Contact: Karie Patton
Beginning in the fall of 2001, Mississippi State University will begin offering a master's degree in applied anthropology.
The department of sociology, anthropology and social work's new academic program will provide training in anthropological analysis to prepare students for such career fields as public archaeology and medical anthropology, among others. The curriculum recently was approved by the state Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
S. Homes Hogue said MSU's program differs from others in many ways.
"The biggest difference is that our program is not just a stepping stone to a Ph.D.," the associate professor of anthropology explained. "We will train students to go out and get jobs."
While the 36-course-hour curriculum is similar to a traditional master's program, it will involve "much more practical experience," Hogue added. To gain experience, a summer internship outside the university and a research agenda leading to the completion of a thesis will be required. Artifact curation and analysis also will be heavily emphasized.
"In addition to being very much involved in curation and analysis of archaeological materials here at MSU, students will have the traditional classes to complete," she said. Interviewing experience, fieldwork data collection, and foreign language and computer proficiency are among skills necessary for the degree.
"We are excited about this challenging new program," she said. "Many have worked hard to get it rolling, but we couldn't have succeeded without support of the Cobb Institute."
MSU's Cobb Institute of Archaeology is a College of Arts and Sciences research and service unit founded in 1971 through gifts provided by Cully A. and Lois Dowdle Cobb.
For more information on the degree program, contact Janet Rafferty at (662) 325-7521 or rafferty@anthro.msstate.edu.