THE M.A. DEGREE IN ANTHROPOLOGY AT UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA

WHAT A MASTERS DEGREE IN ANTHROPOLOGY WILL DO FOR YOU

     When you have completed University of Montana's M.A. program in Anthropology you will be prepared to pursue doctoral work at another university, a career in anthropology, or a career in a related field. While earning the degree you will gain an advanced knowledge of biological, sociocultural, archaeological and linguistic anthropology. You will also acquire research skills, including data collection and processing, collections management, and analytical techniques. Finally, you will learn how to present your research findings in written and oral formats.

PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING TO THE M.A. PROGRAM

     Application materials may be requested from the Graduate School, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812. Collect official transcripts of all previous college work and three letters of recommendation that evaluate your potential as a professional anthropologist. Letters of recommendation must be in sealed envelopes with the signature of the recommender across the flap. Send these materials, along with a completed application and the appropriate fees, in a single manila envelope to the Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812. Have GRE scores sent directly to this address.

FULL ADMISSION AND PROVISIONAL ADMISSION

     The anthropology faculty may recommend that the graduate school consider you for full admission to the M.A. program in anthropology if you have an earned bachelors degree, have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4 point scale, have a total score of 800 or above on quantitative and verbal sections of the graduate record examination with a score of 3.5 or better on the analytical section, have a clear statement of purpose and goals, and if your recommendations agree that your professional potential is high. Your academic goals should be compatible with our department's staffing and educational resources.

     If you do not have all these qualifications, the anthropology faculty may recommend that the graduate school consider you for provisional admission. If you make up any deficiencies, and if your progress is satisfactory in other areas, you will be promoted to fully admitted status after one or two semesters of study.

     We encourage applicants to have taken at least one course in each of the four subfields of anthropology, and a course in statistics or multivariate quantitative analysis. Students who have not taken these courses prior to admission to the program will be required to complete them before graduating.

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

     The anthropology department has a very limited number of Teaching Assistantships available for graduate students, which are awarded competitively. We invite students who feel they will be qualified for fully admitted status to apply for the assistantship by filling in the appropriate line on their graduate application form. Applications for students competing for the assistantship must be received by April 1st. Most teaching assistantships and research assistantships are awarded to those second year students who have most distinguished themselves in classes and research projects.

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM

     We, the anthropology faculty, want you to succeed at your graduate studies and to earn your degree as quickly as possible. In order to help you accomplish this, we have compiled the following schedule of University and Department requirements. Our graduate advisor will help you make sure that you have satisfied the technicalities of the program. We will assign you an academic advisor, who will help you decide which courses and research projects will meet your needs. Your responsibility is to meet the deadlines that your university, department, and advisors have established. We advise students to obtain and read the Graduate catalog for detailed information on University regulations and timetables.

I.          University Requirements.

            A.         You must register every semester for at least one credit unless granted a leave of absence by the Graduate School upon recommendation of the Anthropology Department. You may have to register for more credits if you make extensive use of facilities or faculty time. You must complete a minimum of four credits per academic calendar year (September through August). Students who obtained a leave of absence during their graduate career must still complete four credits in the year during which they complete their degree. If you do not maintain continuous enrollment, you will have to reapply for admission to the graduate program. You can find the procedure for requesting a leave of absence by contacting the Graduate School office.

            B.         The maximum time limit for earning an M.A. degree is five years. If you have not finished in five years we will advise you to withdraw from the program. After five years you will have to retake all the required courses that you took more than five years previously, including credits transferred into the program. You may "recertify" up to three courses after the five year deadline by taking written examinations equivalent to the current final exams for the courses, and passing them with a grade of B or better.

            C.         With the approval of the anthropology Chair and the graduate Dean, you may transfer up to 9 semester hours of graduate credit from another university, if that university has a graduate program in the discipline of the course you are requesting to transfer. The transfer of credit can only be made after you have been enrolled at University of Montana for at least one semester and have shown satisfactory progress.

            D.         At least 30 credits are must be completed under the thesis option (36 under the professional paper option). At least 20 credits must be in anthropology, and at least 12 credits must be earned on campus or in residence centers at Helena, Great Falls, Yellow Bay, or Billings. No more than 10 credits of research or thesis may be applied toward your degree.

