College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
USU offers a Master of Science (MS) degree in Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management. Our graduate students gain a personalized education focused on archaeological theory, quantitative methods and Cultural Resource Management (CRM) policy while gaining practical experience which leads directly to successful careers in CRM or further education in PhD programs.
The program is known for its explicitly scientific approach to archaeology. Theoretical perspectives trend toward those offering explanatory potential, such as human behavioral ecology, and faculty topical expertise includes paleoecology/climates, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, lithic analysis, and geospatial analysis/remote sensing. Our Archaeology and CRM geographic emphasis includes the mountains and deserts of the American West: southern Idaho, western Wyoming, western Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Montana.
Utah State University’s Master of Science in Anthropology is an applied program enabling career advancement in the primary area of employment for archaeologists, Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management. CRM Archaeologists work for private, environmental consulting firms and government agencies, and our students consistently advance into these jobs from the USU graduate program. Our Anthropology MS degree also prepares students for research-based doctoral programs in Anthropology.
We educate and train graduate students who meet the standards of the Register of Professional Archaeologists and who will become project directors and principal investigators. Our core curriculum targets these goals and is supported by elective courses in various archaeological methods and geographic areas that reflect faculty expertise and facilitates student research. Students are mentored to become independent scholars who can design and conduct original research, qualities the CRM industry finds increasingly attractive.
Program requirements
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.
All MS students write a Plan A thesis or create a Plan B project under the guidance of their advisor and supervisory committee. The master’s thesis must be successfully defended before the supervisory committee and submitted to the library.
Completion of the degree requires 33 - 36 total credits (including 6 thesis research credits for Plan A students and 2-3 thesis research credits for Plan B students) with a grade of B or higher. Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Course grades less than a B (B- and below) do not count towards the final degree.
We generally do not accept courses transferred from other graduate programs to count towards required credits in the MS program. However, with approval of the supervisory committee and graduate director a maximum of 6 transfer credits may be accepted. To maintain USU graduate residency requirements, at least 24 semester-credits for a master’s degree must be from an approved Program of Study from USU.
A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review. Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.
Completion of the MS degree requires the approval of the following forms by the School of Graduate Studies:
- Supervisory Committee
- Program of Study
- Thesis Approval
- Appointment for Examination
- Record of Examination
- SGS and library review and approval
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