The Anthropology Department has provided graduate degrees with specializations in Archaeology since its inception, with the focus on training for academic careers usually requiring a PhD degree. Today many students are seeking careers in applied or public archaeology and related topics in anthropology that attend to societal needs of heritage management, often referred to as Cultural Resource Management (CRM). Since the 1960s, federal and state laws protecting historical and archaeological sites from the impacts of land development have provided opportunities for graduate-trained students to pursue careers in the technical, administrative, and regulatory aspects of CRM. Passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 ensures that careers in CRM will burgeon in years to come. Over the next decade, US universities are projected to produce less than half the number of MA and PhD level CRM archaeologists needed to fill projected job openings (Altschul, J. H., and T. H. Klein (2022) “Forecast for the US CRM Industry and Job Market: 2022-2031. Advances in Archaeological Practice 10[4]).
Curriculum for the new terminal MA in Anthropology is structured around a Graduate Certificate in Public Archaeology. This is a cluster of four courses (12 credits) consisting of two required classes and two electives that expose students to the legal, ethical, and administative aspects of public archaeology, as well as material analyses and digital methods useful to CRM. Local projects headed by UF archaeologists enable students to gain ample experience in the design and implementation of field projects.
In addition to the 12 credits required for the certificate, terminal MA students must take the two proseminars required of all graduate students (6 credits), plus an additional 12 credits of elective coursework to fulfill the 30-credit minimum for an MA degree. Although terminal MA students in this program are not eligible for department funding earmarked for its PhD students, internships with providers of public archaeology services (e.g., CRM firms, government agencies), for which students may earn credit towards the degree, are expected to provide stipends and other financial support.
The department has created two pathways into the new MA program: (1) qualified students holding a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, archaeology, or related fields can simply apply for the program by the March 15 deadline each year; (2) qualified UF undergraduate students in their junior year can apply for a Combination Degree option, which enables them to earn up to 12 credits of graduate coursework while completing their bachelor’s degree, and then apply for the MA program to pursue graduate coursework for the certificate and the balance of electives to complete the MA.
We are eager to launch this new program in Fall 2023 and look forward to the development of other graduate certificates to prepare students for careers in public-service archaeology and anthropology.
For further information on this exciting new opportunity, call (352-392-6772) or email (sassaman@ufl.edu) program coordinator Dr. Ken Sassaman.