MA in Applied Anthropology

San Jose State University

Each course of study must include 36 semester units. Eighteen of the units are in the Applied Anthropology core. Six units of upper-division or graduate Anthropology depth courses will be taken with the permission of the student’s advisor, and 6 units of upper-division or graduate classes outside of Anthropology emphasizing the student’s area of application will be taken with the permission of the student’s advisor. Six additional units will reflect research or professional internships and thesis or project report preparation. SJSU Studies courses may not be used to fulfill the Anthropology depth requirement or field of application requirement.Plan A students enroll in ANTH 299 - Master’s Thesis and complete a thesis under the supervision of a department committee and submit it to the University Graduate Studies & Research Office for final approval. A thesis is a scholarly contribution to general knowledge. It follows a fairly standard, traditional form across disciplines and fields, and must conform to the guidelines required by the College of Graduate Studies. Typically, a thesis has an introductory chapter that includes a problem statement, a literature review chapter followed by one on methodology, one or more chapters of data and findings, an analytical/interpretive chapter, and a concluding chapter. This basic template can be modified to best meet your needs, but it must be done in consultation with your committee chair to ensure it meets university requirements.Plan B (Project)Plan B students enroll in ANTH 298 - Anthropology Project and undertake a project in applied anthropology and prepare a report documenting the process and results. The report is submitted to the anthropology graduate faculty, but not the College of Graduate Studies. All research or professional activity must conform to the ethical standards of the discipline of anthropology as outlined by the American Anthropological Association, the Society for Applied Anthropology, and the requirements of the university’s Institutional Review Board. A project report documents some activity that the student undertook to apply anthropological skills and knowledge.

College of Social Sciences