Have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university with a major in anthropology. Applicants with a major in a related field (such as biology, sociology, geology, classics, history, historic preservation, or geography) will be considered only if they have a formal minor in anthropology or its equivalent (introductory courses in archaeology, cultural anthropology, and biological anthropology plus 5 additional upper-division courses in Anthropology).
Have an undergraduate GPA of 3.50 in the major, 3.30 overall.
If applying to the concentration in Mediterranean archaeology, have completed appropriate undergraduate courses in archaeology or anthropology, with an anthropology minor preferred.
Make formal online application to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Office of Graduate Admissions. Transcripts should be sent directly to Graduate Admissions. Instructions for submitting three letters of recommendation, which are required, can be found in the online application. In addition, the prospective student should upload a letter of intentindicating career goals and reasons for selecting the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and one sample of his or her written work (a class paper or research report).
Applications for admission must be submitted complete by 1 December for consideration for admission the following year.
Specify that they are applying for admission to the MA program, and state the concentration (archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, Mediterranean archaeology) they will pursue.


Minimum score requirements for admission to the Graduate School are:
a total score of 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT),
a total score of 550 or equivalent on the paper-based TOEFL (PBT), or
a 6.5 overall band score on the IELTS.