The Master of Arts program in Anthropology emphasizes the anthropology of the Americas and is dedicated to training graduate students in both method and theory. Students, in conjunction with faculty, may design their programs with a focus on the subdisciplines of archaeology or cultural anthropology. Faculty expertise lies in the archaeology of the Maya and Andean regions; the archaeology of Texas, the American Southwest, and northern Mexico; the cultural anthropology of Texas and the Plains; ethnography and applied anthropology of Mexico and the United States; language, cognition, and human ecology in North American maritime settings; and medical anthropology of the Border region.
Program Admission Requirements. Applicants for admission to the M.A. program must satisfy all University-wide graduate admissions requirements. To apply for admission to the M.A. program in Anthropology, applicants must complete the Graduate School Application. Complete applications will include the application form, official academic transcripts, an essay (500–750 word statement of purpose), and two letters of recommendation. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores must also be submitted to the Graduate School. These scores will be considered only as one element in the evaluation of applicants. Applications will not be reviewed until complete.
Applicants can request degree-seeking or non-degree-seeking (special graduate student) status. Applicants for admission as non-degree-seeking students need not submit GRE scores but should have completed at least 12 semester credit hours in anthropology (with no more than 6 of the 12 in a field school) before application. Non-degree-seeking students may be limited in the courses they are permitted to take. Admission as a non-degree-seeking student does not ensure subsequent admission as a degree-seeking student.
Admission is competitive. Satisfying the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Applicants for admission as degree-seeking students will be evaluated on the basis of undergraduate academic performance, the application essay, letters of recommendation, and GRE test scores. A degree-seeking applicant admitted to the program may receive unconditional, conditional, or probationary admission status.
Applicants who are able to visit the UTSA campus are encouraged to meet with the department’s Graduate Advisor of Record and members of the anthropology faculty.
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The English Language Assessment Procedure is a mandatory assessment for incoming international students whose TOEFL scores are between 500 and 600 (paper version) or 173 and 250 (computerized version). See Chapter 2, Admission, of this catalog for details.
Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree is 33 (with thesis) or 36 (without thesis). In addition to the University’s general requirements for graduate study and any coursework or other study required as a condition of admission, the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology requires the following:
9 semester credit hours of required basic courses:
ANT 5023 History, Method, and Theory of Archaeology
ANT 5033 Paradigms of Americanist Anthropology
ANT 5073 Advanced Biological Anthropology
3 semester credit hours from one of the following methods courses, depending on the student’s area of interest:
ANT 6353 Field Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
ANT 6623 Seminar in Analytical Methods in Archaeology
15 semester credit hours of elective courses chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor and subject to the following conditions:
Students will normally take a minimum of 9 semester credit hours of electives in regular, organized graduate anthropology courses (this excludes fieldwork, independent studies, and internships).
Students are expected to develop a primary regional expertise. Knowledge of this region will be evaluated as part of the comprehensive evaluation (see below). In addition, students must take at least one other course focusing on a second region. This course may be in a subdiscipline other than that of the student’s main interest.
Although there is no program-wide language proficiency requirement, certain programs of study require students to demonstrate proficiency in a second language or in statistics. Students should consult their advisors regarding this matter.
A written comprehensive examination, tailored to the student’s program and area of concentration, is required. The comprehensive examination will be taken no later than nine months after the completion of the required coursework. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examination is required for advancement to Option I or Option II.
Option II (without thesis). 9 semester credit hours of additional, organized coursework. Students seeking this option must petition the Anthropology Graduate Program Committee. Normally, permission is granted only on presentation of evidence that the student has previously done scholarly work equivalent to that required in a Master’s thesis. Such evidence would be a scholarly contribution of monograph length, reflecting in-depth research on a topic. A major published article or monograph may potentially meet these requirements.
UTSA’s Ph.D. program in Anthropology offers a four-field approach to basic and applied research in ecological anthropology. Ecological anthropology develops empirical understandings of how humans culturally construct and organize their environments, how power relations are embedded in these activities; and the impact physical and social environments have upon human and non-human primates.
