Anthropology Graduate Program
The anthropology M.A. program is designed for students who are interested in the traditional subdisciplines of anthropology, as well as such fields as cultural resource management, medical anthropology, social impact assessment, and museology. The program is directed both toward students who intend to take a terminal M.A. degree and students who intend, after finishing at NMSU, to enter a Ph.D. program. An undergraduate anthropology degree is not required for entry into the program. Students who lack the equivalent of ANTH301, 315, 320, and 355 may be required to take these courses, or approved readings courses. ANTH 350 or the equivalent is recommended.
Specific emphases available at NMSU include the following:
- Archaeology
- Biological Anthropology
- Cultural Anthropology
- Historical Archaeology
- Museum Studies
- Mesoamerican Anthropology and Archaeology
- Southwestern Anthropology and Archaeology
In addition, we offer several minors through the Anthropology program. Please see the Additional Minors link.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology. Students may choose to work in the American Southwest or Mesoamerica and gain practical and technical training that fosters professional development. Students specializing in archaeology are encouraged to acquire the necessary skills and academic background required for licensure to work in public land management, cultural resources management, and applied environmental science. Our curriculum emphasizes archaeological theory, methodology, research design, fieldwork, laboratory work, quantitative analysis, ceramic and fauna analysis, writing and communication, ethics and professionalism, and cultural and historic preservation.
Four faculty supervise studies in archaeology: Dr. Rani Alexander (Mesoamerica, agrarian ecology, quantitative methods, fauna analysis ), Dr. William Walker (US Southwest, archaeology of religion and ritual), Dr. Edward Staski (historical archaeology, Southwest borderlands), and Dr. Beth O’Leary (cultural resource management, space heritage, ethnoarchaeology, Canadian Athapaskan cultures). Instruction includes seminars in archaeological method and theory, archaeological field schools emphasizing survey, mapping, and excavation, fauna analysis, ceramic analysis, quantitative methods, archaeology of the Southwest, topics in Mesoamerican archaeology, historical archaeology, archaeological laboratory methods, and cultural resource management. Students are encouraged to explore interdisciplinary training, especially through graduate minors offered in related programs such as GIS, soil science, public history, and geology.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Biological Anthropology
Research in biological anthropology at NMSU is oriented in two directions:
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Evolutionary primatology with an emphasis on study of the fossil record of primate and human evolution
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Medical anthropology, especially human reproductive biology and evolutionary medicine
Two anthropology faculty members contribute to this specialization: Dr. Brenda Benefit and Dr. Monte McCrossin focus on the evolution of Old World monkeys and apes from the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene. Opportunities exist for students to become involved with research projects related to these topics. Dr. Wenda Trevathan, a biological anthropologist and Professor Emerita, investigates aspects of human reproduction including childbirth, maternal behavior, sexuality, menopause and evolutionary medicine.
Courses in Biological Anthropology include human osteology, advanced studies in physical anthropology, primate ecology, biological anthropology seminar, human evolution, anthropology of reproduction, nutritional anthropology, and applied medical anthropology.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Cultural Anthropology
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in cultural anthropology. Students can choose to work with indigenous and/or Latino populations in the US Southwest or Mesoamerica, engaging in fieldwork that enhances the development of broad cross-cultural awareness.
Students specializing in cultural anthropology are encouraged to address the specific components of cultural systems, examining the religious, linguistic, socio-economic, health, and/or development aspects of minority cultures. In particular, the cultural anthropology program's strength lies in the opportunity for M.A. students to engage in cross-cultural (including international) ethnographic fieldwork in communities, thus developing critical anthropological skills, sensitivity and awareness.
These studies are under the direction of Dr. Scott Rushforth (Apache cultures in the US Southwest); Dr. Don Pepion (culture and ethnohistory of the indigenous Blackfoot peoples of Canada and the United States), Dr. Christine Eber (Mayan peoples in Chiapas, Mexico); Dr. Lois Stanford (mestizo and Purhépecha communities in Michoacán, and Latino rural communities in New Mexico); Dr. Miriam Chaiken (applied anthropology in Africa and Southeast Asia, development, and rural health and nutrition), and Dr. W. Thomas Conelly (agriculture and ecological anthropology, applied/development anthropology, Southeast Asia, East Africa).
