GRADUATE STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Department of Anthropology
California State University Long Beach
Welcome to the Graduate Program in Archaeology!
The M.A. degree is designed to provide each student with: (1) a comprehensive knowledge of general anthropology, including ethnology, archaeology, and physical anthropology; (2) a solid grounding in archaeological theory, methods, and research design; (3) the practical skills necessary for archaeological field work, laboratory research, and data analysis; and (4) oral and writing skills necessary for professional communication. Our program is designed to be flexible and to meet the many needs of our student (part-time students, multidisciplinary students, returning adult students, etc.).
The program offers concentrations in the following areas:
At present there are nine graduate students in residence and several undergraduate students enrolled with a concentration in archaeology. Joint research projects in these areas by faculty and students have resulted in numerous publications, professional presentations, undergraduate and graduate research papers. Recently, the program gained national recognition for its use of "cutting edge technologies" in a featured article published by The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Society for American Archaeology's Bulletin and American Antiquity.
Over the years, many archaeology students at CSULB have completed their academic training and have gone on to Ph.D. programs, while others have been employed by federal, state, and local agencies and private firms.
Requirements
The M.A. program requires at least 30 units of graduate course work. In addition to the six units of thesis, the M.A. program may include 3 to 9 units of directed research at the discretion of the candidate's graduate committee. In general, the directed research is required if the student needs to develop special analytical or field methods for the proposed thesis project. In other cases, a student may need some specialized course material not taught in regular courses, e.g., directed readings in preparation for thesis research.
The M.A. program involves required core courses, independent research, and an M.A. thesis. In the first year of graduate studies, a student is required to choose a concentration for graduate research in archaeology (examples of the type of concentrations are identified below).
Outlined below is the basic temporal sequence for the first two years of graduate work.
1st Year Fall
Anthropology 454/554 Seminar in Archaeology: Theory and Concepts I
Anthropology 349/549 Contemporary Issues in Archaeology
Introduction to Statistics and Computers
Electives
Formulate Contract
1st Year Spring
Anthropology 453/553 Seminar in Analytical and Quantitative Applications in Archaeology
Anthropology 347/547 Seminar in Archaeology: Theory and Concepts 2
Anthropology 570 Professionalism- Research Design, Proposal Writing, Grants and Scholarships for Archaeologists, and Ethics
Summer Field Class
Anthropology 450/550 Archaeological Field Methods or other archaeological field school
2nd Year Fall
Anthropology 456/556 Remote Sensing and Geophysics in Archaeology
Anthropology 455/555 Contemporary Issues in Archaeology
Anthropology 562 Advance Computer Research Applications in Anthropology
Committee Selection,
Thesis Proposal, and Advancement to Candidacy
2ndYear Spring
Anthropology 451/551 Laboratory Techniques in Archaeology
Anthropology 697 Directed Research
Anthropology 698 Thesis
Progress in the Graduate Archaeology Program
At the time each student enters the program, he or she is assigned a graduate advisor who will direct the student's studies. A required series of core courses provide basic training in general anthropology, archaeological theory, and research design as well as field, laboratory and analytical skills. Through a written contract, the student and advisor formalize an individual program of study through which the student gains the special expertise necessary to accomplish particular professional goals. This contract will include course work inside and outside the department, directed readings, and independent study or experience outside the University. The contract may be revised at any time with the consent of the advisor. It is intended to guide student progress, but it is recognized that as the student's interests develop, needs will change.
Each student must obtain experience in archaeological excavation and survey that provides sufficient training and experience for his or her M.A. thesis research and long-term professional goals. Generally, field research experience entails participation in at least one project of a few months duration and should be obtained prior to advancement to candidacy. This experience can be obtained from participation in CSULB's field school or another acceptable field school program sponsored by other institutions of higher education.
In the first full year of study the acquisition of knowledge necessary to continue in the program must be demonstrated through successful completion of the required core courses. Students must maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA for all 400/500/600 courses taken. Failure to do so will require that the student be dropped from the archaeology program.
With the successful completion of the required core course work and the submission of a draft research proposal, the student is advanced to candidacy. At this point, the student is required to select a M.A. committee and must complete final plans for their thesis research. The thesis proposal must follow the format of a NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant proposal and must be acceptable to all committee members. The thesis proposal is reviewed by the committee members and the student must then defend the proposal in an oral presentation at a meeting with all committee members present.
Once approval of the thesis research is achieved, the student begins work on the thesis which, when completed, must be approved by the M.A. thesis committee members. The student is required to write a thesis that demonstrates skills in problem formulation, data analysis, and scientific argument, as well as literary competence. The student may take up to six units of Anthropology 698, Master's Thesis Preparation, while writing the paper. The thesis must be completed within four years of acceptance into the program, unless otherwise extended under special circumstances. The thesis is reviewed by the committee members and the committee makes one of three possible evaluations: acceptance, acceptance contingent on the completion of minor revisions, or rejection. Once the thesis has been accepted it must be defended in an oral presentation to all the committee members.
If no thesis has been turned in by the due date, if the paper is rejected, or if acceptable revisions are not submitted by the due date set by the thesis committee, the faculty will recommend to the Dean of the Graduate Division that the student be dismissed from the program.
The final thesis research is presented in a public colloquium in addition to the thesis defense. After the thesis is approved and the colloquium presented, the student is awarded the M.A. degree. Completion of the required course work will generally require two years and the time to complete the thesis varies widely.
Student Evaluations and Thesis Committee
At the end of each academic year, the graduate faculty committee members review the progress of each student who has not yet achieved advancement to candidacy. On the basis of this review, each student is provided with a written evaluation of his or her progress. The evaluation attempts to identify strengths and weaknesses and to make recommendations to the student. The faculty will evaluate the student's overall performance, including course work, research papers, class participation, and general professional progress and performance.
Once formed, the student may change committee composition with the approval of the committee chair and affected committee members. It is the responsibility of the student to keep their advisor, committee chair, and committee members informed of their academic progress. A faculty member may withdraw as a student's program advisor, committee chair, or committee member at any time.
It is the responsibility of the student, not the faculty advisor, committee chair, or department staff to make sure that all deadlines are met and that the proper forms are filed. Furthermore, it is the student's responsibility to complete the thesis proposal, carry out background research, collect relevant data, conduct independent archaeological field work (if appropriate), and submit an acceptable thesis approved by all members of his or her committee.
Facilities
Archaeology laboratories are located in LA5-163 and Psy. 436 where equipment, laboratory space, and student and faculty work areas are located. Among the many items available to undergraduate and graduate students are microscopes; field mapping, excavation, and camping gear; drafting tables and materials; scales; calipers; cataloging materials; cameras; reference books; sinks and tables; comparative collections of artifacts, animal bone, pottery; computers with a host of software and printers; and a wide range of other research materials. Most of these items were purchased in the last four years and additional items and space will be needed in the future.