Graduate Program in Anthropology
Discover our human past and use expertise for a better future.
[I learned] the technical foundation as an archaeologist and the professionalism I needed during interactions with the public as a representative of UM. I had offers to attend a number of college programs for my graduate studies, but UM was the only school that offered both personal and professional opportunities. Choosing UM always felt right."
Eric Duff ('14)
State Environmental Administrator, Georgia Dept of Transportation
Putting Anthropology into Practice
The Master's in Anthropology offers in-depth knowledge of human societies, cultures, and behaviors, equipping graduates with valuable skills like critical thinking, research, communication, and cultural awareness.
Welcome from the Graduate Program Coordinator
Our Master's program in anthropology offers four-field training in cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and archaeology. Through a combination of coursework and hands-on research experience, we provide our students with a solid foundation for careers in anthropology and beyond. The relatively small size of our program means that faculty can work closely with graduate students and provide them with robust mentorship over two years. Many of our graduates have found jobs at cultural resource management (CRM) firms, while others have gone on to fully funded Ph.D.s at top universities. Please reach out to us if you are interested in joining our program!
Kristin Hickman
Croft Assistant Professor of Anthropology and International Studies and Anthropology Graduate Program Coordinator
Program Details
APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology welcomes student applications with the following materials.
- Complete the Graduate School’s Online Application.
- Pay the application fee ($60).
- Submit official transcripts.
- International applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from an acceptable English language proficiency test.
- Upload Supplemental Application materials for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology to the link provided by the online application.
- Statement of purpose. Indicate what you want to study and why you want to study anthropology at UM.
- Provide contact information for three recommenders.
Most students accepted into the program receive funding in the form of teaching and research assistantships. Qualified students receive partial or full tuition waivers and an annual stipend, with additional funds available through academic excellence and other recruiting scholarships. Employment opportunities, financial aid, and summer research funds also are available.
Students with a graduate assistantship funded in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology receive a receive a scholarship that covers some or all of the tuition and non-residency fee, if applicable, for regular semesters and subsidized health insurance.
The Jay Johnson Award recognizes outstanding graduating students each year in the Anthropology M.A. program. This award honors Dr. Jay Johnson, emeritus Professor of Anthropology and former Director of the Center for Archaeological Research.
The Graduate School has a recruiting fellowship program that promotes academic excellence and access to graduate education to groups who are historically underrepresented. This program may provide stipends and cover tuition. There are additional opportunities through the Graduate School. Please see the Graduate School's financial aid page.
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology is located in Lamar Hall, which has teaching, computer, and ethnography labs that provide spaces for anthropology students to gain hands-on training in a variety of topical methods courses, such as bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, ceramics, and lithics. Shared offices and workspaces for graduate research are also available, including an isotope preparation area.
- Students work in our Ethnographic Laboratory, which is equipped with NVivo software and statistical programs used in data analysis.
- Fieldwork experience is facilitated by grants from the university and via mentorship and internships with faculty. Students have completed fieldwork in Mississippi, Tennessee, Brazil, and Argentina, to name a few places.
- The Center for Archaeological Research has a 2,800 square-foot multipurpose research and teaching labs and manages the archaeological and ethnographic collections curated by the department.
McGehee, Cal Matthew, "Assessing The Accuracy Of Dental Age Estimation Methods In A Native American Pediatric Sample" (2023)
Wicox, Nikki Anne, "Classic Maya Subadult Age Estimates from Ambergris Caye, Belize" (2023)
Verdun, Kolbe, "Outdoorsman Culture in the Deep South: Understanding Cultural Capital and Social Capital Formation" (2023)
Greene, Taylor, "Ceremony on the Frontier: An Analysis of a Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century Multi-Phase Mississippian Structure at the Carter Robinson Site, Lee County, Virginia" (2023)
Bullock, Hannah, "She Owns It: A Study of White Women Landowners" (2022)
Doherty, Raymond, "The Colbert-Walker Site (22Le1048): History and Archaeology of a Chickasaw Home, Council House, and Travelers' Stand" (2022)
Krumcke, William Bryce, "Time and Place at Prospect Hill: A Phase-One Survey of a Historic Plantation" (2021)
Mize, Martha Grace Lowry, "Revitalization in the Alabama Black Belt: Cultivation of a New Civic Hegemony in Rural Main Street America" (2021)
Wooten, Shannon Medah, "Ceramic Analysis of the 2019 Excavations of Ely (44LE12) Mound Site, Lee County, Virginia" (2021)
Meet our current graduate students and see the subfield of anthropology that is the focus of their studies.
| Name | Subfield of Interest |
| Anna Babberl | Archaeology |
Taufiqul Bari | Cultural Anthropology |
Kasey Corey | Biological Anthropology & Archaeology |
| Ben Crawford | Archaeology |
Lindsey Hall | Biological Anthropology & Archaeology |
| Peter Mudzingwa | Cultural Anthropology |
Wes Newton | Archaeology |
| Tuck Rodi | Cultural Anthropology |
Mahabubur Rahaman | Cultural Anthropology |
Tyson Young | Archaeology |
Field Studies
Tuck Rodi, Cultural Anthropology
I am researching the cultural and political consequences of using digital technologies for the environmental governance of fisheries in northern coastal Peru.
