What does it cost?
Check out our cost calculator or visit student financial services for information on estimated costs.
How long will it take?
A minimum of 33 semester hours of graduate coursework must be completed for the thesis option, 36 semester hours for the capstone option.
Where will I take classes?
Application Deadlines View Admissions Requirements
The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program in anthropology provides rigorous training in anthropological theories, methods and skills. The program is dedicated to the investigation of a broad range of social, cultural, political-economic and biological issues, processes and problems pertaining to the human experience in its past and present dimensions.
The Department of Anthropology program uses resources in metropolitan Atlanta to promote student learning, offering a concentration in Museum Anthropology and a graduate Certificate in Ethnography.
In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Anthropology has the following requirements:
In addition to intellectual maturity, students gain practical skills, including proposal writing, project development, field research, ethnographic needs-assessments, community development and program evaluation. Graduate students are trained in theories, methods, topics and skills in archaeology, biological anthropology cultural anthropology, and its applied domains. They are encouraged to write a thesis based on independent empirical research or in collaboration with faculty. Alternatively, students may complete a practicum, in a variety of contexts and human service organizations.
Students receive a comprehensive education that prepares them to pursue doctoral studies or to seek employment in the public and private sectors as professional anthropologists. For more information on student success stories and careers options, visit our Careers page.
We combine academic rigor with anthropological praxis, defined as politically responsible and ethically sound applications of empirical knowledge in professional fields that include medicine, education, environment, forensics, cultural resource management and business. Recent research by faculty in Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe enhances graduate education by providing excellent examples for graduate students of basic and applied anthropological inquiry.
For more information, see https://anthropology.gsu.edu/graduate/about-the-program/ and check out our graduate handbook.
THE FOUR MAIN CAREER PATHS FOR ANTHROPOLOGY GRADUATES
Corporate and Business
Many corporations look explicitly for anthropologists, recognizing the utility of their perspective on a corporate team. A corporate anthropologist working in market research might conduct targeted focus groups to examine consumer preference patterns not readily apparent through statistical or survey methods. These anthropologists may use their research skills to talk to consumers and users of technology to find out how products and services could be improved to better meet the needs of consumers.
Government
State and local governmental organizations use anthropologists in planning, research and managerial capacities. Contract archaeology is a growing occupation with state and federal legislative mandates to assess cultural resources affected by government-funded projects. Forensic anthropologists, in careers glamorized by Hollywood and popular novels, not only work with police departments to help identify mysterious or unknown remains but also work in university and museum settings.
The federal government is one of the largest employers of anthropologists outside academia. Possible career paths include: international development, cultural resource management, the legislative branch, forensic and physical anthropology, natural resource management, and defense and security sectors.
Non-profit and Community-based
Non-governmental organizations, such as international health organizations and development banks employ anthropologists to help design and implement a wide variety of programs. However, these aren’t the only opportunities available.
Many anthropologists work in local, community-based settings for non-profit agencies. Sometimes, they work through community-based research organizations such as the Institute for Community Research. Other times, they might work for established organizations in a community like the YMCA, local schools or environmental organizations.
Academic
On campuses, in departments of anthropology, and in research laboratories, anthropologists teach and conduct research. They spend a great deal of time preparing for classes, writing lectures, grading papers, working with individual students, conducting field research (locally or internationally), composing scholarly articles and writing books.
A number of academic anthropologists find careers in other departments or university programs, such as schools of medicine, epidemiology, public health, ethnic studies, cultural studies, community or area studies, linguistics, education, ecology, cognitive psychology and neural science.
For more information, go to: https://anthropology.gsu.edu/career-resources/
Department Chair and Professor
Jennifer Patico
404-413-5167
[email protected]
Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor
Steven Black
404-413-5168
[email protected]
25 Park Pl NE #2500
Atlanta, GA 30303
The information shared provides an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more, refer to the university catalogs.
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