Integrative Studies - Cultural Heritage and Resources Management (MA,MS)
Required Credit Hours/Tuition and Fees
- 36
- Visit the Paying for College website for detailed tuition information
Cultural heritage includes intangible resources (ceremonies, oral history and customs) and tangible resources (architecture, artifacts and landscapes) inherited from past generations. The program includes coursework in ethical and legal issues with management of these resources, as well as practical skills, such as mapping and GIS, methods of survey and excavation, document and map analysis, artifact and art duration. Students take courses in two of the participating departments: Anthropology, geography and history.
A certificate in museum studies may be completed concurrently with this degree.
Format
Weekday courses on campus with some evening, hybrid and online options. Check the latest course offerings.
Career Outlook
The integrative studies degree with a focus in cultural heritage and resources management prepares students for careers in applied fields relating to identification, research, preservation of, and education about cultural heritage and resources. Careers relating to cultural heritage and resources include work in contract archaeology; trade and commerce; tourism, with museums, galleries, libraries, science centers, parks and national monuments; education institutions; community organizations; public and government agencies, as well as private firms.
Curriculum
Students will plan their coursework with their graduate mentor based on their educational background and career goals. Students may choose to focus on coursework relating to:
- Archaeology and cultural resources management
- Museology and ethnographic heritage
Students will typically take courses in two of the participating departments, according to the master’s in integrative studies program requirements:
- 30 credit hours of graduate-level electives, which must be split equally between the two departments (e.g., 15 hours and 15 hours) or 40:60 (e.g., 12 hours and 18 hours).
- At least half of the 30 credit hours of coursework must be at the 500-level.
- No more than three credit hours of the 30 credit hours of coursework can be independent study.
- Of the minimum required credits, students may take up to three credits of electives from other departments, as determined in consultation with the graduate mentor. Courses in art history, statistics, or other fields may be appropriate.
- A third department may be incorporated into the program with an additional nine credits of coursework from that department.
- All students will complete six credit hours of integrative studies thesis or non-thesis capstone work.
Anthropology Courses
(3) ANTH 404 Anthropology and the Arts
(3) ANTH 405 Alternative Tourisms
(3) ANTH 420 Museum Anthropology
(3) ANTH 430 Zooarchaeology
(3) ANTH 432 Prehistory of Illinois
(3) ANTH 435 American Material Culture
(3) ANTH 469 Forensic Anthropology
(3-6) ANTH 473 Ethnographic Field School
(3-6) ANTH 474 Biological Anthropology Field School
(3-6) ANTH 475 Archaeological Field School
(3) ANTH 476 Cultural Resource Management
(1-9) ANTH 570 Special Topics in Cultural Heritage and Resources Management
(3 or 6) ANTH 575 Archaeology Field Directorship: Mitigation
(3 or 6) ANTH 576 Archaeology Field Directorship: Survey
(3-6) ANTH 586 Individualized Study in Anthropology
(1-9) ANTH 589 Archaeology Internship
(3-6) ANTH 590 Museum Internship
Geography Courses
(3) GEOG 402 Cultural Landscape
(3) GEOG 410 Soils
(3) GEOG 411 Hydrology
(3) GEOG 412 Groundwater Hydrology
(3) GEOG 418 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
(3) GEOG 421 Digital Elevation Modeling
(3) GEOG 422 Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing
(3) GEOG 423 Computer Mapping
(3) GEOG 424 Vector-Based GIS
(3) GEOG 425 Raster-Based GIS
(3) GEOG 452 Topics in Physical Geography
(3) GEOG 454 Topics in Geographic Techniques
(3) GEOG 500 Seminar in Cultural Geography
(3) GEOG 510 Seminar in Physical Geography
(3) GEOG 520 Research Methods in Geography
(3) GEOG 522 Techniques in Geography
(3) GEOG 525 Seminar in GIS
(1-6) GEOG 590 Independent Study
Historical Studies Courses
(3) HIST 447 Approaches to Oral History
(3) HIST 470 Preserving the American Past
(1) HIST 555 History Colloquium
(1) HIST 556 History Colloquium
(3) HIST 580 Museum Studies
(3) HIST 581 Management of Museum Collections
(3) HIST 582 Practicum in Exhibit and Program Development
(3) HIST 590 Internship in Museology
Integrative Studies Capstone Project
(1) INTG 500 Proposal Development
(5) INTG 599 Thesis or (5) INTG 593 Final Project
Admission Requirements
- Graduate School application and $40 fee
- Official copies of all postsecondary transcripts
- A completed baccalaureate degree in anthropology, geography, history or a related field. Applicants may be required to take prerequisites or resolve any deficiencies before classified status is approved.
- Minimum GPA 3.0
- International Applicants: Proof of English Proficiency, minimum requirements are TOEFL (79), IELTS (6.5) or equivalent
- Other requirements:
- All applicants must provide evidence (previous related course work or professional experience, research papers and projects, or honors and awards) to show they can participate successfully in the program.
- A statement of intent providing evidence of the applicant's preparation and experience leading to the undertaking of this program, and describing the applicant's academic and career goals, highlighting how this program will serve those goals.
- Three letters of recommendation, ideally from academic or professional references.
- A writing sample, between four and 15 pages in length, which may be a paper for a course or other written work prepared by the applicant.
- A faculty member from anthropology, geography, or historical studies who has agreed in writing to serve as a graduate mentor must be identified by the applicant in order to be considered for acceptance into the program. Applicants are encouraged to contact prospective graduate mentors by the time their application materials are submitted. Upon admission to the program, the student shall consult with his/her mentor to review the student's academic record, and develop a plan of coursework.
- An optional teaching/research assistantship application is required for those wishing to be considered for a teaching or research assistantship and can be obtained from the Graduate School.
Program application materials may be uploaded during the application process, but official transcripts must be sent directly from the school attended, and test scores must be verifiable with the appropriate testing service. Please contact the Graduate Admissions office with questions regarding the application submission process at graduateadmissions@siue.edu.
Applicants must also meet any additional admissions requirements stipulated by the participating departments, which may include but are not limited to holding a specific undergraduate degree, one or more prerequisite courses, or a standardized test score, such as the GRE.
Applicants with a baccalaureate and/or graduate-level GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 may be considered if all the following conditions are met.
- The baccalaureate degree and/or graduate-level work was earned more than four years prior to the application submission.
- The applicant provides a written explanation of her/his performance in the baccalaureate degree.
- The applicant provides a written explanation of why he/she will be successful in the integrative studies program.
Review the SIUE Admissions Policy for more information.
Application Deadline
Admission deadline is February 1 of the preceding spring semester. Additional applications will be considered after these dates on a space-available basis.