I chose to come to the M.A. program here for two reasons. First, I noticed that several of the faculty conduct brilliant research in my fields of interest: science, technology, and environmental governance. Second, faculty provide excellent support for their graduate students. I have met on a weekly basis with my advisor since coming here, a ritual which fosters my intellectual development and professional growth.
Lindsey Hall, Bioarchaeology
My project studies the various provisions of care afforded to children at the archaeological site of Buenavista, Belize. I use a theoretical framework of 'material of care' to help reconstruct the lives of Maya children in special burial contexts. In this photo I am working with a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer on campus to analyze tooth enamel.
The M.A. in Anthropology program here caught my eye because of the diverse faculty as well as the emphasis on curriculum and opportunities that prepare us for our future careers as anthropologists and archaeologists.
Why study anthropology?
The value of studying anthropology is that it allows you to see differences as strengths rather than weaknesses and communicate those strengths to others in meaningful ways. Anthropology isn't just contained to one field or job title. It is important to understand that anthropology is a skill set that opens doors no matter the profession.
We work in every industry and every country, so why haven't you heard of us? We're often known by our job titles instead of as anthropologists. Anthropologists work for governments, private research and business firms, hospitals, and tech firms. We become lawyers, PBS documentary specialists, cancer researchers, language experts, academics, GIS specialists, and advocates. The value of studying anthropology is understanding the walk in someone else's shoes, whether the shoes are from a thousand years ago or those you just met, and building meaningful connections.
Martha Grace Lowry Mize ('21)
Anthropologist and Director of Growth and Development, Alabama Scenic River Trail
Careers and Alumni
The Master's in Anthropology opens the door to diverse career paths in academia, government, business, non-profits, and more. Cultural resource management, archaeologists, museum curation, market research, human resources, environmental impact assessment, forensics, policy analysis, nonprofit management, communications, urban planner, social work, and higher education teaching are some career options for advanced anthropology graduates. See the job titles and employers of many of our alumni below.
- Owner, Camelot Collection
- Consultant, Wipro Limited
- Projects Coordinator, SAM Companies Surveying and Mapping
- Computer Network Integrator, Southcoast Computer Svcs. Llc
- Director, Software Engineering, CoreLogic
- Owner, Samatvam Natural Balance Yoga
- Alight Insurance Company
- Archaeologist, New South Associates, Inc.
- Cultural Anthropologist, New South Associates
- Senior Archeologist, Cultural Horizons
- Archaeologist, Weller and Associates, Inc
- Archaeologist, Archeological and Historical Services, Inc
- Project Archaeologist, Wiregrass Archeological Consulting
- Field Archaeologist, Coastal Environments, Inc
- Cultural Resources Program Director, Cornerstone Environmental Consulting, LLC
- Staff Archaeologist, Terracon
- Archaeological Field Director, North Wind Group
- Licensed Professional Counselor, Advanced Behavioral Consultants
- Chief Archaeologist, Mississippi Department of Archives and History
- Chief Archaeologist, USDA Forest
- Archaeologist, Bureau of Land Management
- Survey Archaeologist, MS Department of Archives and History
- Archaeologist, Mississippi Department of Archives and History
- Archaeologist Section Chief, North Dakota Dept of Transportation
- Archaeologist, FEMA
- Director, Clinical Informatics, eviCore Healthcare
- Director of IT, City of Oxford
- US Army Corps of Engineers
- Archaeologist/Southeastern Field Representative, The Archaeological Conservancy
- Palliative Care Liaison, Hospice of Spokane
- Respiratory Therapist, North Miss. Medical Center
- Director of Archaeology with Council House Foundation, Chickasaw Council House
Faculty at the following institutions
- University of Mississippi
- University of West Florida
- Western Kentucky University
- University of Queensland
- Rowan University
- Southeast Missouri State University
- Pulaski Technical College
- Faculty and Director of CRAG (Center for Research in Archaeogeophysics and Geoarchaeology), Colorado State University
- Research Archaeologist, University of Illinois/Illinois State Archaeological Survey
- Assistant Dean for Technical Services, J.D. Williams, Univ. of Mississippi
- Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School, Univ. of Mississippi
- Coordinator of Outreach Programs, Univ. of Mississippi
- Coach, East Central Community College
- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Specialist, Western Kentucky U
- Career and Academic Advisor, St. Petersburg College
- Director of Center for International Education, Loyola University – New Orleans
- English Language Learner Instructor, Oxford School District
Meet Some Anthropology Alumni
Eric Duff
How did your anthropology internship prepare you for life after graduation?
See Eric’s Answer Martha Mize
Why did you decide to study anthropology?
See Martha’s Answer
Dr. Kelsey Lowe
Describe your favorite experiences from your time in anthropology at UM.
See Dr. Kelsey’s Answer