Anthropology, MA

Location(s): Main Campus

Anthropology seeks to understand the forms and processes of social and cultural production, and the nature and origins of human biological variability, through systematic exploration and scientific examination of human groups and their artifacts and lifeways, both past and present.

Anthropology’s traditional emphasis is on the study of small-scale societies, but practical and theoretical concerns have broadened the scope of anthropological research to include the entire range of globally interdependent societies of the world. Ecological, physiological, psychological, historical, economic, artistic, technological and political phenomena all fall within the current purview of anthropology. The discipline thus draws freely on various fields of study in the humanities, physical and natural sciences, and various social sciences in its exploration of the patterns of human social life and adaptation.

There are four traditionally recognized subfields of the discipline: archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and sociocultural anthropology. Binghamton University’s faculty represent the four subfields, and this coverage is key to the training of its students. However, departmental research and graduate training is also structured around four domains of research and theory that cross-cut the subdisciplines. These approaches are:

Ecological and biobehavioral anthropology, an approach that employs ecological, biomedical, evolutionary and population paradigms in conjunction with natural science and sociocultural perspectives;
Political economy, which seeks to understand the ways that forces at the state and suprastate levels interact with local-level institutions and practices;
Materialism and Semiotics, which encompasses analyses of the body, objects, languages, and other species. These analyses share an interest in critically reassessing, and in some cases challenging, our assumptions about the physical and/or non-human; and
Critical anthropology, which attempts to analyze the influence of culturally-instituted power in the structuring of social science practices, including methodologies and theory building.

The Master of Arts (MA) in Anthropology requires study in all four of the subfields. The MA is awarded to students who demonstrate a substantial command of the subject matter of the discipline and an ability to engage in the professional pursuits of anthropologists, as defined above.

Admission Requirements

A bachelor’s degree - not necessarily in anthropology - from an accredited college or university is required for admission. All applicants must submit a statement of career goals. Students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States or an anglophone country must also submit proof of English proficiency (such as TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or PTE Academic scores). International students who have received a college or university degree from an institution in the United States or another anglophone country are not required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or PTE Academic scores. Additionally, all international students must provide immigration forms guaranteeing financial support.

Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Students pursuing the MA in Anthropology must take a minimum of 30 credits, which includes:

Core Requirements
- ANTH 501: History of Anthropology
- One four-credit course in each subdiscipline, as designated by each subdisciplinary caucus, that includes history and theory of the subdiscipline.
- At least 6 credits of electives, chosen with advice from the student’s principle advisor. No more than 8 credits taken outside the anthropology department may apply.
- Course electives (exclusive of ANTH 580, 590 and 591), which may include no more than four credits of ANTH 597 and/or ANTH 599.
Subfields Requirement
- Four courses (16 credits), one from each subfield, which are updated annually, all passed with a grade of B- or better.

It should be stressed that the above is a minimum credit requirement. Individual students may be required to complete courses in excess of the 30-credit minimum to acquire master’s-level command of the subject matter of the discipline and to meet the needs of their master’s degree research. Subfields may have specific course requirements within these credits.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate an ability to read research literature in a major language of scholarship in addition to their native language. This requirement may be fulfilled in a variety of ways. Some international students may be able to use their English proficiency to satisfy this requirement. Students should consult with their graduate advisor or the director of graduate studies early in their academic careers to discuss arrangements for the satisfaction of this requirement.

Master’s Colloquium

Each student must present a colloquium to their advisor and reader in the third semester of full-time registration on the student’s thesis topic or the topics of the two-paper option.

Thesis or Two-Paper Requirement

Each student must either write a thesis, or - with the approval of the original seminar instructors - two revised seminar papers of publishable quality in lieu of a thesis. In either case, the thesis or revised seminar papers must each be read and approved by the student’s principal advisor and one other member of the department faculty. Students may count up to four credits of ANTH 599 Thesis toward the minimum total credit requirement for the master’s degree if they have not already used four credits of ANTH 597 Independent Study.

Master of Arts in Anthropology Public Archaeology Track

The Master of Arts (MA) in Anthropology with the Public Archaeology track (MAPA) is a 20-month program of coursework and practical training designed to prepare students for a range of professional positions. The degree is offered through the Anthropology Department and in conjunction with the Public Archaeology Facility (PAF), a research center on the Binghamton University campus specializing in cultural resource management. The focus of the program is the intersection between archaeology and the many organizations that have a stake in the management, protection, study and conservation of the archaeological record. As such, graduates can expect to find careers in private environmental, engineering, energy and architectural firms, and in governmental sectors, such as federal, state, tribal and local agencies. With training from the MAPA program, students can also prepare themselves for careers in agencies that define policies for educational initiatives, heritage organizations that work directly with descendant communities, institutions that award and administer grants, and museums that are both privately and publicly funded.

During their first year, MAPA students take courses that provide a foundation in archaeological practices, heritage issues, relevant laws and policies, and the current state of the discipline. Students are encouraged to take additional classes outside of archaeology, including geology, remote sensing, forensics and GIS. Students plan and conduct a research project during the summer after the first year of coursework, typically based on an internship with an appropriate institution.

Admission Requirements

Students must have completed an archaeological field school of at least five weeks in duration or the equivalent to be admitted to this track. The choice of field school must be approved by the admissions committee.

Course Requirements

Students pursuing the MA must fulfill the following requirements:

Core Courses (4 credits each):
- ANTH 551 Strategies in Archaeology
- ANTH 554G Heritage and Communities
- ANTH 585 Heritage Resource Management - Policy and Procedures
- ANTH 555 The Practice of Public Archaeology.
Enroll for four credits of ANTH 595 Internship, and complete a summer internship in public archaeology.
Complete four to five elective courses, at least two on methodological practica and the others may be practica or an area course.
Completion of a master’s thesis, which will be facilitated by two classes: ANTH 590 Writing Skills and Publication and ANTH 599 Thesis.

Master’s Colloquium and Thesis Requirement

Students must present a colloquium based on the student’s summer internship experience and proposed MA thesis. Upon returning to Binghamton for the second year of the program, students are dedicated to completing a master’s thesis based on their summer internship, with courses focused on professional development, writing skills and publication practices.

Additional Information About the Program

Courses taken to meet the 30-credit minimum must be passed with a B average (3.0).

For more information on the Anthropology MA program, please refer to the Anthropology department website for more information. To apply to the Anthropology MA program, please visit the University Admissions website.