Department of Anthropology

M.A. in Cultural Resources Management (CRM)

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The Master of Arts in Cultural Resources Management (CRM) involves the identification, evaluation and preservation of cultural resources, as mandated by cultural resources legislation and guided by scientific standards within the planning process. The primary objective of the Master's Program in Cultural Resources Management is to produce professionals who are competent in the methods and techniques appropriate for filling cultural resources management and related positions, and who have the theoretical background necessary for research design and data collection and analysis.

Persons with an MA in CRM will be qualified to hold positions within the United States and its territories. Some individuals will also be qualified to serve outside of the United States in an advisory capacity in establishing and managing cultural resources management programs within environmental protection and preservation contexts of other nations.

The CRM program offers its graduates with training and experience in

• developing projects and programs in cultural resources management
• conducting analyses of archaeological, linguistic and sociocultural data for purposes of assisting public and private sectors in the implementation of environmental protection and historic preservation legislation
• the professional traditions of inquiry within anthropology and history to enable the student to assess the research significance of archaeological and ethnohistorical resources
• anthropological techniques of field and laboratory analysis, and archival and museum preparation
• existing cultural resources management data-keeping facilities

Each student in the program, with the assistance and supervision of a primary faculty advisor, develops a plan of study and thesis project that reflects her or his special interest in cultural resources management. In addition, students are encouraged to present the results of their work and research in professional meetings, research publications and public documents.

Facilities and Faculty

The department's Anthropological Studies Center houses archaeology and ethnographic laboratories and a cultural resources management facility. The Studies Center maintains collections of artifacts, archaeological site records and maps, photographs, manuscripts, tapes and a specialized research library. The Center also provides computer services and facilities for specialized processing techniques, such as obsidian hydration. The Northwest Information Center manages historical records, resources, reports and maps; supplies historical resources information to the private and public sectors; and compiles and provides a referral list of qualified historical resources consultants. In addition to archaeologists and other anthropologists, participating faculty in the CRM program include historians, biologists, geographers, soil scientists and geologists.

Requirements for the M.A. in Cultural Resources Management

The design of the course of study as a 2 1/2-year program presumes that students are full time and not working. Experience with the program so far indicates that working students cannot successfully carry full graduate loads, and, consequently, it takes three years or more for working students to complete our program of study.

• ANTH 500 Proseminar: 4 units
• HIST* 501 Seminar in Culture, Society and Policy Analysis: 4 units
• ANTH 502 Archaeology: History and Theory: 3 units
• ANTH 503 Seminar in Cultural Resources Management: 3 units
• ANTH** 596/597 Internships: 3 units
• ANTH 599A/B Thesis: 4 units
• Supporting Courses: 9 units  

Total units in the CRM degree: 30

* Prerequisite: HIST 472 (History of California to 1913).
** Internships are decided upon by discussion between the student and his or her advisor. Students will normally take both on-campus and off-campus internships. On-campus internships are available at the Cultural Resources Facility, Interpretive and Outreach Services Office, the Northwest Information Center, Archaeological Collections Facility and Ethnography Lab. Off-campus agencies include the Office of Historical Preservation, the National Park Service and the Sonoma County Museum.

Admission to the CRM Program

Applications must be submitted separately in January to 1) the Department of Anthropology/Linguistics AND 2) to the University Admissions and Records Office, for possible acceptance into the program the following Fall semester. The application deadline date to the Department for possible entry Fall 2008 is January 31, 2008. Consult with the program's graduate coordinator for departmental requirements and submissions, as updated in the fact sheet Admission to the Cultural Resources Management Program in Conditionally Classified Status.

Submit Department applications to:
John Wingard
Graduate Coordinator until January 2009
Cultural Resources Management MA Program
Department of Anthropology/Linguistics
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Telephone: 707-664-2319