The Nautical Archaeology Program (NAP) offers a 32-credit Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Maritime Archaeology and Conservation (MARC). The MARC Master’s degree is designed to be completed in two years and is intended to prepare students for employment in Cultural Resource Management (CRM), conservation, state and federal government, and maritime museums. Applications are reviewed annually (January 15 deadline) and each cohort is typically about six students.

M.S. students take five required core courses: Conservation I (ANTH 605), Maritime Archaeology Skills (ANTH 608), Nautical Archaeology (ANTH 611), History of Wooden Shipbuilding (ANTH 615), and Ship Reconstruction (ANTH 616).  The remaining 4-6 elective courses will be chosen in close consultation with the M.S. Advisor and the student’s committee chair. NAP graduate courses are either in-depth seminars that examine a specific region, theme, or time period, or hands-on training aimed at the acquisition of specific skills.  A full list of NAP courses is available here.

In addition to seminars and workshops, M.S. students register for 1-3 hours of Research (ANTH 691) and produce a Master’s thesis. The completion of a thesis is a requirement of the MARC M.S. degree, but also essential for obtaining certain types of positions and inclusion on the Registry of Professional Archaeologists (RPA).  We encourage you to explore some of the more than 300 Master’s theses published by NAP graduate students, available here.

Finally, M.S. students are required to complete an internship during their tenure in the MARC program. Most students complete the internship during the summer after their first two semesters of academic coursework. The internship may involve work at a conservation laboratory, maritime museum or archive, or fieldwork on an underwater archaeological excavation.  Because there are many options to choose from, students should select an internship opportunity in consultation with their committee chair and/or the M.S. Advisor.

Students who are accepted into the M.S. MARC program receive a scholarship for each of two years that they are continuously enrolled.  These scholarships provide a tuition waiver that allows out-of-state (non-residents of Texas) students to be eligible for in-state (Texas resident) tuition. M.S. students also receive a one-time research bursary to cover expenses associated with the internship requirement or travel to a professional conference.