Degree Requirements and Opportunities

Requirements

The coursework required for a CRM M.A. at Sonoma State totals 30 academic units and is typically completed in six to seven semesters, although faster completion is possible. This design presumes that students are enrolled full-time and not working more than part-time. We have found that working students struggle to carry full graduate loads; consequently it can take more than three years for working students to complete the program of study, inclusive of thesis research and writing. Ideally, coursework proceeds in conjunction with a student's developing interests and expertise, so that by the time they are ready to write a thesis prospectus, the completed courses help focus the upcoming research project.

For additional information about the M.A. degree program, please view the CRM Handbook (PDF).

Required courses

  • ANTH 500 Proseminar: 4 units
  • HIST 472 California History I: 4 units
  • ANTH 502 Archaeology: History and Theory: 3 units
  • ANTH 503 Seminar in Cultural Resources Management: 3 units
  • ANTH 592 Practicum in National Register of Historic Places: 2 units
  • ANTH 596/597 Internships: 3 units
  • ANTH 595 Thesis Prospectus: 1 unit
  • ANTH 599A/B Thesis: 4 units
  • Supporting Courses: 6 units

Total units in the CRM degree: 30

Internships

As part of the CRM graduate program, students are required to complete three internship units so they may gain experience in a variety of cultural resource management settings. 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 Anthropological Studies Center, including internships in CRM small projects management, archaeological site survey, archaeological collections management and various others that can be arranged on a case-by-case basis. SSU students can also do internships at the Northwest Information Center. Off-campus internships have been done with a number of federal, state and local agencies, as well as private companies, including those listed below:

Federal Agencies

  • National Park Service: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Presidio of San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Mojave National Preserve
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • USDA Forest Service: Inyo National Forest, Plumas National Forest
  • Bureau of Land Management: Ukiah Field Office, Bishop Field Office

State Agencies

  • California State Parks: Monterey State Historic Park, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Division, Olompali State Historic Park, Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Annadel State Park
  • Oregon State Parks
  • State of California Office of Historic Preservation

Counties and Municipalities

  • City of Sonoma
  • Sonoma County Regional Parks

Nonprofits

  • California Academy of Sciences
  • Chumash Indian Museum
  • Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
  • Glen Ellen Historic Society
  • Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society
  • Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum
  • Mission San Rafael Arcangel Preservation Foundation
  • Museum of Ventura County

Private Sector Firms

  • Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc.
  • Pacific Legacy, Inc.

University-affiliated

  • Archaeological Research Facility, UC Berkeley
  • Cabrillo College Archaeological Field School
  • UC Santa Cruz Historical Archaeology Laboratory
  • Galbreath Wildlands Preserve, Sonoma State University