            E.         At least half the credits required for your degree, excluding thesis and research credits, must be at the 500 or 600 level. In no case, however, will this rule require more than 18 credits of 500 or 600 level work. To apply this rule subtract the number of thesis and research credits you completed (up to 10) from the 30 credits (36 under the professional paper option) required for the degree. Half of the remaining credits must be at the 500 or 600 level.

II.         The General Anthropology Option.

            A.         After you have been admitted to the graduate program but before enrolling in classes, you should meet with your academic advisor. The name of your academic advisor is included in the letter of admission you receive from the Graduate School. Call the Anthropology department office (406-243-2693) to schedule your first appointment. Your academic advisor will help you plan a specific schedule of course work. Your academic advisor will also introduce you to the rest of the Anthropology faculty, including the graduate advisor. The graduate advisor will explain the process of earning an M.A. degree and answer any questions you have about the program. If you are a provisionally admitted student, the graduate advisor will explain what you should do to be promoted to fully admitted status.

            B.         During your first two semesters of graduate study you should:

                         1.         Take at least four graduate seminars. Anthropology 500 is required for all students and should be taken your first semester if possible. The other three seminars may be chosen from any the anthropology department offers. You should work out a plan of which seminars are appropriate for helping you fulfill your goals with your graduate advisor.

                         2.         Students should take the mid-program assessment within two semesters of admission to the program. If you have not attempted the mid-program assessment after having been enrolled for 5 semesters, we will advise you to withdraw from the program. See section IV for an explanation of the mid-program assessment.

            C.         Further semesters of graduate study. Most students will finish the requirements for the M.A. degree within two semesters of having passed the mid-program assessment. Steps to accomplish this are:

                         1.         Take any remaining required courses. If you have not taken a course in statistics or quantitative analysis you should take one at this time. You should also take elective courses that you and your academic advisor agree upon. You need at least one semester of course 599 (thesis) unless you choose the professional paper option. We encourage students to develop skills in symbolic systems through a series of courses.

                         2.         Apply to graduate and choose the thesis or professional paper option. If you passed the mid-program assessment, you should file your application to graduate at the Graduate School as soon as possible afterward, certainly within one semester. When you apply for graduation, you and your academic advisor will decide whether you should elect the thesis option or the professional paper option. Most students will demonstrate their ability to do professional research by writing a thesis. The professional paper option allows students to submit a published research paper or other professional document in lieu of a thesis.

                         3.         Form a thesis or professional paper committee; and research, write, and defend a thesis or professional paper.

III.        The Linguistics Option. The requirements and general time schedule for the linguistics option are the same as those for the general anthropology option with the following exceptions.

            A.         Course requirements for the thesis option are: at least six credits of Anthropology 597 and 599; Anthropology 570, 580, 581, and 585; and either Linguistics 371, 372, 373 or 377, 374, 375. Course requirements for the professional paper option include those for the thesis option with the addition of: three additional credits of Anthropology 570; and two of the following three courses: Linguistics 381, 471, or 473. Only three credits of Anthropology 597 are required under the professional paper option.

IV.        The Cultural Heritage option.

            A.         One form of the professional paper option is the Cultural Heritage Track. This track emphasizes internships with government or private agencies instead of seminars. Since internships are in very short supply, only a limited number students are allowed admission to the Cultural Heritage Track. After attending for a semester, taking Anthropology 500, and completing any remedial coursework assigned by the graduate advisor or the student's academic advisor, a student may petition the faculty for admission to this track.

            B.         Currently, the Anthropology Department is offering Cultural Heritage Track specializations in Museology, Cultural Resources Management, and Language Retention.

            C.         Departmental requirements for the Cultural Heritage Track are:

                         1.         Athropology 500 and at least one other graduate seminar in Anthropology from this list: 581, 584, 585, 589, 595. Total credits for this requirement = 6 to 9.

                         2.         Successful completion of at least one semester-long approved internship (Anthropology 598). Total credits for this requirement = 4 to 7. An additional graduate seminar may be substituted for the internship if the student is unable to undertake an internship.

                         3.         At least 10 credits of Anthropology 597 (Research).

                         4.         At least 10 credits of elective courses, chosen in consultation with the academic advisor.

                         5.         Successful completion and oral defense of an original professional project. Normally the professional project is an outgrowth of the internship.