The regulations for this degree comply with the general University regulations (refer to Chapter 3, General Academic Regulations, and Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations).
Program Admission Requirements. Applicants for admission to the Ph.D. program in Anthropology must satisfy all University-wide graduate admissions requirements. Applicants must submit a complete Graduate School Application. Complete applications include the application form, summary sheet, official academic transcripts, an essay (750–900 word statement of purpose), and three letters of recommendation. Applicants must also submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores with their application. These scores will be considered only as one element in the evaluation of applicants. Only completed applications will be reviewed.
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The English Language Assessment Procedure is a mandatory assessment for incoming international students whose TOEFL scores are between 500 and 600 (paper version) or 173 and 250 (computerized version). See Chapter 2, Admission, of this catalog for details.
Applicants to the Ph.D. program must request degree-seeking status. Applicants admitted to the Ph.D. program may receive unconditional, conditional, or probationary admission status.
Admission is competitive. Satisfying the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. In any given application cycle, Ph.D. applicants will be evaluated on the strength of their application materials and also against other applicants in the same pool.
Degree Requirements. This degree requires a minimum of 78 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree (exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove conditions of admission).
Program of Study for Students Admitted Without a Master’s Degree
All students who are accepted into the Doctoral program without a Master’s degree (or its coursework equivalent) must successfully complete the program of study below. Students transferring to the Doctoral Program from accredited graduate programs but lacking a Master’s degree may receive approval to transfer some coursework to UTSA, pending review by the Graduate Program Committee. Each student’s transcript will be evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee, and credit will be determined on a course-by-course basis to satisfy the requirements of the degree. For credit to be accepted from an outside institution, a student must have earned course grades of “B” (“B-” is not acceptable) or better.
6 semester credit hours of Doctoral Core Courses:
ANT 6603 Ecological Anthropology
ANT 6703 Human Population Ecology
15 semester credit hours of Foundational Courses:
ANT 5023 History, Method, and Theory of Archaeology
ANT 5033 Paradigms of Americanist Anthropology
ANT 5073 Advanced Biological Anthropology
ANT 6303 Seminar in Research Design and Proposal Writing
ANT 6353 Field Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
or
ANT 6623 Seminar in Analytical Methods in Archaeology
or
approved coursework in statistics
21 semester credit hours of Designated Elective courses, distributed among three categories as follows:
ANT 5283 Hunter and Gatherers
ANT 5483 Landscape and Settlement
ANT 6133 Seminar in Medical Anthropology
ANT 6203 Seminar in Recent Trends in Archaeological Method and Theory
ANT 6223 The Archaeology of Household and Residence
ANT 6613 Seminar in Economic Anthropology
ANT 6713 Seminar in Primate Behavioral Ecology
ANT 6913 Seminar in Evolution and Human Behavior
ANT 5043 Seminar in Laboratory Methods in Anthropology
ANT 5556 Field Course in Archaeology
ANT 6503 Seminar in Cultural Resource Management
ANT 6633 Current Technological Applications in Archaeology
ANT 6803 Medical Ecology
ANT 6903 Anthropology of Gender
ANT 6923 Conservation of Primates and Other Threatened Species
ANT 6973 Special Problems
ANT 5413 Seminar in the Prehistory of Texas and Adjacent Areas
ANT 5453 Seminar in the Archaeology of the American Southwest and Adjacent Regions
ANT 6113 Seminar in the Anthropology of Mesoamerica
ANT 6213 Topics in the Anthropology of Native North America
3 semester credit hours of coursework outside the student’s major concentration
9 semester credit hours of Free Elective courses chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
3 semester credit hours of ANT 7003 Dissertation Proposal (after successful completion of 51 semester credit hours of coursework and qualifying examination).
