12 graduate credits as part of their undergraduate program. All requirements for both the BA in Archaeology and the MA in Anthropology must be fulfilled.

 

BA Requirements

The bachelor of arts with a major in archaeology is an interdepartmental program offered by the Department of Anthropology in cooperation with the Department of Arts and Art History and the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.

Additional curriculum requirements:

Language requirement
Students must complete two years or demonstrate equivalent skill in one of the following foreign languages: Arabic, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, or Latin. Students should consult with their Archaeology advisor to petition to use other languages.
Students whose preparation allows them to waive this requirement are encouraged to begin study of a second language. Graduate study in archaeology usually requires knowledge of two or more languages besides English. Students planning to pursue advanced study should consult with an advisor early in their program.
Major requirements
No course can be counted toward more than one of the following requirements:
Core courses
ANTH 1002Sociocultural Anthropology
ANTH 1003Archaeology
ANTH 3838Theory and Practice in Archaeology
or ANTH 3838W Theory and Practice in Archaeology
Field and laboratory work
One or two courses (3 or 6 credits) selected from the following:
ANTH 3832Paleoanthropological Field Program
ANTH 3833Field Research: New World
ANTH 3834Field Research: Old World
ANTH 3835Historical Archaeology Field Program
ANTH 3839Lab Research Methods in Archaeology
ANTH 3995Undergraduate Research (With the advisor's approval.) *
ANTH 6806Technology (Qualified juniors and seniors with departmental approval.)
Anthropological archaeology
Four or five courses (12 or 15 credits) selected from the list below. Students must take at least one course marked with an asterisk. A course counted toward this requirement cannot also be counted toward the Ancient Civilizations requirement (below). A total of only one course from (ANTH 2821 or ANTH 2822) or (ANTH 3812 or ANTH 3814) can be counted toward this requirement.
ANTH 2821Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology
ANTH 2822Archaeology in Film and Television
ANTH 3801African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe
or ANTH 3801W African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe
ANTH 3802Human Cultural Beginnings
or ANTH 3802W Human Cultural Beginnings
ANTH 3803Old World Prehistory: First Farmers to First Cities
or ANTH 3803W Old World Prehistory: First Farmers to First Cities
ANTH 3805Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands *
or CAH 3106 Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands
ANTH 3806Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age *
or CAH 3104 Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
ANTH 3808Archaeology and the Celts *
or CAH 3104 Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
ANTH 3811Historical Archaeology
ANTH 3812The Aztec Empire *
or CAH 3116 Aztec Empire
ANTH 3813Archaeology of North America *
ANTH 3814Ancient Mexican Civilizations *
or CAH 3107 Ancient Mexican Civilizations
ANTH 3823Archaeology of Ritual and Religion
ANTH 3891Special Topics in Archaeology
Ancient civilizations
Five courses (15 credits) selected from the list below. The selected courses must include at least one course in each of the categories listed. Courses marked with an asterisk can count in only one category.
Art history:
CAH 3101Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece
CAH 3102Ancient Art of the Roman Empire
CAH 3103Art and Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East
CAH 3104Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
or ANTH 3806 Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
CAH 3105Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology
or CLAS 3115 Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology
CAH 3106Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands
or ANTH 3805 Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands
CAH 3107Ancient Mexican Civilizations
CAH 3117Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology
or ANTH 3891 Special Topics in Archaeology
Classics:
CLAS 2105Special Topics
CLAS 2106Mythology of the Classical World
CLAS 2107Greek and Roman Drama
CLAS 3114Topics in Ancient Literatures and Cultures
CLAS 3115Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology *
or CAH 3105 Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology
History:
HIST 2112History of Ancient Greece
or CLAS 2112 History of Ancient Greece
HIST 2113The Roman World to 337 A.D.
or CLAS 2113 The Roman World to 337 A.D.
HIST 2803The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C.
or CLAS 2803 The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C.
HIST 2804History of Ancient Israel
or CLAS 2804 History of Ancient Israel
HIST 3111Topics in Ancient History
Archaeology of ancient civilizations:
ANTH 2821Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology
ANTH 3804Origins of the State and Urban Society
ANTH 3805Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands *
or CAH 3106 Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands
ANTH 3806Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age *
or CAH 3104 Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age
ANTH 3808Archaeology and the Celts *
or CAH 3116 Aztec Empire
ANTH 3812The Aztec Empire *
ANTH 3813Archaeology of North America *
or CAH 3116 Aztec Empire
ANTH 3814Ancient Mexican Civilizations *
or CAH 3107 Ancient Mexican Civilizations
ANTH 3891Special Topics in Archaeology *
or CAH 3117 Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology

MA Requirements

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Programs.

A minimum of 36 credits in graduate coursework, including 9 credits in proseminars and 3 credits in an approved methods course. Students must also complete either a thesis (for which they must register for 3 to 6 credits of ANTH 6999 Thesis Research) or a culminating journal article. The remaining credits are fulfilled with electives and, if a concentration was selected, concentration courses. Students are encouraged to plan their programs with an advisor.

Foreign language—There is no language requirement for the MA degree. However, thesis projects that require language skills will only be approved by department advisors provided students show evidence of having language skills that are required.

