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Additional Resources for Current Students
MA in Anthropology
Requirements and Resources for Current Graduate Students
For detailed information about program requirements, refer to the Graduate Program Manual for the year you entered, or plan to enter, your MA program.
An overview of typical timelines for the 2 year MA program and links to many helpful websites and forms can be viewed in our Anthropology MA Visual Timeline
In year one, students will take courses in Anthropological Theory, Methods, and a Pre-Thesis Preparation Course. In consultation with their advisor, students will also select and complete electives in preparation for conducting a thesis project in the summer between years 1 and 2. For more detailed information about courses and program requirements, visit the MA program page: https://nau.edu/anthropology/anthropology-master-of-arts/
At NAU a thesis project provides experience in conducting the kind of research you might expect to do in your professional career. You are expected to demonstrate the ability to work independently on a problem and to document familiarity with the literature in your field of study, command of the techniques and principles of research, and to form defensible conclusions from data (NAU Policy 100806).
Your thesis should address a scientifically significant research question or hypothesis. In consultation with faculty, you will design an appropriate research design to answer, or test a theoretically grounded question or hypothesis.
Want to know what types of research people in our department do? See Faculty Interests in the Faculty Directory and Learn more about Current Research in Archaeology and Sociocultural Anthropology below or visit the Anthropology Labs Pages.
In year 2, students will take a writing workshop along with electives to complement the year-long process of writing and defending their MA Thesis.
For more detailed information, refer to the NAU Anthropology MA Handbook and Anthropology MA Visual Timeline or Refer to the NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies https://nau.edu/graduate-college/thesis-and-dissertation/