BA/MA Five-Year Program
This program creates the option of leaving GW with a master's degree after five years of study. The Five-Year BA/MA links our graduate program with our three undergraduate major programs in a BA/MA (or BS/MA) dual degree.
Students hoping for a five-year BA/MA should plan well in advance and confer with their major advisor about the details of their course of study.
Admissions
GW undergraduate majors may apply to the master's program once they have accumulated 60 credits at GW and have consulted with Anthropology advisors.
Admission will be granted only to Columbian College students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher in courses required for the major; students from other colleges are not eligible. Eligible students take the GRE by February 1 of their junior year, and apply for formal admission into the BA/MA program by February 15.
Students will be recommended for admission to the BA/MA program on the same basis as other applicants for graduate degrees, with the final decision being made by the CCAS graduate dean, following existing policies.
Graduation
BA/MA students receive their BA or BS after four years, and are admitted to the MA program with the understanding that 12 credits of graduate MA coursework count towards the bachelor's degree. This leaves another 24 credits following the end of the student's senior year to complete the MA degree. These 24 credits normally will be taken during the summer after the senior year (6 credits), and two additional semesters with the normal full-time MA student load of 9 credits per semester.
Students will therefore be able to complete the BA/MA dual degree with one year of full-time study beyond the BA.
Specific Degree Requirements for BA/MA
BA/BS in Anthropology: Students complete the normal undergraduate requirements, taking 24-36 hours of anthropology courses and required courses in other departments. When calculating their program GPA, students include required courses outside the Anthropology Department, such as biology courses required for the Biological Anthropology major. For the five-year dual degree, students take as undergraduates electives that count for both the BA/BS degree and the MA.
MA in Anthropology: Students complete the normal MA sequence, totaling 36 credit hours. The only difference with the five-year program is that students will complete the first four courses (12 credit hours) in their senior year by double-counting (for the BA and MA) 12 hours of course work.
One or two additional courses (3-6 credit hours) would be taken the summer after the senior year, and involve supervised fieldwork or reading and research in consultation with Anthropology advisors.
BA/MA Sample Sequence for Anthropology Majors
This is an example of how you would schedule your courses if you chose the Anthropology BA/MA degree. The example provided is of a general anthropology BA who takes a general anthropology MA as part of the BA/MA sequence.
Students from biological anthropology can also be admitted to the BA/MA program providing they can meet both the requirements of their undergraduate major and of the graduate program (whether general or a concentration) without “double counting” more than 12 credits towards both the BA and MA. Thus there may be students who are BS (Biological)/ MA (Development) or some other permutation.
Freshman/Sophomore years
- Anth 1, 2, 3, 4 (13 hours)
- Language requirement (12 hours) (if needed)
- GCR courses (ca. 39 hours) (parts of natural science, social science, and foreign culture fulfilled as part of anthropology major, one or two of the others can be substituted for electives in junior year)
Junior year: fall (15 hours)
- Upper-level linguistics
- Upper-level biological anthropology
- Upper-level topics in sociocultural anthropology (150's)
- Two electives/ GCR courses
Junior year: spring (15 hours)
- Upper-level cultures (170's) (can also be obtained in a study abroad program)
- Upper-level archaeology (can also be obtained in a study abroad program)
- Two electives/ GCR courses
- Anth 198
- Apply for admission to BA/MA, take GRE's
Senior year: fall (15 hours)
- Graduate seminar (e.g., Anth 222)
- Four electives, including either a second graduate-level course or an upper-level undergraduate course for graduate credit
Senior year: spring (15 hours)
-
Methods course (e.g. 117/217, 118, 284)
- Anth 203, Proseminar in Archaeology, and qualifying exercise
- Three electives, may include a graduate-level course or upper-level undergraduate course for graduate credit
Senior year: summer (3-6 hours)
Post-BA year: fall (9 hours)
- Anth 202, Proseminar in Sociocultural Anthropology, and qualifying exercise
- Placing-out exams in biological anthropology and linguistics
- Three electives (could include thesis research or internship)
Post-BA year: spring (9-12 hours)
- Three electives (could include thesis research or internship)
- Hand in integrating paper
- Hand in thesis or internship report
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