Application to the IA Graduate program requires:
A completed application form (sent to the Graduate School) with the application fee and official transcripts from all previous university study.
Results of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
general test. The TOEFL is required for students from countries
where the native language is not English.
A Statement of Purpose and writing sample,
both sent to the Director of Graduate Studies in IA.
Three letters of recommendation, sent to the
Director of Graduate Studies in IA.
We currently maintain an open-ended applications policy, with
no deadlines for receipt of applications, but we must make financial
support decisions in Spring. Therefore, to assure full consideration
for support in September, please complete your application by
March 1.
To request an application packet email Patrick Martin, pemartin@mtu.edu,
or call (906) 487-2070.
The application forms for admission to the IA program are also regarded as application forms for assistantships. All students admitted to the program are considered for these awards. Applications must be received by March 1 to be considered for support for the ensuing academic year. Recipients of awards are notified by letter as soon as the awards are made.
Most students in our program work as teaching assistants their first year and as research assistants in their second year. Teaching assistantships are awarded by the department, and include a stipend plus payment of tuition. For students holding a half-time teaching assistantship, the base stipend is currently $4,375 per semester. All duties associated with the appointment are expected to total not more than twenty hours per week.
Research assistantships, usually associated with a specific research grant or contract, are awarded by the professor supervising the research activity, in consultation with the IA graduate committee. The appointment is usually for the academic year, but frequently includes the summer term, as well. The award includes a stipend and payment of tuition. The stipend levels are the same as teaching assistantships.
The IA program views assistantships as a means of attracting qualified and motivated students, and supporting them during their graduate studies. Currently all of our full-time graduate students are receiving some type of assistantship, a pattern that has held for the past several years. While we cannot guarantee future arrangements, we make a significant effort to help find financial support for successful graduate students.
Additional information about financial assistance is available from the graduate school at http://www.mtu.edu/gradschool/admissions/financial/
Michigan Tech's Industrial Archaeology program has a strong applied aspect designed to give students the tools to succeed in future work. Course work includes specific practical and professional skills in addition to theoretical and intellectual content. Thesis projects are often developed in conjunction with outside sponsors, and incorporate real-world situations concerned with site identification, interpretation, preservation, and management. Our 30+ graduates since 1993 have moved successfully into professional positions and/or Ph.D. programs for further education.
Our program logically leads to four potential career trajectories:
To date, all of our graduates who have applied to Ph.D. programs have been accepted, and have gone to programs at Brown University, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nevada-Reno (2), and University of Arizona (2). Several graduates have accepted jobs with State or regional museums as curators or site historians. For example, one graduate became curator at Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama and has since moved on to the Detroit Historical Museums. One is employed as curator at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum, another is historian at the Soudan Mines State Park in Minnesota, and a third works as an archaeologist with the New York State Museum. Other government agencies that have hired our graduates include the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, Oklahoma State Historical Society, the Historic American Engineering Record/National Park Service, and the US Forest Service. In addition, several program graduates have gone on to successful careers in private CRM firms throughout the USA.
Questions If you have additional questions about the application process or specific aspects of the program please feel free to contact:
Dr. Patrick Martin, Director of Graduate Studies in IA
Dept. of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI, 49931 - (906) 487-2070, email Patrick Martin at pematin@mtu.edu