                         6.         A total of thirty-six semester credit hours are required, at least thirty of which must be in Anthropology. At least 13 hours of credit must be at the 500 or 600 level (excluding credit in ANTH 597).

V. The Forensic Anthropology Option.

            A.         The forensic anthropology option may be completed either by completing a thesis (30 cr) or a professional paper (36 cr).

            B.         The core requirements for the forensic anthropology option are ANTH 500, ANTH 564, one additional graduate seminar in physical/biological anthropology, and a fourth graduate seminar of the student’s choice.

            C.         The forensic anthropology option requires several background courses, which you may have taken as an undergraduate. If you have not taken all of these courses you will be asked to take them before graduating with the forensic anthropology option. These courses are: a course in human variation (e.g. ANTH 460), a lecture course in forensic anthropology (e.g. ANTH 462), a laboratory course in human osteology (e.g. ANTH 463), a course in archaeological field methods (e.g. ANTH 353), a course in archaeological theory (e.g. ANTH 450), and a course in general forensic science (e.g. ANTH 461).

            D.         Many students choose to complete a comprehensive case report as a professional paper for the forensic anthropology option.

VI.        The Mid-program assessment.

            A.         The mid-program assessment will be given at the end of spring semester of each year. It consists of a three hour written examination. Typically, the mid-program assessment consists of two questions: a question on a contemporary anthropological theory and a question about the anthropology of a specific region. One of the goals of ANTH 500 is to prepare students for the mid-program assessment, and you will learn more about the assessment in that class.

            B.         The Anthropology faculty will meet and decide whether you passed the examination with distinction, passed, passed with qualification, or failed. If you pass or pass with distinction, you may continue on to apply to graduate and to begin work on your thesis or professional paper. If you pass with qualification, the department Chair will send you a letter stating what you should do in order pass the assessment. If you fail you will be allowed one opportunity to retake the exam the next year.

VII.       The Thesis.

            A.         A thesis is a research document in which the goal is to propose a hypothesis, then gather data and analyze it in order to test the hypothesis. It is a way to demonstrate research competency and is the preferred choice for students planning to continue on for a PhD degree.

            B.         If you choose to research and write a thesis you should develop a proposal; form a committee; research, write, and submit your thesis; and defend your thesis. Be sure to follow the Graduate School’s formatting guidelines when writing your thesis.

VIII.      The professional paper.

            A.         A professional paper is a document or other work that demonstrates your mastery of skills and competencies in an subject or area in which professional anthropologists engage. Some examples are archaeological survey and site reports, museum exhibitions, comprehensive forensic reports, and similar works.

            B.         If you choose to write a professional paper you should develop a proposal; form a committee; research, write, and submit your professional paper; and defend your professional paper. Your professional paper should follow the formatting guidelines required by the Graduate School, but it does not need to be in thesis format nor does it require an abstract.

IX.        Researching and writing a thesis or professional paper. We encourage you to complete and defend your thesis or professional paper within two semesters of having applied for graduation. Maximum time limits are given for each step below.

            A.         With the help of your academic advisor, develop a research topic and formulate a research proposal. Your proposal should include the hypothesis or topic you plan to address, the materials and methods you plan to use, and an introductory section describing how the project fits into research questions within anthropology. In the case of a professional paper, the introductory section should include relevant background text explaining the goal of the project. Research proposals should be completed within one semester of having advanced to candidacy.

            B.         Select a graduate committee to oversee your thesis or professional paper research. The graduate committee consists of at least three people who must be regular University of Montana faculty. Your academic advisor or any other University of Montana Anthropology faculty member may be chair of the committee. At least one member of the committee must be from another academic department.

Students are usually expected to provide a copy of their research proposal to potential committee members, who will review the proposal and make recommendations for the student to consider.

You should submit your proposed thesis topic and committee membership to the Chair of the Anthropology department, who will pass the names of the committee members on to the Dean of the Graduate School for formal appointment. You should form a graduate committee within one semester of having advanced to candidacy.

            C.         Conduct the research for your thesis or professional paper in consultation with your graduate committee. You should complete your thesis or professional paper research within two semesters of appointing your graduate committee.

