M.A. in Digital Archaeology

Students who pursue a two-year research-intensive M.A. in Digital Studies of Language, Culture, and History will specialize in one of the following four areas and will do a thesis project in that area under the supervision of a faculty advisor:

In their first year, students will take the six core courses required for the one-year M.A. plus three courses related to their specialization. In their second year, students will take eight additional courses related to their specialization and a thesis-preparation course, for a total of 18 courses.

Required Courses for the M.A. in Digital Archaeology

For the M.A. specialization in Digital Archaeology, students must take each of the following six courses in either their first year or their second year, unless they have previously taken an equivalent course, in which case they may request an exemption:

    • DIGS 30021, Digital Archaeology (Winter)
    • DIGS 30041, Digital Media I: Game Design with Unity (Winter)
    • DIGS 30042, Digital Media II: Virtual Reality with Unity (Spring)
    • NEAA 30061, Ancient Landscapes I (Autumn)
    • NEAA 30062, Ancient Landscapes II (Winter) 
    • NEAA 30100, Introduction to Archaeology (Autumn)

In addition, students will take five courses of their choice in art history, archaeology, history, languages (i.e., human languages), or computational methods. These courses may pertain to any cultural period, region, or methodology of interest. Such courses are offered regularly in the following departments: Anthropology, Art History, Classics, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, History, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and South Asian Languages and Civilizations. Note that some courses may have enrollment restrictions or prerequisites that prevent Digital Studies M.A. students from taking them.

Students will normally register for DIGS 30008, Thesis Preparation, as one of their three courses in the Spring Quarter of their second year. This entails regular meetings with the faculty thesis advisor and the Forum staff advisor(s) and is intended to give students additional time to complete the thesis project. However, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction of the Forum for Digital Culture may grant permission to substitute another course instead of DIGS 30008, as long as it does not hinder the completion of the thesis project.

Typical Schedule of Courses

Here is a typical schedule of courses for the two-year M.A. specialization in Digital Archaeology:

Year One Autumn Quarter

    • DIGS 30001, Introduction to Computer Programming with Python
    • DIGS 30002, Data Analysis I: Introduction to Statistics
    • DIGS 30003, Data Management for the Humanities

Year One Winter Quarter

    • DIGS 30004, Data Analysis II: Data Visualization and Machine Learning
    • DIGS 30007, Introduction to Digital Humanities
    • DIGS 30021, Digital Archaeology

Year One Spring Quarter

    • DIGS 30005, Data Publication for the Humanities
    • Course in art history, archaeology, history, languages, or computational methods
    • Course in art history, archaeology, history, languages, or computational methods

Year Two Autumn Quarter

    • NEAA 30100, Introduction to Archaeology
    • NEAA 30061, Ancient Landscapes I
    • Course in art history, archaeology, history, languages, or computational methods

Year Two Winter Quarter

    • DIGS 30041, Digital Media I: Game Design with Unity
    • NEAA 30062, Ancient Landscapes II
    • Course in art history, archaeology, history, languages, or computational methods

Year Two Spring Quarter

    • DIGS 30008, Thesis Preparation
    • DIGS 30042, Digital Media II: Virtual Reality with Unity
    • Course in art history, archaeology, history, languages, or computational methods

Faculty Committee

The following faculty members oversee the M.A. specialization in Digital Archaeology:

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