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General Description / Special Programs
Based in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine (which awards the degree) the Master of Science in Medical Anthropology & Cross-Cultural Practice (MACCP) is a two-year, full-time program requiring research methods and theory courses, seven electives, an eight-month service-learning internship in the student’s potential field site, intensive summer fieldwork, training in data analysis and ethnographic writing, and professional development workshops. Students also attend the weekly Research-In-Progress meeting in the Department of Family Medicine, with clinician researchers. (Students can opt to participate in the program on a half-time basis.) The overall goal of the MACCP program is to provide interdisciplinary training in medical anthropology and cross-cultural research, advocacy and/or clinical practice. The curriculum has been designed to provide students with a solid foundation in the theory and methods of medical anthropological and qualitative research, and in the student’s own area of concentration. The combination of a core curriculum and elective courses allows students to design a program tailored to their specific needs and career plans. • Theory and its application to medical anthropological research • Research design and related proposal development for BU School of Medicine Institutional Review Board (ethics committee) review • Qualitative and anthropological research and fieldwork methods • Proposal development for funding applications • The student’s own area of research concentration • Skill and career-development workshops • Techniques for translating medical anthropological research into clinical interventions and services • Original research experiences, resulting in a master’s thesis that emphasizes the integration of medical anthropology with the student’s own discipline and career goals. The thesis, on a topic of the student’s choice, must demonstrate a solid research design; engagement in fieldwork with the collection of related data; data analysis skills; the effective application of theory; and well written ethnographic results. By the time students complete their program they should be able to demonstrate: • Advanced knowledge of the history and breadth of medical anthropology theory and its application in research; • An ability to design and propose an original fieldwork research project for Institutional Review Board review and funding agencies, including the us
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Tuition Info
For the most up to date information on tuition and fees, please visit www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/students/financing-options. We provide every student admitted to the program with a Tuition-Reduction Provost’s Scholarship equivalent to the cost of one of the four semesters.
Degrees
Degrees Offered MS
Highest Degree Offered MA/MS
AA/AS Field Areas
Anthropology
Applied Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Medical Anthropology
MA/MS Field Areas
Applied Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology
Medical Anthropology
Experience Offered
Internship
MA/MS
MA/ MS Requirements Required Seminars: History and Theory of Medical Anthropology (Parts 1 & 2), Medical Anthropological & Qualitative Research Methods and Design, IRB Proposal Development and Writing, Service Learning Internship, Summer Fieldwork (Parts 1 & 2), Medical Anthropological & Qualitative Data Analysis, Reading Ethnography in Medical Anthropology, Writing Ethnography in Medical Anthropology, Final Writing Project (Parts 1 & 2). Electives: Seven elective course are required. A minimum of 3 must be selected from those offered within the program. Students also have the option to pursue a 3- or 4-credit independent directed study project within MACCP or to take an elective course from any of those offered within the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. Up to 12 elective credits can be taken in other parts of the university (e.g., the School of Public Health).
MA/MS Specializations Medical Anthropology, Applied Anthropology
Internship / Grants / Funding
Internships Available 1
Internship Required 0
Internship Info Throughout their first year, all students are required to do a Service-Learning Internship in their potential fieldwork site. Students develop their Service Learning Internship sites, mentored by the Service Learning Internship Program (SLIP) coordinator and the student’s program advisor. All placements must be in the Boston region, and can include such sites as clinical settings; non-profit agencies; advocacy organizations; and religious centers, among others.
Support Opportunities We provide each student with a Provost’s Tuition-Reduction Scholarship for full-time study (awards for half-time students are pro-rated accordingly). The program website also provides links to other funding sources for which students may want to apply.
Program Details
Research Facilities African Studies Center with extensive library holdings, computer center; International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History; Institute on Culture, Religion & World Affairs; Pardee Center for Global Studies
Library Resources Alumni Medical Library; Mugar Library; department library
Certs Offered 0
Contacts
Affiliations
All university-based: School of Public Health; School of Medicine; Anthropology Department (joint undergraduate minor); Division of Graduate Religious Studies; African Studies Center; Women's Studies; Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs; Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations; Pardee Center for Global Studies
Online Courses
Online Courses: 0
Application Deadlines
Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. Those wishing to begin the program in the fall should complete their application by no later than July 1, particularly if they will need to relocate. Those wishing to begin in the spring must complete their application by November 1. International students must submit a completed application no later than June 30th. To apply to the program, please visit www.bu.edu/gms and click on Admissions.
Club / Honor Society
Anthropology Club: 0
Lambda Alpha Chapter: 0