The IUP Department of Anthropology offers a graduate program leading to a degree of Master of Arts in Applied Archaeology.
The M.A. program in Applied Archaeology is designed to meet a need for increased training of professional archaeologists employed in the fields of historic preservation, cultural resource management, and heritage planning and tourism.
The program is designed to prepare students to meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards for professional archaeologists upon graduation (an option for individuals already employed in the field of CRM) or meet all the requirements except for a full year of experience as a project supervisor (an option for students who enter the program immediately after graduation with a B.A. degree).
Students are trained in the current relevant subjects for professional archaeologists including preservation law, ethics, business, and archaeology; have the writing skills to prepare technical reports as well as publications for the general public; and have specialized training in technical skills such as human osteology, faunal analysis, and geophysical surveys, which are critical to professionals in this field.
Students who enter the program usually hold a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, history, geography, or a related field. Depending on their undergraduate coursework, students may be required to take courses as a condition of their admission to prepare for the program, especially courses in archaeological theory, artifact analysis, and an archaeological field school. Applicants must meet all the requirements of the graduate school and must take the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam before admission.
Department resources include faculty members who are experienced teachers and active researchers in different aspects of cultural resource management and applied archaeology. They have held leadership positions in state and national professional organizations.
Archaeological Services, an externally funded research center associated with the Anthropology Department, may provide funding and professional experience for students prior to graduation.
