Graduate Field
Archaeology
Program Description
The MA Program in Archaeology at Cornell is designed to provide students with an intensive orientation to the field, appropriate to both students with BA degrees in the liberal arts who have considerable experience in archaeology and those seeking to build a solid foundation for future work or study. The goal of the program is to offer students the intellectual resources and institutional support necessary to prepare them for successful admissions to top tier PhD programs and for careers in heritage management.
Cornell archaeology supports a diverse array of interests, ranging from material culture studies to public archaeology, historic preservation, and archaeological method and theory. Archaeology at Cornell is deeply committed to multidisciplinary studies. Faculty in Archaeology belong to the fields of Anthropology, Classics, History of Art, Landscape Architecture, and Near Eastern Studies.
The ideal trajectory toward the MA should result in the completion of all requirements within 12-18 months, although extensions to 24 months are allowed when warranted by a student’s research program.
Concentrations
- Archaeological science (minor)
- Archaeology of Europe, the Caucasus and Eurasia
- Economy and exchange (minor)
- Identity (minor)
- Intercultural engagement (minor)
- Landscape and environment (minor)
- Latin American and Caribbean archaeology
- Materiality
- Mediterranean and Near Eastern archaeology
- Museums and heritage (minor)
- North American archaeology
- Politics and complexity (minor)
- Ritual and religion (minor)
- South and East Asian archaeology
- Visual culture (minor)
Program Information
- Instruction Mode: In Person
- Location: Ithaca, NY
- Minimum Credits for Degree: 72
Program Requirements
- Minimum Semesters for Degree: 2
Graduate School Milestones
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training: Required
- Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID): Required
- Student Progress Reviews (SPR) begin: First Year
- Masters Exam (M Exam): Spring of second year
Course Requirements
Additional course requirements may be set by the student’s Special Committee. Program specific requirements that apply to all students are included below.
Year 1 (Fall)
- ARKEO 7000 CIAMS Core Seminar in Archaeological Theory and Method
- ARKEO 7200 Field Methods in Community-Engaged Archaeology
- Course in the Archaeology of a Region
- Elective or language course
Year 1 (Spring)
University Graduation Requirements
Requirements for All Students
In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.
Academic Requirements
A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.
Non-academic Requirements
Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.
Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.
