Department of Anthropology & Archaeolgy
An interdisciplinary Social Science department in the Division of Humanities, we study human society from prehistory to the present.
On this page you will find the requirements for gaining a degree in Anthropology. Further information can be found in the Programme Handbook. You can combine various papers from this and other departments and programmes to gain your degree, but you must fullfil the basic requirements outlined below. If you have any questions regarding how to combine papers, please contact the Programme Coordinator of Archaeology or Social Anthropology or another member of staff.
Anthropology can be taken as a major subject for the Bachelor of Arts (BA), with any combination of Archaeology, Social Anthropology or Biological Anthropology papers that meet the following requirements:
| Level | Papers | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Two 100-level ANTH and/or ARCH papers | 36 |
| 200 | Two 200-level ANTH and/or ARCH papers, and one further 200- or 300- level ANTH and/or ARCH paper. One 200-level BIOA paper may be substituted for one 200-level ANTH or ARCH paper. |
54 |
| 300 | Four 300-level ANTH and/or ARCH papers. One 300-level BIOA paper m ay be substititued for one 300-level ANTH or ARCH paper. |
72 |
| Plus | Further papers making up 198 points; must include at least 54 points at 200-level or above. Up to 90 points may be taken from subjects outside the Arts schedule. |
198 |
| Total | 360 |
Anthropology can be taken as a minor subject for the BA, BCom, BTour, BTheol or BSc degree, with any combination of Archaeology or Social Anthropology papers that meets the following requirements:
| Papers | Points | 90 points of ANTH and/or ARCH papers, at least 54 of which must be above 100-level, including at least 18 points above 300-level |
90 |
|---|---|---|
Anthropology can be taken as a subject for the Bachelor of Arts with Honours.
It is an academically demanding one year fulltime programme for students who have completed a BA. It aims to help students become highly skilled, versatile, independent thinkers with the research experience, information literacy, communication and interpersonal skills necessary for an advanced professional career or further academic study at the Master's or PhD level.
The normal entry requirements are:
(i) to have completed the BA majoring in Anthropology and/or Archaeology, and
(ii) to have a grade average of at least B+ in four 300-level Anthropology and/or Archaeology papers.
Alternative entry conditions are set out in the University Calendar, Guide to Enrolment and in the qualifications section of the University’s website www.otago.ac.nz/courses/qualifications/bahons.html
Transitional Arrangements: If you had already been admitted to the Honours programme under the old system (i.e. in 2011 or earlier) you will have been given the option of completing your degree under the old four year Honours degree regulations, or graduating with a BA at the end of 2012 and applying for entry to the new one year Honours programme.
The PGDipArts is an academically demanding programme for students who have completed a BA degree that must be completed in two years of full time study or the equivalent in part time study. It aims to help students become highly skilled, versatile, independent thinkers with the research experience, information literacy, communication and interpersonal skills necessary for an advanced professional career or further academic study at the Master's level.
The normal entry requirements are:
(i) to have completed the BA, majoring in Anthropology and/or Archaeology, and
(ii) to have a grade average of at least B+ in four 300-level Anthropology and/or Archaeology papers.
Alternative entry conditions are set out in the University Calendar, Guide to Enrolment and in the qualifications section of the University’s website www.otago.ac.nz/courses/qualifications/pgdiparts.html
Students considering applying for entry to BA(Hons) or PGDipArts are advised to discuss their intentions with members of academic staff in September or October of the year preceding 400-level study.
Applications for admission are made via the enrolment section of the University’s website: www.otago.ac.nz/study/enrolment/index.html
Applications close on 10 December. Late applications will be considered.
These two qualifications require the same programme of study. Students can undertake any combination of archaeology, social anthropology or biological anthropology papers that meet the following requirements:
| Dissertation | One of ANTH490, ARCH 490 or ANAT490 | 60 points | |
| Papers | Three further 400-level ANTH and/or ARCH papers. One 400-level BIOA paper may be substituted for one ANTH or ARCH paper |
60 points | |
| Total | 120 points | ||
It is also possible to take Anthropology in combination with another subject for the BA(Hons). In this case the programme of study must be negotiated between the student and the two departments concerned .
The Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad) is a justifiable and academically feasible programme of study, designed for graduates and others with equivalent qualifications or experience, who require additional training with or without the objective of undertaking postgraduate study in that discipline; or training in another discipline without the necessity to undertake another full degree programme; or who wish to extend their knowledge of an area of study or bring it up to date; or who wish to gain the equivalent of an additional major subject; or who wish to satisfy the requirements of an external professional body.
For more information go to: www.otago.ac.nz/study/dipgrad/index.html
The programme offers the MA and the PhD in Anthropology. Students may be supervised solely by Anthropology staff or jointly by Anthropology staff and staff in another department. Inquiries should be directed to the programme coordinator for Archaeology or Social Anthropology.
ANTH/ARCH Postgraduate Booklet
This course can be taken either after completion of a BA, or, more usually, after completion of the BA(Hons) or PGDipArts. It normally involves from one to three years study.
"A thesis submitted for a Master's degree should contain the results of a piece of independent research which might reasonably be expected of a diligent and competent student after not less than twelve months of full time study. The thesis should demonstrate that the candidate has the ability to carry out research and/or the ability to carry out constructive criticism, and to report the results of such work clearly, accurately and succinctly. It is not required that the results represent a substantial contribution to knowledge in the field, or that the examiners agree with the findings."
During their course of study each MA candidate must present at least one Departmental seminar.
Admission to the course is subject to approval by the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) and requires the recommendation of the Anthropology Department. For students entering with only a BA qualification, admission to the MA thesis is conditional upon satisfactory completion of the papers requirement. Except with permission of the Head of Department, the minimum requirements for Departmental approval for admission to MA thesis are:
Before applying for admission students should discuss potential thesis topics with their potential supervisor. Applications for admission should normally reach the Divisional Administrator (Humanities) by 10 December. Late applications will be considered.
This course is usually undertaken after completion of an MA, or in exceptional circumstances, after completion of a BA(Hons). It involves independent research over a period of at least two and a half years of full time study, and normally no more than six years.
The degree is awarded on the basis of submission of a thesis of no more than 100,000 words, the requirements of which are set out as follows:
"The thesis should give clear evidence of the candidate's ability to carry out research, that the candidate has shown originality, and that the candidate has made a significant contribution to knowledge in the particular field. It is expected that some of the work in the thesis would be worthy of publication. The research should be of a kind which might reasonably be expected after three years full-time study."
During their course of study each candidate must present at least one Departmental seminar each year and provide a written progress report to their supervisor(s) at least once each year. This will form part of an annual progress report submitted to the Academic Registrar.
Registration as a PhD candidate is subject to approval of Senate, and requires the recommendation of the Department. In order to gain the recommendation of the Department a candidate must have:
Proposals will be considered by a meeting of all teaching staff, which will advise the Head of Department on the candidate's suitability for Departmental approval. Before applying for admission applicants should discuss potential thesis topics with their potential advisors. Students intending to do a PhD in archaeology must complete the 'preliminary proposal for postgraduate research in archaeology'.
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