ANT 7011-3 Directed Doctoral Research (12 hours minimum)
ANT 7021-3 Doctoral Dissertation (12 hours minimum)
Qualifying Examination. Students may take the qualifying examination upon successful completion of 30 hours of coursework; this coursework must include all required Doctoral Core and Foundation courses. At least two months prior to taking the qualifying examination, the student and the Supervising Professor will select a Dissertation Committee, which needs to be approved by the Dean of the College and the Dean of the Graduate School (see Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations, for further information on requirements of committee composition), and schedule dates for the qualifying examination. The examination consists of three written literature reviews in areas most relevant to the student’s research and will cover issues of geographical/topical, methodological, and theoretical relevance. It is intended that the qualifying examination will help lay the groundwork for subsequent dissertation research.
Proficiency in Foreign Language, Statistics, or Computer Programming. Doctoral students are required to have proficiency in a foreign language, statistics, or computer programming as deemed necessary by the Graduate Program Committee. This requirement must be fulfilled prior to the oral defense of the dissertation proposal. Should coursework be necessary, students may apply their credit hours to the free electives requirement of the Doctoral degree.
Doctoral Dissertation Proposal. Following successful completion of required doctoral coursework and the qualifying exam (51 semester credit hours), students will produce a dissertation proposal that will be submitted to their Dissertation Committee for review. Students must orally defend the proposal in order to qualify for doctoral degree candidacy. Students will enroll in 3 credit hours of ANT 7003 (Dissertation Proposal), in order to conduct preliminary research and write a successful proposal.
Advancement to Candidacy. Doctoral students can apply for admission to candidacy once they have met all requirements for the Doctoral degree other than dissertation research and write-up. The requirements include successfully completing all coursework, forming a dissertation committee approved by the University, passing the qualifying examination, passing a foreign language examination or demonstrating statistical or computer competency, as applicable, and submitting and successfully defending the dissertation proposal.
Dissertation. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research by completing and defending an original dissertation that makes a significant contribution to the field. The student, in consultation with his or her Supervising Professor, determines the research topic. The student’s Dissertation Committee will guide and critique the candidate’s research. The Dissertation Committee must unanimously approve the completed dissertation. The dissertation shall then be defended publicly before the Dissertation Committee. Students should be continually registered in Directed Doctoral Research (ANT 7011-3 ) and Doctoral Dissertation (ANT 7021-3 ) each semester the dissertation is in progress.
Final Oral Examination. Students must orally defend their dissertation as the final degree requirement. The Supervising Professor must notify the Graduate School in writing at least two weeks prior to the final scheduled oral defense. Awarding of the degree is based on the approval of the Dissertation Committee and the acceptance of the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School certifies the completion of all University-wide requirements (see Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations, for further information).
Program of Study for Students Admitted With a Master’s Degree
Students who are accepted into the Doctoral Program with Master’s degrees in anthropology from accredited institutions may receive approval to transfer up to 30 hours of their Master’s-level coursework. Outside coursework will be reviewed by Anthropology’s Graduate Program Committee. Each student’s transcript will be evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee, and credit will be determined on a course-by-course basis to satisfy the requirements of the degree. The Committee has the option of requiring or recommending additional courses if it is deemed that the student has not obtained a background equivalent to training at UTSA. For credit to be accepted from an outside institution, a student must have earned course grades of “B” (“B-” is not acceptable) or better.
