Master of Arts With a Major in Anthropology
The purpose of the Masters of Arts in Anthropology at Texas State University-San Marcos is to (1) give students the highest quality graduate-level education possible, (2) provide students interested in continuing their graduate education in Anthropology at the Ph.D. level the appropriate basis to successfully compete for entrance into top-tier programs, (3) provide students interested in non-academic careers that require, or are facilitated by, an advanced degree in Anthropology the education, tools and training necessary to secure employment, and (4) produce professional, ethical, and productive graduates.

Faculty Interests
Faculty in the Anthropology Department have varied research interests and have active research programs in Texas, Peru, Mexico, Belize, Madagascar, and South Africa. Research interests in cultural and linguistic anthropology include anthropological theory, political economy, globalization, race and gender, Latino/a issues, Latin American cultures, West African cultures and languages, sociolinguistics, phonetics, and the applied area of medical anthropology. Research interests in archaeology include complex societies in Mesoamerica, South America and the U.S., iconography, geoarchaeology, ceramic and lithic analysis, hunter-gatherers and agricultural groups in Texas and Africa, and the applied area of Culture Resource Management. Research interests in biological anthropology include human biological variation, bioarchaeology, primate behavioral ecology, primate cognitive evolution, primate behavioral development, primate conservation, and the applied area of forensic anthropology.

Laboratories and Centers
The Department of Anthropology houses fully equipped laboratories and centers for training and research in cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and biological anthropology. The Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS) provides student training in archaeological research in the New and Old Worlds and Cultural Resource Management in Texas. The Archaeological Curation Facility (ACF) offers students curatorial training and is 1 of 3 facilities located at a Texas university certified by the Texas Historical Commission as a State Curatorial Facility. The Center for the Arts and Symbolism in Ancient America (CASAA) is an academic center for students to study prehistoric works of ancient art in the Americas. The Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State (FACTS) gives students hands-on experience with forensic casework, excavation and recovery methods, and laboratory analysis of human remains. At the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) students are able to conduct research on taphonomy and human decomposition.

Application Deadline
Entering students will be admitted for the Fall semester only. Please see Admissions for the application instructions. All application materials must be submitted directly to the Graduate College by the application deadline of January 15th. We will begin reviewing complete applications on January 16th and will continue until our cohort for the year is full.  The earlier materials are submitted the better chance a student has of receiving funding from the department.

Requirements for a Master of Arts (M. A.) with a Major in Anthropology
The basic degree requirement for the Masters of Arts with a major in Anthropology is 36 semester hours of graduate level coursework (5000-level or higher), including six semester hours of thesis. All students must take core seminars in Cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, and Archaeology. Biological Anthropology and Archaeology students are also required to take a course in Anthropological Statistics. Students in each subdisicpline have 6 hours of required subdiscipline-related coursework. For their remaining credit hours, students may take coursework in their areas of research specialization, are free to select electives from any graduate course within the department, or may select up to six credit hours outside the department (transfer hours in other elective subjects will be evaluated on an individual basis).

Requirements for Minor
The requirement for a graduate anthropology minor is nine semester hours of graduate level coursework (5000-level or higher) with coursework tailored to the needs of the student.

Financial Aid
Scholarships are available to qualified students on a competitive basis through the Graduate College. Scholarships available include the Graduate Scholars Program and the Texas State Celebrity Classic. For further information regarding applications for these scholarships, visit the Texas State Graduate College website at www.gradcollege.txstate.edu/scholarships.html. The Department of Anthropology also has a limited number of Graduate Instructional Assistantships whereby students are employed to assist faculty with their instructional responsibilities for various amounts of time, ranging from five to twenty hours per week.