Master's Program
A graduate student in Anthropology or any other graduate program at UCI has the option of obtaining an interim MA in either Anthropology or MSTS, but not both.
-----
UC Irvine offers a Master of Arts in Social Sciences with a concentration in Medicine, Science, and Technology Studies (known as the M.A. in MSTS). This M.A. concentration is housed in the Department of Anthropology and prepares students to respond to the significant and rapidly changing impact of science, medicine, and technology upon economies and societies around the world. The degree is designed to provide students with skills that can be applied to future careers in a variety of venues, including academia, medicine or public health, the nonprofit sector, and technology industries.
The M.A. in MSTS program requires a total of nine courses (36 units) and is available to currently-enrolled graduate students at UC Irvine. The M.A. in MSTS is no longer available as a stand-alone, terminal degree program.
Admissions and Concurrent Enrollment
Current doctoral students at the UC Irvine main campus do not need to apply for separate
admission to the M.A. in MSTS program. Instead, they declare their intent to complete
the M.A. by applying for M.A. in MSTS advancement to candidacy at least one quarter
before the anticipated M.A. degree quarter. Advancement to candidacy for the M.A.
in MSTS is subject to approval by the Dean of the candidate’s home school. Students
at the UCI Medical School and Law School are not eligible for concurrent enrollment
in the M.A. in MSTS program.
Students may begin taking classes toward the M.A. in MSTS at any time during their
doctoral degree enrollment and may apply to advance to candidacy for the M.A. in MSTS
at any point before completing their doctoral degree.
Double Counting Courses
For students within the School of Social Sciences, courses taken to earn the M.A. in MSTS may "double count" for both M.A. and Ph.D. requirements. However, courses may not be double-counted for both the M.A. in MSTS and another M.A. program. For example, Anthropology 204A, the Proseminar in Medicine, Science, and Technology, may be counted toward both the M.A. in MSTS and the Ph.D. in Anthropology. However, it may not be counted toward both the M.A. in MSTS and the M.A. in Anthropology. Graduate students in Anthropology or any other graduate program at UCI have the option of obtaining an interim MA in either Anthropology or MSTS, but not both.
Comprehensive Exam
All students intending to complete the M.A. in MSTS program must successfully complete the comprehensive exam.
M.A. in MSTS vs. Graduate Specialization in Anthropologies of Medicine, Science, and Technology
Please note that the M.A. in Social Sciences (Medicine, Science, and Technology Studies) degree is a separate program from the Graduate Specialization in Anthropologies of Medicine, Science, and Technology. Both programs build on the research strengths of faculty in the Department of Anthropology. The Specialization is also available to current Ph.D. students and requires the completion of four courses. After completing the Ph.D. requirements of their home departments, students may append “Specialization in Anthropologies of Medicine, Science, and Technology” to their curricula vitae. The M.A. in MSTS is a more extensive degree program that requires the completion of nine courses and a comprehensive exam.
Approved Graduate Courses in the Anthropology Department
The following Anthropology graduate courses are examples of those that may be counted
as electives toward the M.A. in MSTS. Specific course offerings vary from year to
year.
*Indicates courses planned to be offered in the 2019-20 academic year. Please consult
the schedule of classes for final listings.
215A: Ethnographic Methods
229A: Anthropology of Knowledge
232B: Medical Anthropology
240A: Economic Anthropology 249A: Humanism and Posthumanism
249B: Multispecies Anthropology
250A: The Cultural Politics of Visual Representation
250B: Digital Tech, Culture, and Media
252A: Queer Anthropology 253A: Design, Aesthetics, and Social Life 257A: Natures and
Environments 289: Variable topics courses with approval of the Graduate Director
Approved Upper-Division Undergraduate Courses in the Anthropology Department
Up to two approved Anthropology undergraduate courses may be counted as electives
toward the M.A. in MSTS. Specific course offerings vary from year to year, but sample
courses include the following:
125B: Ecological Anthropology
125F: Humans and Other Animals
128B: Race, Gender, and Science 128C: Digital Cultures 132A: Psychological Anthropology
134A: Medical Anthropology 134F134G: HIV/AIDS in Global Context
139: Anthropology of Biomedicine and Biotechnology
Students may petition for additional courses to be counted as electives.
-----
Resources
Schedule of Classes
Social Sciences Graduate Office
Society for Medical Anthropology
Society for the Social Studies of Science