Archaeology
Areas of Study
The department offers specialization in archaeometry, art, ceramic analysis, cultural resource management, ethnoarchaeology, forensic anthropology, geoarchaeology, historical archaeology, lithic analysis, palaeoanthropology, palaeoethnobotany, skeletal biology and zooarchaeology.
The student gains a comprehensive understanding of the discipline and strives to acquire a general knowledge of world prehistory, physical anthropology, and archaeological theory and method, in addition to gaining knowledge and expertise in particular areas of research interest. Depending on enrolments, individual or group courses can be arranged in addition to regularly scheduled courses.
Degree Requirements
A distinction is made between program enrolment and formal advancement to degree candidacy. A candidate is a student who successfully completes advancement to candidacy requirements (defined below). Normally, advancement happens once the 間眅埶AV residency is fulfilled, but not later than the end of the ninth term after PhD admission and not later than the end of the sixth term for MA students.
Program Requirements
This program consists of these sequential steps: course requirements, thesis prospectus, colloquium presentation, advancement to candidacy, and thesis completion and defence. Students are expected to complete all MA program requirements in a maximum of nine terms of full-time enrolment.
Course Requirements
In addition to the thesis, students complete the two core graduate courses as shown below.
Critical evaluation of new approaches to the study of the human past.
Seminar focusing on the development of thesis research design and data analysis.
Students also complete one or more additional courses for graduate credit. Individual course requirements are determined in consultation with the supervisory committee.
Each term that these courses are offered, students are also required to complete both of
A seminar on selected problems in archaeological science and prehistory. Grading will be restricted to satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U).
A seminar on selected problems in archaeological science and prehistory. Students may take ARCH 873 for credit once in the graduate program. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
Course requirements, thesis prospectus and colloquium presentation should be completed by full-time students by the end of the second term.
Advancement to Candidacy
Formal advancement to candidacy happens when the following have been completed
- completion of two of the minimum three graduate courses
- submission of written thesis prospectus to the supervisory committee outlining the proposed research and relevant background to the research
- approval of the thesis prospectus by the supervisory committee, followed by the presentation of an oral colloquium on the substance of the prospectus.
The colloquium is not considered a defence of the prospectus, but a means whereby the student may benefit from the department’s expertise.
Language Requirement
A knowledge of a language other than English is desirable, but there are no prescribed language requirements. However, if knowledge of a language is necessary for the field work or reading, he/she will be required to attain the necessary language proficiency.
Thesis
After the above, students advance to candidacy and complete and defend the thesis. The defence topic should be the thesis itself and related matters. It should be focused on problem-oriented research, involving the conceptualization of a problem, and the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. It should not normally exceed 100 pages of text. Students are expected to complete the MA thesis in a maximum of six terms of full-time enrolment.
Academic Requirements within the Graduate General Regulations
All graduate students must satisfy the academic requirements that are specified in the Graduate General Regulations, as well as the specific requirements for the program in which they are enrolled.