The Department of Anthropology offers a thesis based MA which requires a period of full-time study at the University of Calgary, completion of an approved research project and the completion of a thesis. Students may specialize in either primatology or social and cultural anthropology. Students can choose and are sometimes encouraged to concentrate their study and thesis work in the areaof interest of their supervisor (see the list and the description of research interests and recent publications of  Faculty members.

Master's programs are completed under the tutelage of a Supervisor, usually determined at the time of admission, and officially appointed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Degree Requirements

1. General Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, obligatory for all thesis Master's degrees, can be found in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Calendar.
2. Requirements of the Department which are additional to those of the faculty of Graduate Studies are:
   
   
   1. Candidates for the MA degree are normally required to complete a minimum of two- full course equivalents at the 600 level in Anthropology and to submit a thesis. At the discretion of the Department Head, a student may be required to complete two-and-half full-course equivalents.
      
      (Students in the Social and Cultural stream are normally required to take ANTH 603, 605, 611, and 631 .
      
      Students in the Primatology stream are normally required to take ANTH 603, 605, 613, and 635.)
      
      
   2. Students entering from other disciplines will follow the course of study outlined above, but with such additions and changes as may be required to ensure that they receive adequate preparation for the MA degree. These additions and changes may include an additional half course at the graduate level, or taking up to the equivalent of four undergraduate Anthropology half courses.
      
      
3. Thesis proposal: The MA thesis proposal must be written and defended before a Thesis Proposal Examination Committee by the eighth month of the program. The purpose of the proposal is to outline the problem, hypothesis or issue which the MA thesis will address; to show by what steps or methodology the subsequent MA thesis will be brought to a successful conclusion; and to demonstrate that the thesis topic has a clear focus, is significant in terms of past and present research, is intelligible, and has a reasonable probability of being successfully completed. The proposal should be between ten and fifteen pages long for social anthropology and five to eight pages for primatology. Proposals must include an abstract and a bibliography. The questioning at the proposal defense will give the student experience in an oral examination to prepare them for their final thesis oral at the end of their program.
   
   Following approval of the thesis proposal,  it must be forwarded to the Department along with a memo from the supervisor confirming that it has been approved. The student must then apply for ethics certification or animal care certification. Students who have passed the thesis proposal examination are eligible to hold a Graduate Research Scholarship ($4,100, subject to availability) and have departmental approval to conduct their research. Students can also apply for a Travel Dissertation Grant from Research Services ($1,000, competitive grant).
   
   
4. Research: Research may be carried out in the field, laboratory, or library. It should be noted, however, that the Department has a tradition of emphasizing and encouraging field research. It is advisable that research be completed within four or five months in order to leave enough time for the analysis of data and the writing of the thesis.
   
   
5. Thesis completion: The thesis should be written during the two terms following research so that the Final Thesis Oral examination may be scheduled before the end of the second year. By department policy, an MA thesis is subject to a length limitation of 120 pages, including bibliography (double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman). References and bibliography should be formatted in "AA" (American Anthropologist) style.
   
   
6. Faculty of Graduate Studies handbook of MA supervision. Students registered in the MA program prior to May 2008 have the choice to follow the archived FGS handbook of MA supervision (link coming soon) or they can follow the new guidelines current FGS handbook of MA supervision (link coming soon). Students are advised to discuss this issue with their supervisor and the graduate coordinator as soon as possible and most importantly prior to meeting any important program requirements . Students registered after May 2008 must follow the revised guidelines.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of required course work with a GPA of 3.0 or above.
2. Completion and successful defense of thesis.
3. Completion of post-examination formalities (filing of thesis, etc.) as outlined by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.