Core requirements
Proseminars
At least three proseminars selected from the following:
ANTH 6101Proseminar in Biological Anthropology
ANTH 6102Proseminar in Sociocultural Anthropology
ANTH 6103Proseminar in Archaeology
ANTH 6104Proseminar in Linguistic Anthropology
Students with significant background in a field, as determined by evaluation of a petition to the proseminar instructor, may waive one proseminar. Those who are permitted to waive a proseminar must take one course from group A and one from Group B.
Group A
ANTH 6101Proseminar in Biological Anthropology
or ANTH 6103 Proseminar in Archaeology
Group B
ANTH 6102Proseminar in Sociocultural Anthropology
or ANTH 6104 Proseminar in Linguistic Anthropology
Methods
One approved 3-credit methods course.
Thesis or other culminating project
Students must write either a thesis or a culminating journal article. Students who choose to write a thesis must register for 3 to 6 credits of ANTH 6999 Thesis Research..
Electives
18 to 24 credits in elective courses, depending on the number of credits taken in core course requirements. Students may choose to pursue a concentration (below), in which case any credits remaining after core and concentration requirements have been met are taken in elective courses.
In addition, students can enrich their degree through courses in programs at GW's other research centers or through the DC- schools consortium.
Optional concentrations
In addition to completing all core requirements for the degree, students may choose to pursue a concentration as part of their program of study. All requirements for the concentration must be fulfilled.
Museum training concentration (12 credits) 1
12 credits in courses selected from the following. 6 of these credits may be in an internship.
ANTH 6200Museum Anthropology
ANTH 6201Methods in Museum Anthropology
ANTH 6203Preventive Conservation Concepts
ANTH 6204Preventive Conservation Techniques
ANTH 6205Problems in Conservation
ANTH 6230Internship in Museum Anthropology
ANTH 6291Special Topics in Museum Anthropology
ANTH 6508Ethics and Cultural Property
International development concentration (12 credits)
Required
ANTH 6301The Anthropology of Development
Two courses selected from the following:
ANTH 6302Issues in Development
ANTH 6330Internship in Development Anthropology
ANTH 6391Anthropology and Contemporary Problems
ANTH 6501Gender and Sexuality
ANTH 6507Nationalism and Ethnicity
One approved graduate-level course in quantitative analysis.
Health, science, and society (HSS) concentration focus options (12 or 15 credits)
The HSS concentration offers a choice of two focus areas: medical anthropology (15 credits) and science and technology studies (12 credits). Please consult with the advisor for each focus area.
HSS concentration—Science and technology studies focus (12 credits):
Required
ANTH 6504Social Study of Science and Technology (This cornerstone course should be taken in the first year of the program.)
One approved 3-credit methods course
6 credits in sociocultural anthropology coursework selected from the list below. For courses not directly focused on health, students should direct their learning toward health issues to the extent possible, e.g., by selecting a health-related term paper topic. With the concentration advisor's permission, other anthropology courses, including courses offered through the Consortium of University of the Washington Metropolitan Area, may be taken to fulfill this concentration requirement.
ANTH 3503Psychological Anthropology (for graduate credit)
ANTH 3991Special Topics (Race and Policing (taken for graduate credit))
ANTH 6506Topics in Medical Anthropology (Culture and Psychiatry)
ANTH 6591Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology (Either Materiality: The Anthropology of Things AND/OR Anthropology of Environmental Politics)
AMST 2620Human Mind and Artificial Intelligence (taken for graduate credit)
AMST 6610Constructing the Natural, Unnatural, and Artifactual
HSS concentration—medical anthropology focus (15 credits):
Required
ANTH 6505Medical Anthropology (This graduate seminar is the required cornerstone class and should be taken in the fall of first year)
6 credits in research methods courses, which must include one course in qualitative methods and one course in quantitative methods, selected from the following:
Qualitative methods course options:
ANTH 6331Research Methods in Development Anthropology
ANTH 6531Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology
SOC 6232Qualitative Methods
Quantitative methods course options:
PUBH 6003Principles and Practices of Epidemiology
6 credits in sociocultural anthropology coursework selected from the following courses. For courses not directly focused on health, students should direct their learning, as much as possible, toward health issues, for example, by selecting a health-related term paper topic. (With the concentration advisor's permission, other anthropology courses, including courses offered through the Consortium of University of the Washington Metropolitan Area, may be taken to fulfill this concentration requirement.)
ANTH 6301The Anthropology of Development
ANTH 6302Issues in Development (Anthropology of Intervention)
ANTH 6391Anthropology and Contemporary Problems (Anthropology of Security)
ANTH 6501Gender and Sexuality
ANTH 6504Social Study of Science and Technology
ANTH 6505Medical Anthropology
ANTH 6506Topics in Medical Anthropology
ANTH 6591Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology (Displacement and Diaspora)
ANTH 6707Issues in Middle East Anthropology (Anthropology of State and Government AND/ OR Anthropology of Citizenship and Displacement)
IAFF 6138Special Topics in International Development Studies (Gender and Development or Indigenous People)
Undergraduate courses and graduate internships may be taken for credit toward the HSS concentration—medical anthropology focus with the permission of the concentration advisor. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:
ANTH 3503Psychological Anthropology
ANTH 6330Internship in Development Anthropology

1Students whose primary interest is in museum techniques, rather than anthropology, are advised to apply to the MA in museum studies program. (Note that an MA in teaching in the field of museum education is also available through the Graduate School of Education and Human Development.)