SJSU Catalog

Anthropology Department

Completing Requirements for the MA in Applied Anthropology

Requirements for Admission to Classified Standing

Minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division are outlined in the Admissions section of this catalog. The university-level graduate application is separate from the application you sent to the department. You will need to separately apply to the university to obtain approval for university-level admission and to the department to obtain approval for admission into the Applied Anthropology program. Minimum requirements for the program are a bachelor’s degree in anthropology or a core of introductory cultural, and physical or archaeological anthropology, upper division method in ethnography, or archaeology or osteology, upper division anthropological theory and six elective units in upper division anthropology (approximately 18 units); a 3.0 grade point average (B or better) in the last 60 semester units of undergraduate work as well as all anthropology courses. Information on dates and the program can be obtained at the department website: www.sjsu.edu/depts/anthropology.

Requirement for Admission to Candidacy for the MA in Applied Anthropology

General university requirements for admission to candidacy for the MA degree are outlined in detail in the Academic Regulations section of this catalog. The University requires that all graduate students demonstrate competency in written English as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled “Competency in Written English” for details. For graduate courses that meet the competency in written English requirement, please refer to the Graduate Studies and Research website at www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies. After the completion of 18 units in the graduate program and the completion of a project or thesis proposal the students’ work will be evaluated by the department’s graduate committee. If the performance of the student is satisfactory and the student is considered to be a potentially competent and mature practitioner, he or she will be advanced to candidacy. Students who fail to meet the expected standards will be terminated from the program.

Specific Requirements for the MA-Applied Anthropology

Each student is expected to successfully complete a project proposal after 18 units of course work. Students are required to demonstrate their competency with regard to writing skills as a requirement for candidacy by completing a project proposal. Students are expected to conduct original research and write a thesis or engaged in professional activity and write a project report. All research or professional activity must conform to the ethical standards of the discipline of anthropology as outlined by the American Anthropological Association, the Society for Applied Anthropology and the requirements of the university’s Institutional Review Board. Each program of study must include 36 semester units. Fifteen of the units are in the Applied Anthropology Core and 3 units of quantitative methods. Six units of upper division or graduate anthropology depth courses will be taken with the permission of the student’s advisor and 6 units of upper division or graduate classes outside of anthropology emphasizing the area of application will be taken. Six additional units will reflect research or professional internships and thesis or project report preparation.

Course Requirements
Core Courses			18
ANTH 230, ANTH 231, ANTH 232, ANTH 233 and ANTH 234 (15); ANTH 235 or SCWK 242 (3); GEOG 195 or GEOG 279 (3); SOCI 200B or HS 267 (3)
Anthropology Depth Requirement			6
Two 3-unit upper division anthropology courses approved by faculty advisors
Field of Application Requirement			6
Two 3-unit upper division SJSU courses approved by faculty advisors
Thesis or Project Requirement			6
ANTH 280, ANTH 298 or ANTH 299
Total Units:			36