Instruction includes seminars in cultural anthropological theory, ethnographic field methods, ethics, applied anthropology, ethnographic courses in Mesoamerica and the Southwest, gender, and health issues. Students are encouraged to explore inter-disciplinary training in related programs in Latin American studies, linguistics, religious studies, women's studies, and food systems.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Historical Archaeology
The Department also offers an MA with an emphasis on historical archaeology and a geographical focus on the Greater Southwest, including northern Mexico. Students can focus on the Spanish, Mexican or Euro-American periods, while concentrating on the ranching and mining industries, ethnic relations, urban development, border interactions or frontier dynamics.
These studies are under the direction of Dr. Edward Staski, who has completed large-scale archaeological investigations in downtown El Paso, at nearby frontier military outposts such as Fort Fillmore and Fort Cummings, along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, and at the Rough and Ready Station along the Butterfield Trail. Numerous artifacts and data from these projects are available to students.
Related campus resources include: the New Mexico Heritage Center, a multi-disciplinary foundation for the study and preservation of regional cultural traditions (co-founded by Dr. Staski); the NMSU Museum, which curates extensive archaeological collections; the Rio Grande Collection of Archives pertaining to the southwest; the Border Research Institute. Course offerings in Historical Archaeology include: Advanced Historical Archaeology, Historical Archaeology Field Session, and Advanced Laboratory Methods in Historical Archaeology.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Museum Studies
Students also can become involved in museology. The NMSU Museum is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Courses in museum studies and practical experience as interns, volunteers, and researchers are also available.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Mesoamerican Anthropology and Archaeology
Students can focus on the pre-Columbian period, the Colonial period, or modern Mesoamerican peoples. Three anthropology faculty contribute to this specialization. Dr. Rani Alexander is an archaeologist who works in the Postclassic, Colonial and Postcolonial periods and specializes in Mesoamerican complex societies, colonialism and ethnohistory, archaeological households and site structure, and agrarian ecology. Dr. Christine Eber and Dr. Lois Stanford specialize in ethnography, gender issues, religion, economic, and applied anthropology in the Mesoamerican region. These faculty involve students in projects in Yucatan, Chiapas, and Michoacan, Mexico. Related campus resources include the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for International Programs, as well as the NMSU Museum.
Course offerings in Mesoamerican Anthropology include: Mesoamerican Anthropology, Advanced Studies in Archaeology, Advanced Studies in Mesoamerican Archaeology, Conquest of the New World, Advanced Issues in Gender and Culture, Peoples of Mexico and Guatemala, and Fieldwork in Latin America.
MA in Anthropology with an emphasis in Southwestern Anthropology and Archaeology
The Department offers the Master of Arts degree in Anthropology with an emphasis in prehistoric archaeology and anthropology of the Greater Southwest. Anthropology faculty that contribute to this specialization include Dr. Bill Walker, an archaeologist, and Dr. Scott Rushforth, a cultural anthropologist. Students are encouraged to explore the full range of issues related to human history in a desert environment.
Particular strengths of the program include the archaeology of religion, native language retention, as well as prehistoric and contemporary economic and sociopolitical systems. Archaeological research through one of NMSU's field schools focus on the relationship between southern New Mexico and Paquime regional system in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Students may also focus on modern Native American studies.Teaching in the classroom and in the field distinguish the NMSU program from others in the Southwest. Spring and summer archaeological field schools are a regular part of the graduate program and students experience a "hands-on" approach. Instruction also includes teaching in theory, methods, and techniques of analysis. Other facilities that can be used by MA anthropology students include the Center for Latin American Studies, the Rio Grande Archives, and the New Mexico Heritage Center.