¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

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To view the current Academic Calendar, go to www.sfu.ca/students/calendar.html.

| ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calendar | Fall 2023

Archaeology

Master of Arts

The department offers specializations in archaeometry, art, ceramic analysis, cultural resource management, ethnoarchaeology, forensic anthropology, geoarchaeology, historical archaeology, lithic analysis, palaeoanthropology, palaeoethnobotany, skeletal biology, and zooarchaeology.

In addition to gaining knowledge and expertise in particular areas of research interest, the student will gain a comprehensive understanding of the discipline and strive to acquire a general knowledge of world prehistory, physical anthropology, and archaeological theory and methods. Depending on enrollment, individual or group courses can be arranged in addition to regularly scheduled courses.

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Requirements

Applicants must satisfy the University admission requirements as stated in Graduate General Regulations 1.3 in the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calendar.

Program Requirements

This program consists of the following sequential steps for a minimum of 33 units: course requirements, thesis prospectus, colloquium presentation, advancement to candidacy, thesis completion, and defence. The course requirements, thesis prospectus, and the colloquium presentation should be completed by students by the end of the second term.

Students must complete the following

ARCH 871 - Archaeological Theory (5)

Critical evaluation of new approaches to the study of the human past.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Fri, 9:30–11:20 a.m.
Burnaby
Burnaby
TBD
ARCH 872 - Graduate Seminar I (1)

Discussion of recent developments in archaeology and archaeological science, with invited speaker presentations. Required course for graduate students in archaeology. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Thu, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Thu, 3:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
ARCH 873 - Graduate Seminar II (1)

Discussion of recent developments in archaeology and archaeological science, with invited speaker presentations. Required course for graduate students in archaeology. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
TBD
TBD
ARCH 876 - Research Design (5)

Seminar focusing on the development of thesis research design and data analysis.

and one or more additional courses with a minimum of three units and approval by the supervisory committee

and a thesis

ARCH 898 - MA Thesis (18)

Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Section Instructor Day/Time Location
TBD
TBD
TBD

Advancement to Candidacy

A distinction is made between program enrollment and formal advancement to degree candidacy. A candidate is a student who has successfully completed the advancement to candidacy requirements (defined below).

Formal advancement to MA candidacy takes place when the following requirements have been met:

  • Completion of three required graduate courses;
  • Completion of a prospectus and presentation of a colloquium as part of ARCH 876

Thesis

The thesis should be focused on problem-oriented research, involving the conceptualization of a problem, and the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. It should normally not exceed 100 pages of text.

Program Length

Students are required to complete the program requirements in nine terms, and are encouraged to complete in less time.

Other Information

There are no prescribed language requirements but knowledge of a language other than English is desirable. If knowledge of a language is necessary for field work or reading, however, the student will be required to attain the necessary language proficiency.

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.