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The Department of Anthropology

University of Montana
Masters Program in Applied Anthropology
Concentration in Applied Medical Anthropology

Revised February 2009

Core curriculum. Students must complete the following core requirements in order to earn the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology.

  1. Anthropology 500 (Contemporary Anthropological Thought)
  2. A total of 1 to 10 credits (6 credits recommended) in ANTH 593, 597 and/or 599, consistent with Graduate School policy (sections C1.000). Students whose M.A. project plan includes a thesis should take ANTH 599, students whose M.A. project plan includes a professional paper should take ANTH 593, and students choosing the non-thesis plan should take ANTH 597.
  3. At least one methods class numbered 400 or higher.

Project plan. All students must complete a project plan for producing an original scholarly work, such as a thesis, professional paper, exhibit, or portfolio containing an assemblage of shorter works. This should be completed at least two weeks before the Graduate School’s deadline for submitting Applications for Graduation the semester before the student intends to complete their degree. The student’s first year advisor will guide the student in completing their project plan. At a minimum, the project plan should include:

  1. The goal of the scholarly work, such as the question(s) to be examined, hypothesis to be tested, or the unifying theme for a portfolio;
  2. The materials and methods to be used;
  3. A significant bibliographic effort directed toward the scholarly work;
  4. If the project will involve working with living human subjects, a completed, but not submitted, University of Montana Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects in Research checklist form;
  5. A completed, but not submitted, Graduate School Application for Graduation.

A significant original scholarly work. The student will be guided in this pursuit by an M.A. research committee consisting of three members. The advisor assigned to the student upon admission to the program will normally be the chair of the student’s M.A. research committee. The additional two members of the committee will be chosen by the student in consultation with their advisor and must be consistent with Graduate School policy (section C6.000), including one member who is a University of Montana -- Missoula faculty member from a department outside of Anthropology.

Comprehensive evaluation. All students in the M.A. program must pass a comprehensive evaluation over the field of anthropology (Graduate School policy section C8.000). The comprehensive evaluation will be conducted by the student’s committee. If a student’s evaluation does not meet expectations, the student’s committee may prescribe remedial action.

Thesis/Professional project plan. For students earning the M.A. degree by completion of a thesis or professional project the comprehensive evaluation will consist of two parts:

  1. an evaluation of the student’s progress at the time they submit their project plan, and
  2. a defense of the thesis or professional project consistent with Graduate School policy (section C7.000).

Non-Thesis plan. For students earning the M.A. degree under the non-thesis plan the comprehensive evaluation will consist of three parts:

  1. an evaluation of the student’s progress at the time they submit their project plan;
  2. an examination (which may be oral, written, or take-home) over the subject matter of the student’s field of interest; and
  3. a final review and evaluation of the student’s scholarly work. An oral defense of the student’s work, consistent with Graduate School policy (section C7.000) may substitute for parts (2) and (3).

Total credits commensurate with Graduate School policy (section C1.000).

The thesis/professional project plan requires a total of 30 credits.

The non-thesis plan requires 36 credits, including an additional 3 credits beyond those required for any of the M.A. options of 500 or 600 level classes in any discipline (excluding research, professional paper, or thesis credits).

Only 6 credits in 300 level classes may be counted toward the total credits needed to complete the degree.

Medical Anthropology Concentration:

This concentration requires the following courses:

  • Culture, Health and Healing (ANTH 444) A
  • Culture and Population (ANTH 343s) S odd years

And one of the following:

  • Qualitative Behavioral Research Methods (ANTH 495)
  • Quantitative Behavioral Research Methods (ANTH 495)

In addition, students are encouraged to select from the following electives to complete the balance of their course work requirements:

  • Native American Health and Healing (ANTH 388)
  • Human Variation (ANTH 310N)
  • Religious Belief Systems (ANTH 326)
  • Human Evolution (ANTH 410)
  • Adaptation and Nutritional Anthropology (ANTH 417)
  • Psychological Anthropology (ANTH 422) S odd years
  • Drugs, Culture and Society (ANTH 495)
  • Quantitative Health Research (ANTH 595)
  • Ethics and Anthropology (ANTH 403E)
  • Applied Anthropology and International Health (ANTH 521)
  • Seminar in Ethnology (ANTH 585, with either Quintero or Haddix McKay)
  • Medical Anthropology (ANTH 695)