MA Exams

To continue in the PhD program, students must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the MA general examination taken at the end of the second year of coursework.

For the Cultural/Medical side of the program, a bibliography, together with material covered in courses during the first two years, will provide the foundation for the MA general examination. Normally the exam will be offered during the 11th or 12th week of the spring semester. You can find a copy of the bibliography here.

For the Archaeology side of the program, upon entering the graduate program (i.e., during the first month in the department), students will receive a list of general topics in archaeological method and theory, and world prehistory. From these topics, the archaeology faculty will draw specific questions for the MA general examination, which will be taken at the end of the fourth semester. Additional details will be provided with the distribution of the general topics.