            D.         Write a draft of your thesis or professional paper. You should submit a copy of your draft to the chair of your graduate committee at least 10 school days before the scheduled date of your thesis defense, at least 25 school days before the end of the semester, and within two semesters of having completed your thesis research.

Your committee chair will review your draft and suggest changes to strengthen it. When he or she considers it acceptable, they will ask you to submit copies of your revised draft to the other committee members.

The members of your committee will read your draft and suggest revisions which you should consider in resubmitting a revised draft. It is your responsibility to submit the draft in time for your committee to review it and for you to make revisions.

            E.         Use correct thesis or professional paper format. It is your responsibility to obtain a current copy of the Graduate School’s format requirements document, and to follow the guidelines therein. This document specifies the required type styles, paper stock, margins, line spacing, page numbering, and other stylistic aspects for a thesis. The required format for citations and refences is that used by the American Anthropologist, or that required by the nature of the subdiscipline or professional paper. The final draft of thesis must include an abstract of no more than 350 words, prepared as specified in the Graduate School’s requirements. Your abstract must be initialed by your advisor before being submitted to the graduate school.

            F.         After your thesis committee has approved your thesis or professional paper draft, you may submit it to the Dean of the Graduate School. You should submit it at least 3 school days before the scheduled date of your thesis defense and at least 18 days before the end of the semester.

            G.         Meet with your thesis committee for a defense of your thesis or professional paper. The defense is a one hour oral examination on the methods, results, and conclusions of your thesis or professional paper. The defense is open to the public, and any member of the audience may ask you a question upon being recognized by the chair of your committee. You will pass if all members of the committee, voting privately, judge your performance as satisfactory. You should defend your thesis within one semester of receiving approval of your draft from your thesis committee.

            H.         File your thesis or professional paper with the Graduate School. It is your responsibility to obtain signatures and initials of your committee chair on all title pages and abstracts that require them. It is also your responsibility to file the required number of copies of your thesis or professional paper and abstract with the Graduate School at least 7 days before the end of the semester. Ask the graduate school how many copies of each of these documents is currently required. Obtain billing and receipt cards from the Graduate School and pay a binding fee at the Business office.

            I.          The Dean of the Graduate School must approve and sign the title page of your thesis or professional paper. Your degree will be awarded to you at the earliest possible opportunity.

X. Review of progress.

            A.         The Anthropology faculty will review your progress at least once each year, considering your course work, failure or success in passing the comprehensive examination, and progress towards completing your thesis or professional paper, as appropriate. A grade of less than C in a required course, failure to meet an established deadline, or substandard quality work is grounds for rating your progress as unsatisfactory.

            B.         The graduate advisor will send you a letter stating the outcome of your evaluation. Minimally, the letter will address your progress and list remedies for unsatisfactory progress. We encourage you to meet with the graduate advisor to discuss your progress.

            C.         If your progress is rated as unsatisfactory, we may re-evaluate you each semester. We will advise you to withdraw from the program if your progress is unsatisfactory for two consecutive evaluations. An exception is automatically made if you have been prevented from remedying the unsatisfactory progress through no fault of your own.

XI.        Petition for leave of absence or exception to department requirements and schedules. If you need an exception to a departmental requirement you should write a letter to the graduate advisor, who will present it to the Anthropology faculty for approval. The letter should state:

            A.         The exception you are proposing.

            B.         The nature of the exception. For example, what course you propose to substitute, the length of the desired extension to the deadline for submitting a thesis proposal, or the length of time requested under a leave of absence.

            C.         The reason for the exception.

IX.        Complaints and disagreements. The purpose of this process is to find an equitable solution to problems that affect graduate students. If you have a dispute with an anthropology faculty member you should follow this procedure.

            A.         First, discuss the problem with the faculty member with which the dispute exists and try to work out a resolution.

            B.         If the dispute can not be resolved by direct discussion then you may bring the matter to the attention of the Chair of the Department of Anthropology.

            C.         If the Chair does not respond within 15 working days, or if the Chair's response does not resolve the disagreement to the satisfaction of all parties, then you may use the procedure explained in section 21 of the "Collective Bargaining Agreement Between University Teachers' Union, University of Montana and the Montana University System". The Chair will furnish a copy of this section upon request.

Revised 9/25/03 RRS