Program Overview

The Masters Program in Anthropology at Florida Atlantic University offers the student an in-depth exposure to biological anthropology, cultural anthropology and archaeology, providing a solid training in theory, methods, and analysis.  The masters program offers the student the opportunity to put anthropology into practice, to pursue an intellectual quest, and to creatively and critically construct a research program that reflects the student's particular interests.

Students embark on a 30-credit hour course of study that encompasses anthropological theory, seminars in the subfields of anthropology, advanced training in their chosen subfield, topical courses, and quantitative reasoning.  The coursework provides the foundation for the student's independent and original research for a masters thesis, developed under the supervision of department faculty.  Many of our graduate students, based on the skills and knowledge they acquired at Florida Atlantic University, move on to complete their doctoral work at varied institutions.

Graduate students in the Department of Anthropology develop original research projects for their theses.  The masters thesis is a demonstration of the student's facility with synthesizing anthropological theory and methods into a sustained and persuasive examination of a topic important in anthropology.

Biological Anthropology students most often focus their thesis research on issues associated with human evolution and adaptation.  Whether the thesis involves the analysis of actual osteological material from Florida, South America, Africa, or Europe, or involves the analysis of CAT or MRI scans, students acquire excellent, state-of-the-art training in biological anthropology.

Cultural Anthropology thesis research is extraordinarily varied in topical and theoretical direction.  Students have carried out research with local immigrant groups (e.g. Maya, Dominican, Haitian), in South American villages, and on a variety of social issues in the U.S. (e.g. diet, healthcare, the environment).

Archaeological thesis students conduct research in a variety of venues, with diverse materials.  For example, students have focused on issues in the prehistory of south Florida, Ecuador, Cuba, and Mexico, utilizing such materials as ceramics, shell, animal and fish bone, lithics, and settlement patterns.