Overview | Summary of Courses

Offered By:	ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Academic Contact:	Dr Robert Attenborough

Biological Anthropology is not offered at most Australian universities. This program is designed for students with a background in a cognate field who have developed an established interest in biological anthropology, but who may have relatively little prior formal background in the subject.

The aim of the qualification is to provide such a student, at the intensity and initiative levels appropriate for graduates, with a grounding in the main sub-fields of biological anthropology, and to proceed from that to a short supervised research thesis in the field.

Prerequisites

Admission to the Master of Arts program is available by two means:

• Applicants for direct entry to the Master of Arts program should have obtained a Bachelor degree in a cognate field (eg. archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, medicine, zoology) from an approved tertiary education institution, with passes at least at credit level in six courses other than first year courses; or
• Admission to Part B is available to students who have completed the coursework courses (36 units), or equivalent, for a Graduate Diploma of Arts, specialising in Biological Anthropology with an overall average mark of 70%. In the case of students transferring from Graduate Diploma enrolment, the completed Graduate Diploma coursework will count as status for Part A of the MA degree.

In the case of students who enrol initially for the MA but who fail to achieve the required 70% average mark for coursework, they will have the option of reverting to Graduate Diploma enrolment and having that credential awarded on the basis of the level of coursework completed.

Prospective applicants are strongly advised to consult with the coordinator or other relvant academic staff before finalizing their applications.

 

Requirements

The degree is in two parts. In Part A, candidates are required normally to complete courses to the value of 36 units taught in the area of their specialization.

Courses normally available for inclusion in this coursework program are listed under three headings: compulsory courses, core courses and elective courses. The standard structure is:

• all three compulsory courses (18 units)
• at least two core courses (12 units)
• balance of courses from elective courses (6 units)

The selection of courses is dependent on availibility in each student's semester of study, and students must take advice from the convener before finalizing their enrolment.

In order to proceed from Part A to Part B, a candidate must pass each course at their first attempt and achieve an overall 70% average or better.

Part B comprises an additional 36 units, normally comprising a thesis of between 25,000-30,000 words.

For a candidate to meet the requirements for admission to the degree, he or she must achieve a result of at least 70% (H2A) in the sub-thesis (Part B) component. A candidate's degree performance will be determined as a fail where this result is not achieved.

The information published on the Study at ANU 2010 website applies to the 2010 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2009 website.