Cultural Resources Management, M.A.

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Coordinator
Laura A. Watt

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. A key goal of the master's program in CRM is to produce graduates who excel in the methods and techniques employed by heritage professionals, and who have the theoretical background necessary for research design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Persons with an M.A. in CRM will be qualified to hold management and supervisory positions within all sectors of the heritage industry. Graduates meet the qualifications for professional certification in the United States, but are also well grounded in international heritage legislation and practice.

The CRM program emphasizes:

Experience in all aspects of regulatory CRM, from project development to execution, consultation, and community engagement.
Experience in conducting identification and analyses of archaeological, historical, osteological, geoarchaeoalogical, linguistic, and sociocultural data to implement environmental protection and historic preservation legislation in both the public and private sectors.
Training in the professional traditions of inquiry within anthropology, history, geography, and environmental planning to identify heritage resources, assess their research and preservation significance, and determine appropriate courses of action.
Experience with the techniques, regulations, and guidelines for field and laboratory data collection, analysis, reporting, and management.
Experience with archival preparation, data and artifact storage, curation facilities, and public interpretation.

Students in the program, under the supervision of a primary faculty advisor, develop a plan of study and thesis project that reflects their particuular interest in CRM. 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

CRM faculty teach, advise and serve as thesis committee members and chairs in the CRM program. Our core faculty are professors in the departments of Anthropology and Geography, Environment, and Planning. Their expertise is in heritage legislation and policy, prehistoric and historical archeology, material culture, environmental and landscape history, geoarchaeology, bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, ethnography, oral history, spatial analysis, remote sensing and other digital technologies, and paleogeography . Affiliated CRM faculty, serving in other departments on campus, regularly teach supporting courses, and can also serve as thesis committee members.

The Anthropological Studies Center (ASC), an affiliated CRM organization within SSU, provides students with the opportunity to gain real world experience in contract and grant-based prehistoric and historical archaeology, geoarchaeology, tribal consultation, community engagement, oral history, and collections management. The ASC has more than 5,000 square feet of office, laboratory, and curation facilities and is supported by a full-time professional staff, many of whom are past graduates of the M.A. in CRM program. Internships for graduate and undergraduate students at the ASC are offered regularly. The ASC website can be found at www.sonoma.edu/asc/.

The Northwest Information Center (NWIC), an adjunct of the State Office of Historic Preservation, 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. Internships for graduate and undergraduate students at the NWIC are also offered regularly. The NWIC website is www.sonoma.edu/NWIC.

Requirements for the Degree

All students in the cohort-based program complete a set of courses totaling 30 academic units, including a required core of 24 units, and an additional 6 units of supporting coursework. Each student, under the supervision of a primary faculty advisor, develops a plan of study and thesis project that reflects their interests or desired areas of specialization. The program is typically completed in six to seven semesters, although faster completion is possible. Ideally, coursework proceeds in conjunction with a student's developing interests and expertise, so that by the time s/he is ready to write a thesis prospectus, the completed courses help focus the upcoming research project.

Requirements for the Degree

The coursework required for the CRM M.A. totals 30 academic units and is typically completed in six to seven semesters. This design presumes that students are enrolled full-time and not working more than part-time. Students are admitted to the program with Conditionally Classified graduate status. They must fulfill certain requirements before being fully accepted into the program and able to enroll in Thesis Prospectus units. These requirements include successful completion of ANTH 500, maintenance of a minimum 3.6 GPA, and timely resolution of any incomplete grades. Departmental policy stipulates that no more than 10 units of the 30 unit program may be revalidated beyond the 7-year limit defined by the CSU.

* 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, the Interpretive and Outreach Services Office, the Northwest Information Center, and the Archaeological Collections Facility. Off-campus agencies include the State Office of Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, the Museums of Sonoma County, and many others.

ANTH 500 - Proseminar Unit(s): 4
HIST 472 - California History I Unit(s): 4
ANTH 502 - Archaeology: History and Theory Unit(s): 3
ANTH 503 - Seminar: Cultural Resources Management Unit(s): 3
ANTH 592 - Practicum in National Register of Historic Places Unit(s): 2
ANTH 595 - Special Studies Unit(s): 1-4
ANTH 596 - Agency Internships Unit(s): 1-3
ANTH 597 - Anthropology Internships Unit(s): 1-3
ANTH 599A - Thesis Unit(s): 2-3
ANTH 599B - Thesis Unit(s): 2-3

Units

Total units in the CRM degree: 30

Admission to the Program

Applications must be submitted separately by January 31 to the Graduate Coordinator and to the Office of Admissions and Records (via Cal State Apply) for possible acceptance into the program the following academic year. Consult with the program’s Graduate Coordinator and website for departmental requirements and submissions. While archaeology is a focus, the program emphasizes CRM as an interdisciplinary profession. Students with degrees in history, geography, and planning, as well as anthropology, are frequently accepted.