To complete their Ph.D. program of study, students entering the program with an acceptable Master’s degree and 30 hours of transfer credit must complete the following requirements:
A minimum of 21 hours of coursework chosen in consultation with the Graduate Program Committee from the following domains:
ANT 6603 Ecological Anthropology
ANT 6703 Human Population Ecology
ANT 5023 History, Method, and Theory of Archaeology
ANT 5033 Paradigms of Americanist Anthropology
ANT 5073 Advanced Biological Anthropology
ANT 6303 Seminar in Research Design and Proposal Writing
ANT 6353 Field Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
or
ANT 6623 Seminar in Analytical Methods in Archaeology
or
approved coursework in statistics
Theory Electives
ANT 5283 Hunter and Gatherers
ANT 5483 Landscape and Settlement
ANT 6133 Seminar in Medical Anthropology
ANT 6203 Seminar in Recent Trends in Archaeological Method and Theory
ANT 6223 The Archaeology of Household and Residence
ANT 6613 Seminar in Economic Anthropology
ANT 6713 Seminar in Primate Behavioral Ecology
ANT 6913 Seminar in Evolution and Human Behavior
Applied Electives
ANT 5043 Seminar in Laboratory Methods in Anthropology
ANT 5556 Field Course in Archaeology
ANT 6503 Seminar in Cultural Resource Management
ANT 6633 Current Technological Applications in Archaeology
ANT 6803 Medical Ecology
ANT 6903 Anthropology of Gender
ANT 6923 Conservation of Primates and Other Threatened Species
ANT 6973 Special Problems
Area Electives
ANT 5413 Seminar in the Prehistory of Texas and Adjacent Areas
ANT 5453 Seminar in the Archaeology of the American Southwest and Adjacent Regions
ANT 6113 Seminar in the Anthropology of Mesoamerica
ANT 6213 Topics in the Anthropology of Native North America
3 semester credit hours of ANT 7003 Dissertation Proposal (after successful completion of 51 semester credit hours of coursework and qualifying examination).
ANT 7011-3 Directed Doctoral Research (12 hours minimum)
ANT 7021-3 Doctoral Dissertation (12 hours minimum)
Qualifying Examination. Students may take the qualifying examination upon successful completion of 30 hours of coursework; this coursework must include all required Doctoral Core and Foundation courses. At least two months prior to taking the qualifying examination, the student and the Supervising Professor will select a Dissertation Committee, which needs to be approved by the Dean of the College and the Dean of the Graduate School (see Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations, for further information on requirements of committee composition), and schedule dates for the qualifying examination. The examination consists of three written literature reviews in areas most relevant to the student’s research and will cover issues of geographical/topical, methodological, and theoretical relevance. It is intended that the qualifying examination will help lay the groundwork for subsequent dissertation research.
Proficiency in Foreign Language, Statistics, or Computer Programming. Doctoral students are required to have proficiency in a foreign language, statistics, or computer programming as deemed necessary by the Graduate Program Committee. This requirement must be fulfilled prior to the oral defense of the dissertation proposal. Should coursework be necessary, students may apply their credit hours to the free electives requirement of the Doctoral degree.
Doctoral Dissertation Proposal. Following successful completion of required doctoral coursework and the qualifying exam (51 semester credit hours), students will produce a dissertation proposal that will be submitted to their Dissertation Committee for review. Students must orally defend the proposal in order to qualify for doctoral degree candidacy. Students will enroll in 3 credit hours of ANT 7003 (Dissertation Proposal), in order to conduct preliminary research and write a successful proposal.
Advancement to Candidacy.Doctoral students can apply for admission to candidacy once they have met all requirements for the Doctoral degree other than dissertation research and write-up. The requirements include successfully completing all coursework, forming a dissertation committee approved by the University, passing the qualifying examination, passing a foreign language examination or demonstrating statistical or computer competency, as applicable, and submitting and successfully defending the dissertation proposal.
Dissertation. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research by completing and defending an original dissertation that makes a significant contribution to the field. The student, in consultation with his or her Supervising Professor, determines the research topic. The student’s Dissertation Committee will guide and critique the candidate’s research. The Dissertation Committee must unanimously approve the completed dissertation. The dissertation shall then be defended publicly before the Dissertation Committee. Students should be continually registered in Directed Doctoral Research (ANT 7011-3 )and Doctoral Dissertation (ANT 7021-3 ) each semester the dissertation is in progress.
Final Oral Examination. Students must orally defend their dissertation as the final degree requirement. The Supervising Professor must notify the Graduate School in writing at least two weeks prior to the final scheduled oral defense. Awarding of the degree is based on the approval of the Dissertation Committee and the acceptance of the Graduate School. The Dean of the Graduate School certifies the completion of all University-wide requirements (see Chapter 6, Doctoral Degree Regulations, for further information).
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6. Doctoral Degree Regulations
7. Graduate Program Requirements
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