Introduction
"Ph.D. students in industrial archeology are beginning to emerge…There are not yet enough of them…."
Marilyn Palmer, University of Leicester in, "Archeology or Heritage Management: The Conflict of Objectives in the Training of Industrial Archeologists," IA vol. 26, no. 2 (2000): 54.
In fall 2005, the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Tech launched a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Industrial Heritage and Archeology, building upon a successful and unique Masters program in industrial archeology (IA). About that program, one observer commented, "[A]lthough a number of U.S. institutions of higher learning offer programs of study in archeology, only Michigan Technological University offers a degree specifically in industrial archaeology. MTU's Master of Arts program stresses an interdisciplinary approach to the field that includes the study of archaeology, historic preservation, the history of technology, and anthropology." (William Crandall, Alan Rowe, and John A. Parnell, "New Frontiers in Management Research: The Case for Industrial Archeology," The Coastal Business Journal 2, no. 1 (Fall 2003): 57 .) Indeed, only a handful of schools in the world --most notably the Ironbridge Institute in England-- offer graduate degrees in this field.
The Department's faculty is committed to expanding this program of study to the doctoral level. We see an opportunity emerging for graduates who are broadly prepared to study and interpret the history of industry and work through its material culture, and who possess an understanding of intellectual issues related to heritage studies and cultural resource management. Our efforts are in line with the suggestion of Marilyn Palmer quoted above, that a need exists for Ph.D. holders in this area of study.
