POIs, statement of purpose, and research interests

[s3raph1m]

Okay, so I'm intending on getting my MA in archaeology. I do not want to make the decision to do a PhD program at this time. Essentially, I want to get my masters and then work in archaeology or a related field for awhile before making the decision of whether or not I want to continue on to a PhD. I'm already working on developing my list of schools to apply for and I know what sort of courses I'd like to take/what subfields of anthro/archaeology/regions of the world I'm interested in. I'm wondering how different applying for a terminal MA is when compared to applying for a PhD. I know with a PhD you need to have a fairly good idea of where your research interests lie, but how far do I need to take that when applying for the MA? Do I need a POI? I mean... I imagine a lot of MAs in archaeology offer a lot of similar courses and I'd only be going to school at most two years to get the degree. I know I'm interested in bioarchaeology, osteology, and prehistoric archaeology (hunter gatherer tribes and native Americans). My region of interest is in the southwestern US and Meso-America. How much more do I need?

[Ajtz'ihb]

How much more do I need?

I think that's enough--the whole point of a Master's degree is to expose you to the ideas that interest you in greater depth and allow you to develop a little more focus. While a POI is useful for this, I think at the Master's level your focus should be more squarely on the program as a whole: look for places with faculty and facilities that match your range of interests to give yourself maximum room to explore.

I imagine a lot of MAs in archaeology offer a lot of similar courses

This is true but only to a point. Most MAs should offer general courses in theory and maybe a handful of more specific methodological courses (GIS, geoarchaeology, etc.). That said, there are some programs that have really good topical offerings and others that don't. If you're thinking seriously about continuing to a PhD in the future, I would try to place yourself in a Master's program that offers topical courses that interest you--they'll introduce you to new literature (which is always helpful) and keep your critical thinking skills sharp.

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I never got a terminal MA so I can't tell you how different your application needs to be. But I will say that, in general, you should target your application to an entire program rather than to a single POI--this is true even at the PhD level.

Hope that helps.

[s3raph1m]

That actually does help. I know that I don't have enough experience in the field to have developed any extremely specific research interests. I have a range of interests. Thanks for the clarification. I've mostly been looking at course lists for Master's programs and descriptions of the program. For example, I know that Rice University in Houston offers a terminal MA primarily for those looking to do field work in Africa and offer courses like "African Prehistory," along with courses in archaeology and some methodological courses. To be honest, I haven't been looking at faculty very much.  I'll change that now though.