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Archaeology Intercollege Program |
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| MA PROGRAM in ARCHAEOLOGY | ||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||
| The MA Program in Archaeology at Cornell is designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of students -- in fact, it is for all promising students with a baccalaureate or equivalent degree and a serious interest in studying archaeology. Although applicants with little formal training in archaeology are considered, successful applicants often have completed significant course work and have some field and/or museum experience. Typical applicants intend to pursue archaeological careers in small museums, historic preservation, public archaeology, and other fields in which a Ph.D. is not required. Still others are foreign students who seek training not available in their home countries. We particularly encourage applicants from the countries in which Cornell archaeologists are active. The fields of Anthropology, Classics, History of Art, Medieval Studies, and Near Eastern Studies all provide for a specialization in archaeology at the Ph.D. level, and potential master's candidates are discouraged from applying. For this reason we have set up a separate MA degree program in archaeology. Admission to this program is, however not a commitment for later admission to any Ph.D. program, although internal transfers sometimes are permitted for qualified applicants. Application to the program is done online at the Graduate School web site (http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/). Please contact the Graduate Field Assistant if you need general information about the Archaeology M.A. program or graduate study at Cornell (contact information is at the bottom of this page). |
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| Requirements | ||||||||||||||||||
| The candidate for the MA degree in archaeology is expected to: | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Forming a Committee | ||||||||||||||||||
| Entering students are assigned a temporary adviser who will help the student form a committee early in the first term. The committee chair must be a member of the Field of Archaeology; the second member, who represents the minor field, can be chosen from the Graduate Faculty at large. An optional third member may be added. The Graduate School Catalog indicates the representation of fields by individual faculty members as well as their specializations. Students may change the composition of their committees without petition during the first year. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Admissions Procedure | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Field of Archaeology normally considers applications for admission only once a year, for admission in the fall term. Applicants who have some special reason for seeking spring term admission should contact the Director of Graduate Studies, explaining their request in some detail. The deadline for receipt of applications is January 15. Late applications will be considered as class space permits, but no late applications can be considered for nomination for one of the University Fellowships, nor are late applicants likely to receive appointment as a Teaching Assistant. A complete application includes the completed application form (available online through Cornell Graduate School Admissions), transcripts from all institutions attended, three letters of recommendation, a sample of the applicant's written work, GRE scores and, for non-native speakers of English, the TOEFL (see below). It is a good idea to take the GRE by October, so that your score can be considered with the rest of your application materials. If you are not sure that the official report from the Educational Testing Service will reach us on time, you may send an unofficial copy. Although prospective students living outside North America may be admitted without GRE scores, we prefer that all applicants take the examination if possible. Before admission can be made final, all applicants whose native language is not English must provide proof of competency in the English language. All foreign degree applicants must submit an official TOEFL score. Scores must be submitted directly to the Graduate School by the Educational Testing Service (ETS to be considered official. The Internet-based Test (iBT) version of the TOEFL tests all four language skills important for effective communications: writing, listening, reading, and speaking. Each section has its own minimum score. This is not a cumulative scoring system. Applicant scores must meet the minimums set by the Graduate School below. NOTE: A cumulative score is not the correct measure and is not sufficient for an offer of admission.
The Graduate School will continue to accept scores for computer Based (cBT) (213 minimum) and paper Based (550 minimum) versions of the TOEFL that were taken within two years of the date the student submitted the application for admission until those tests are phased out by Educational Testing Service. Any applicant for the 2007-08 admission season should take the iBT version. (Cornell's institution code for all versions for the TOEFL is 2098). Exemptions: An applicant may request a TOEFL exemption if he or she holds a two-year degree from a university in a country where the official primary language is English and the instruction was in English, or the applicant studied to two or more years in a country where the official primary language is English and the instruction was in English. The Admissions Committee consists of the entire membership of the Field of Archaeology, who devote a faculty meeting early in the spring term to consideration of all applications. The members take into account all the information available to them, so that no single criterion is decisive. Graduate students at Cornell work closely with a committee of faculty members of their own choosing. This allows for an individualized program of study with considerable flexibility in which students can follow their own particular interest. |
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| Financial Aid | ||||||||||||||||||
| Some financial aid may be available through Cornell. Applicants are also encouraged to apply to external sources for financial support. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Contacts: | ||||||||||||||||||
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