Master of Arts - Anthropology

Plan Description

Our program, which has a strong field and laboratory component in addition to coursework, is designed to prepare our graduates to work in a variety of settings, including academia, applied anthropology, cultural resources management, and other research settings.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

1. All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission & Registration Requirements. 
2. In addition to the general admission requirements established by the Graduate College, the applicant should have earned 18 semester credit hours in anthropology accepted by the department, with at least a 3.00 average in those courses. It is preferred that as many of the four subdisciplines as possible be represented among those courses and approximately one half of the 18 hours be at the upper-division level.
3. Applicants must submit a research paper representative of their undergraduate work. If the student did not major in anthropology as an undergraduate, a research paper in another field indicative of the student’s ability is acceptable.
4. Applicants must also submit an explicit letter of intent.
5. GRE scores are required for admission. There is no required minimum score, but scores will be used in combination with other information in the application to evaluate the applicant. The exam must be taken within five years preceding the deadline for the application to be considered.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

Total Credits Required: 33

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 11

ANTH 700A - Proseminar I 

ANTH 700B - Proseminar II 

ANTH 703 - Core Concepts in Anthropology 

ANTH 770 - Quantitative Methods in Anthropology 

ANTH 790 - Research Design, Professional Ethics, and Grant Writing for Anthropologists 

Elective Courses – Credits: 16

Complete 16 credits of advisor-approved Anthropology electives.

Thesis – Credits: 6

ANTH 797 - Thesis  

Degree Requirements

1. A minimum of 27 credits of approved work at the graduate level plus 6 credits of thesis must be completed.
2. Seventeen of the 27 units presented for the degree must be courses with the prefix ANTH at the 700-level (excluding Directed Reading, Independent Study, and Thesis).
3. Classes in which a student receives a C+ or lower will not count towards his or her degree.
4. Any student receiving a C+ or lower will be placed on academic probation. Failure to meet the requirements of probation will result in separation from the graduate program.
5. Up to four credits each of Directed Reading and Independent Study can be applied toward the degree but may be taken only after acceptance into the Graduate College.
6. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member outside the department will be assigned by the Graduate College. Another outside member may be added at the department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
7. The student must submit to the department a written thesis research proposal approved by the thesis committee prior to the commencement of fieldwork or research. The student also must present a defense of this proposal to the thesis committee.
8. After successfully completing these tasks, the student will then conduct approved anthropological research to gather data needed for writing the thesis. This may involve fieldwork, laboratory research, or research on a theoretical topic.

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy thesis to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.