Office of the Provost

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1 Office of the Provost Change to an Existing Degree Program Form Proposed Change to an Existing Degree: Academic Components Please answer all relevant questions below. Consultation with the appropriate Associate Provost on a draft of the proposal is recommended. Title of Degree (e.g., Bachelor of Arts in History): Doctor of Philosophy in Archaeology 1. Please provide the name, title, address, and phone number of the primary contact person for this academic program: Andrea Berlin, Director of Graduate Studies in Archaeology and Professor of Archaeology, aberlin@bu.edu Please describe briefly the proposed change to the existing degree: The main change is a restructuring of the core courses required for the degree. 3. Please provide a rationale for the proposed change to the existing degree: In Fall 2013 the Department completed an extensive self-study in preparation for an APR; the outcome of the study, the APR, and the departmental response have led to a thorough reconsideration of the graduate programs and their requirements. The external reviewers found our graduate curriculum to be old-fashioned, and to lack interdisciplinary perspectives and appropriate professional development. The revisions to the program address these shortcomings. 4. Please describe how the proposed change(s) advances the Strategic Plans of the department, of the school/college, and of the University: These changes are fully consistent with goals 4 and 5 of the Strategic Plan of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 1

2 4 We will offer leading doctoral, postdoctoral, and masters programs within and across traditional disciplinary boundaries. 5 We will promote pioneering research and scholarship within and across traditional disciplinary boundaries. The Department of Archaeology is rewriting its strategic plan following an APR in Academic Year 2013/ Please list all the program requirements for the current and revised programs so that review committees can easily see the changes: (expand the table as needed and denote new courses in bold print) Current program (All courses are 4 credits) Revised program (All courses are 4 credits) AR 701 (Intellectual History of Archaeology) AR 891: Contemporary Theory in Archaeology AR 702 (Contemporary Theory in Archaeology) AR 892: Archaeological Ethics and the Law AR 705 (Pre-Urban Development) AR 893: World Archaeology AR 706 (Archaeology of Complex Societies) AR 894: Scientific Methods in Archaeology AR 780 (Archaeological Ethics and the Law) 4-credits in an area outside primary area of study 4-credits of comparative topical Archaeology 8-credits of field or laboratory research 4-credits in an area outside primary area of study 6-credits of professional development training One technical course that provides training in a specific skill (4 credits) Total of 64 credits Total of 64 credits Advising: single faculty advisor Advising: two-member advisory team Note: AR 891, 892, and 894 are renumbered revisions of existing courses AR 702, 780, and Is this change a result of program learning outcomes assessment and/or academic program review? If yes, please describe: Yes: The Department of Archaeology underwent an APR in Academic Year In their report the review panel recommended a number of curricula changes that are proposed here. These include: reduce the number of core courses and substantially revise their content; rotate the responsibility for teaching those courses; establish advising teams for each graduate student; clarify and streamline the process and content of the PhD Qualifying Exams; provide lots more professional development opportunities and mentoring. 2

3 As recommended the content of the new courses combines scholarship from a variety of disciplinary homes to forge a unified approach to archaeological studies that builds upon the humanities (Classics and Art History), the social sciences (Anthropology), and the natural sciences (Earth and Environmental Sciences). 7. Please list learning outcomes for the revised program: The Ph.D. program seeks to develop scholars, teachers, and leaders capable of making significant contributions to the practice of archaeology as a comparative global discipline. Graduates will have intellectual understanding as well as technical mastery of modern archaeological methods and theories, which comprises the recovery, analysis, and interpretation of material remains along with the study of archaeological heritage, the application of scientific techniques, and the integration of best ethical professional practices. Graduates will be ready to contribute to research, teaching, policy, and administration pertinent to the study of the material past within a broad range of locations, including but not limited to educational institutions of all levels, museums, not-for-profit organizations, and government. To this end, students will: demonstrate a broad and deep mastery of the development of the discipline, the range of its subject matter, and of the place of their own area of inquiry within the larger field. produce and defend an original and significant contribution to knowledge. conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner. be able to teach the discipline at both the undergraduate and graduate level. 8. How does the change place your program in the context of programs at peer institutions? In the judgment of the APR Committee, the Archaeology Department is positioned somewhere in the lower third of the top 20 PhD programs in archaeology in the United States (as estimated from a review of ca. 100 Anthropology and Archaeology Programs). The proposed changes will bring the requirements of our program in line with those of the five most highly ranked programs in the country: Brown University s Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, UCLA s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, the University of Michigan s Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology (IPCAA), the University of Michigan s Department of Anthropology, and the University of Pennsylvania s Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World. Direct comparison is difficult because some programs specialize in specific areas and time periods (Brown, Michigan s IPCAA, Penn) while others are deliberately broad (Cotsen, Michigan anthropology). Details are summarized below, arranged according to our proposed new requirements. Advisory Committee: We propose that each student form a two-person advisory committee by the end of the first year of study. This is in accord with our five peer programs, all of which require students to form an advisory committee by the end of the first or in the second year of study. Course requirements: We propose requiring 64 credit hours (generally meaning two years of full-time course work) including four core courses, one area course focused well outside of the primary area of 3

