Anthropology - MS

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice

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 Proposal Approval
Appointment for Examination
Format & Style
Authorship and Copyright
Title Page
Graduation Check Request

Additionally, all MS degree students must complete Responsible Conduct of Research training prior to defending their research proposal.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 33 credits is required for the MS degree. Six credits for the Plan A Thesis or 2-3 credits for the Plan B Professional Paper/CRM Report are included in the 33 minimum credits. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 is required.

Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included in an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.

Master of Science in Anthropology (32-35 credits)

Core Courses (20 credits)

The core courses for the MS degree in Anthropology with a specialization in Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management include:

ANTH 6200 - Anthropological Perspectives on Conservation 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6340 - Archaeology of the Desert West 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6350 - Archaeological Theory 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6360 - Research Design and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6370 - GIS in Archaeology 3 credit(s) (online)
ANTH 6390 - Cultural Resources Management Policy 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6700 - Archaeology Internship 2-3 credit(s)

Method and Area (9 credits)

ANTH 6110 - Southwest Indian Cultures, Past and Present 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6250 - Problems in Bioarchaeology 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6310 - Archaeology Lab (INACTIVATED FALL 2025) 1-3 credit(s)
ANTH 6320 - Zooarchaeology 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6330 - Geoarchaeology 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6400 - Collections Management 1-3 credit(s)
ANTH 6410 - Writing for Archaeologists 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6420 - Lithic Analysis 1-3 credit(s) (3 credits required)
ANTH 6430 - Archaeometry 3 credit(s)
ANTH 6900 - Independent Studies 1-3 credit(s)
ANTH 6950 - Archaeology Special Topics/Seminar 1-3 credit(s)
GEO 6120 - Advanced Geomorphology 3 credit(s)
GEO 6680 - Paleoclimatology 3 credit(s)

Thesis Preparation (3-6 credits)

Plan A students:

The Plan A option for a master’s degree requires the preparation and defense of a thesis. Students are required to complete a minimum of 6 semester credits of thesis research (6970) with a maximum of 15 thesis credits applied toward a Program of Study.

Plan B students:

A Plan B option requires the production and defense of a paper or project, depending on the department and program. A minimum of two credits of thesis research (6970) are required, but no more than three thesis research credits can be included in an approved Program of Study. Some degree programs require creative project credits in addition to or in place of research.

Required for all defense degrees:

Successful defense and submission of the thesis or dissertation to the library.

ANTH 6970 - Thesis Research 1-12 credit(s)

Archaeology Field School

Please note: an approved field school or equivalent experience is required for admission as a matriculated student. Field school credits do not count toward the MS degree.

ANTH 6300 - Archaeology Field School 6 credit(s)

Certificate Options

Students can earn a certificate in the process of getting their master’s degree. Below are the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate options that can be earned: