The Whys and Hows of an Online Applied Anthropology Program: The University of North Texas Case

Abstract

The Department of Anthropology at the University of North Texas created the first master's program in applied anthropology offered in Texas, starting in 2000. At that time, the department had 6 full-time faculty members. The Department of Anthropology is part of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, and shares the vision of interweaving academia and research to serve the community. In fact, given our experience with the undergraduate student body, the major instigating factor that sparked the design of the applied program was to better prepare the students to 1) understand the socio-cultural community in which they live, 2) provide them with the conceptual and methodological background to do so, and 3) equip them for the current professional labor market by enabling them to serve the community in whatever specialty area they choose.