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The Department of Anthropology

The General Option
For the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology

The general option is the most inclusive of the options for earning the MA degree in Anthropology at The University of Montana -- Missoula. Students may concentrate on any area of anthropology for which expertise exists among our faculty. See our Faculty/Staff/Contact page to see which areas of expertise each faculty member has.

Some of the areas of inquiry that have been pursued successfully in the past under the general option include:

  • Ethnological and Indigenous Studies
  • Demography
  • Medical Anthropology
  • Applied Anthropology
  • Central and Southeast Asia studies
  • Women's Studies
  • Historic Archaeology
  • Prehistoric Archaeology
  • Bioarchaeology
  • Paleoanthropology

The General Option can be geared to either an applied area, such as medical anthropology, or toward academic research, for students who plan to continue on to work toward a PhD degree. Most students conduct original research that results in a thesis that is used to satisfy the MA degree requirements. Classes are chosen with advice from a faculty advisor to best fulfill the student's goals.

Students who satisfactorily complete one of the following plans will earn the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology with the general option. A PDF checklist provides the full requirements. Because the general option permits a program to be tailored to specific interests, it is critical that students work with their advisor in developing their plan.

  • Thesis/Professional Project Plan (30 credits total)
    • Anthropology 500 and 9 credits in additional Anthropology or Linguistics graduate seminars (may substitute a 3 credit internship for an elective seminar).
    • A total of 1 to 10 credits in ANTH 599 (Thesis) and/or 593 (Professional Project), consistent with graduate school requirements (6 credits recommended).
    • Other graduate credit courses on methods, theory, or areas (typically, 12 credits)
    • A defended thesis or professional project
  • Non-Thesis Plan (36 credits total)
    • Anthropology 500 and 12 credits in additional Anthropology or Linguistics graduate seminars (may substitute seminar in another disciplines for 3 credits and an internship for 3 credits).
    • A total of 1 to 10 credits in ANTH 597 (Research), consistent with graduate school requirements (6 credits recommended).
    • Other graduate credit courses on methods, theory, or areas (typically, 15 credits)
    • A comprehensive evaluation (a defense if the scholarly work or portfolio will satisfy this requirement, otherwise it may be administered as an examination).
    • A reviewed scholarly work or a portfolio of shorter scholarly works