4 study, eight credit hours of directed archaeological field and/or laboratory research, and six credit hours of professional development training and/or course work. Course requirements differ among programs. Those that focus on the Old World/classical Mediterranean mandate a specific mix of courses that focus on ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and their immediately preceding and succeeding cultures; those with a broader purview have few specific course requirements. In the chart below, we highlight only those aspects that are comparable across-the-board, rather than lay out the (many) quite specific requirements that some individual programs have. Brown UCLA, Cotsen Michigan, IPCAA Michigan, Anthro UPenn BU proposed reqs. Current Theory x x x x x x Ethics & Law x Outside area x x x x x x Archaeological Science x x Field/Lab x x x Professional Development x x x x x x In sum, our requirements of courses devoted to theory and to coverage of an outside area, along with the need for field and/or lab experience and professional development, are all in line with our peer institutions. The only proposed requirement that is not a component anywhere else is the course devoted to Archaeological Ethics and Law. We wish to maintain this as a requirement for the following reasons: 1) it provides students with an ethical professional framework, which we believe to be a foundational necessity; 2) it is in fact a hallmark of the BU program, having been developed here and acting as a draw for prospective students; 3) it fulfills the requirements for one of the program s learning outcomes. PhD Qualifying Exams: We propose that each student complete exams by the end of the third year (sixth semester), and that the exams address three components: an area specialization; methodological approach; and theoretical orientation. Exam requirements differ from program to program, a reflection of their differing characters. Their specific requirements are as follows: Brown: two qualifying exams at end of second year, and two PhD preliminary exams that focus on the student s special field at end of third year Cotsen: three exams at end of second year plus an oral exam Michigan, IPCAA: two qualifying exams at end of second year, and two PhD preliminary exams at end of third year that focus on the student s special field. 4

5 Michigan, Anthropology: one preliminary exam plus a pre-doctoral research paper. UPenn: three exams plus an oral, timing not specified. In sum, our requirement of three exams by the end of the third year brings us in line with our peer institutions. 9. How does the change affect other academic units and existing programs at the University? The proposed changes have no direct effect on any other academic units. However, in keeping with the review panel s recommendations, students will be strongly encouraged to use elective credits to take appropriate courses in other departments, Classical Studies, History of Art and Architecture, Anthropology, and Earth and Environment, and to enroll in certificate programs in Museum Studies and potentially Preservation Studies. This will allow for increased inter-departmental interactions for both AR graduate students and faculty, and contribute to the sorts of authentic interdisciplinary research programs that must be part of the future of the field. 10. How will you notify current students of the proposed changes and implement the requirements? How will you assure that current students are able to complete their programs under the requirements that were in place at the time of their matriculation? The department s Director of Graduate Studies has already circulated the proposed changes among all current graduate students, and held two open meetings to seek input and answer questions. Upon administrative approval, the department will post the new program requirements on the departmental website, and notify all current graduate students of the change. The DGS will again meet with all students to explain the new program and to address any questions or concerns. 11. Please document any implications that the change has on professional accreditation or licensure at the program or school/college level: Not applicable 12. If the change includes a new course or courses, please indicate who will teach the course and how the rest of that faculty member s course load will be affected (redistributed, absorbed, etc.): The proposed curricula changes do not increase the number of courses required to be taught. The new core courses are designed so that they can be taught by different faculty members. They will not be owned by a particular faculty member. 13. Please list the resources needed including IT, new faculty, new staff, reassignment of faculty from existing courses to new ones (especially if the existing course(s) is not being removed from the bulletin), technology enhanced classrooms, office space, and other facilities. (Using the relevant template, please submit a budget even if no additional resources are needed): 5

6 The proposed changes require no new resources. 14. Please describe the budgetary impact that the proposed change will have: None 15. Please provide the bulletin copy related to the proposed academic change, listing ALL program requirements as you wish them to appear in the Bulletin: PhD in Archaeology The PhD in Archaeology is offered at both the post-baccalaureate (64 credit hours) and post-master s (32 credit hours) levels. Specializations are offered either in the archaeology of a specific area or time period, or in a broader subject, such as paleoenvironmental studies. Area studies include Old World prehistory, New and Old World historical archaeology, the Classical World, Egypt, and the Near East. Courses The post-baccalaureate and post-ma PhD require 64 credit hours including the following: AR 891, 892, 893, and 894. Beyond these required courses, students must take one area course focused well outside of the primary area of study, complete a minimum of eight credit hours of directed archaeological field and/or laboratory research, and complete a minimum of six credit hours of professional development training and/or course work. Post-MA students may petition for transfer of credits for up to 32 credit hours. The petition must be approved by the student s Advisory Committee as well as by the Graduate Studies Committee. Language Requirements Reading proficiency of two modern foreign languages or full fluency in one modern foreign language must be demonstrated by the end of the fourth semester. In the program of study, the specific language(s) and the mode for demonstrating proficiency must be detailed. Modern language courses may not be counted toward the fulfillment of the 64 required credit hours. Reading proficiency can be met by successfully completing a graduate reading course offered through a department at Boston University or by a written translation examination prepared by faculty members. Departmental foreign language exams will be offered once each semester. Examinations Qualifying examinations should be completed by the end of the student s sixth semester. The exams will comprise three components and may also include an oral examination. The components will typically focus on area specialization, methodology, and theoretical orientation. All components, including any 6

7 oral examination, are normally expected to be fulfilled within a single semester; they may be completed serially and at any time throughout that semester. Dissertation and Oral Examinations The Dissertation must present and describe original research carried out by the student in a chosen field of archaeology. This research should make an important contribution to knowledge of that field. Some or all of the original components of the dissertation may have been published in advance of the defense of the full dissertation. The dissertation must be defended in an oral examination conducted by at least five faculty members. 7