The practicum is the major independent project that students undertake in order to complete the master's in applied anthropology. It involves completing a significant research project that will be of practical benefit to some organization or agency. Students must design and carry out a project that utilizes the skills in applied anthropology that they gained through their master's program coursework. The project has two kinds of outcomes:

• A practical application that benefits the organization or agency that is their client
• A report to the department of anthropology, submitted both as a written document and a verbal presentation

The practicum is similar to a traditional master's thesis in that it represents a substantial effort on the student's part. It is different in that the student's project will always be directed toward the needs of a client.

Some students may conduct their practicum projects for established practicing anthropologists in their field of interest. In other cases, clients will come from another background, but they will recognize the value that the perspective of applied anthropology can bring to their organization. Clients will generally hold fairly senior positions in their organization.

In many cases, students may choose to find an organization in the community they live in. Some students who work full-time may choose to conduct their practicum for the organization that already employs them.

The key to a successful practicum experience is excellent three-way communication between the student, their faculty advisor, and their practicum client. The department has a set of guidelines to assist everyone in building this triangular relationship. Students prepare for the practicum by taking ANTH 5050, Pre-Practicum.

List of Completed Practicum Projects

Student: Shimaa Dessouky
Project: Needs Assessment of Survivors of Torture and Service Providers in Texas
Client: Center for Survivors of Torture
Graduation: December 2008

Student: Bryan Shaw
Project: Community-Based Health Needs Assessment: Mannan Tribal Community in Kozhimala Village, Kerala State, India
Client: Year Out India
Graduation: December 2008

Student: Lauri Lillie
Project: Empowering Families: Assessing Impacts of Homeownership for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity
Client: Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity
Graduation: December 2008

Student: Kelsey Grubbs
Project: Experiences and Perceptions of San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer Fans
Client: San Jose Earthquakes
Graduation: December 2008

Student: Cory Timmons
Project: Sisterhood for Change Pilot Project Evaluation
Client: Kisumu Medical & Education Trust (K-MET)
Graduation: December 2008

Student: Whitney Williams
Project: A Program Evaluation of Scholastic’s Read 180 Program at McKinney North High School
Client: McKinney North High School
Graduation: December 2008

Student: Lauren Travis
Project: Growing Native: Assessing Denton Homeowner Knowledge and Attitudes toward the Use of Native Plants
Client: Keep Denton Beautiful
Graduation: May 2008

Student: Emily Goodfellow
Project: How do VA Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients View Their Quality of Life?
Client: Dallas VA Medical Center
Graduation: May 2008

Student: Josh Lively
Project: Recruiting Ethnic Minority Students at a North Texas Community College
Client: North Central Texas College (NCTC)
Graduation: May 2008

Student: Megan Bannon
Project: Maximizing the Online Anthropology Tool with Rapp Collins: A 360º Review
Client: Rapp Collins Worldwide
Graduation: December 2007

Student: Pedrameh Manoochehri
Project: Creative Solutions: An Evaluation
Client: Big Thought and Creative Solutions Program
Graduation: December 2007

Student: Brian Canny
Project: Technology Training in Denton: An Evaluation of Computer Training Classes in Denton, Texas
Client: Denton Community Library and Denton Public Library
Graduation: December 2007

Student: John Garland
Project: Education Levels and Perceptions Among African American Homeless Males
Client: City of Dallas: Environmental and Health Services
Graduation: December 2007

Student: Mohammadali Zolfagharian
Project: Challenges Facing the Franchise Community
Client: David Omholt: The Entrepreneur Authority
Graduation: December 2007

Student: Rocky D. Crocker
Project: An Organizational Study of a Growing Business
Client: Superior Trailer Sales Company
Graduation: August 2007

Student: Andrea Robledo
Project: Latinos/as in Leadership: Participatory Action Research with Latino/a Organizations at the University of North Texas
Client: Multicultural Center at the University of North Texas
Graduation: August 2007

Student: Bryan Sisson
Project: Ethnography on Suicide Prevention: An Informative Assessment of the Peers Helping Peers Program
Client:
Graduation: August 2007

Student: Roxanna Manoochehri
Project: Justice for All? A South Dallas Community's Perceptions of the Legal System
Client: Central Dallas Ministries, Legal Action Works program
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Jara Carrington
Project:
Client: Human Rights Initiative of North Texas
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Steven D. Gomez
Project: Implementing Best Practices: Program Evaluation and Program Development for an American Indian Gestational Diabetes Program
Client: Diabetes Care Center, Chickasaw Nation Health System, Ada, Oklahoma
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Nicole A. Matheny
Project: Traditional Healing and Biomedicine among Latinos in Denton, Texas: Beliefs, Practices, and Barriers
Client: Denton County Health Department
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Andrea McCoy
Project: A Trend Analysis of Notebook Computer Use by College Students
Client: Dell, Inc.
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Kelly Moran
Project: Designing Products and Work Practices with Pitney Bowes: Marketing Services for Small-Spend Advertisers
Client: Pitney Bowes
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Michael Neil Mansfield
Project: Nature Evaluation in the Big Thicket
Client: Big Thicket Association
Graduation: May 2007

Student: David Howard
Project: Better Understanding Ourselves and Our Clients - A Community Needs Assessment for a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community Based Organization
Client: The Resource Center of Dallas, Gay & Lesbian Community Center
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Yvette Justice
Project: A Cultural Evaluation of the Players in the Dallas Metroplex: Project Usability Study for Dungeons and Dragons
Client: Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.
Graduation: May 2007

Student: Tracy Tessmann
Project: Cultural Adaptation of the Spanish Translation of Parkland's Pocket Guide to HIV Care: Assessment of Use by Texas-Mexico Border Physicians
Client: AIDS Education and Training Centers
Graduation: December 2006

Student: Emily Graves
Project: Intimacy, Alcohol, and Stigma: HIV Prevention Barriers and Needs Among Men Who Have Sex with Men
Client: Denton County Health Department
Graduation: August 2006

Student: Melanie White
Project: Facilitated Learning in a Science Museum: The Impact of the Meadows Educators at the Science Place
Client: The Science Place – Dallas, Texas
Graduation: August 2006

Student: Naomi Meier
Project: Bottle or Breast: An Anthropological Investigation of the Infant Feeding Decisions Made by Prenatal and Postpartum Clients at the Denton, TX WIC Clinic
Client: Denton County WIC Program
Graduation: August 2006

Student: Gene Luster
Project: Mission and Vision: Members' perceptions of the Denton Chamber of Commerce
Client: Denton Chamber of Commerce
Graduation: August 2006

Student: Rodney Bales
Project: A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Wrap-around Services for Children Experiencing a Serious Emotional Disturbance Diagnosis
Client: The City of Fort Worth Public Health Department
Graduation: August 2006

Student: Michael Foitek
Project: Evaluation of the City of Denton's Mosquito Control Campaign
Client: The City of Denton Information Office
Graduation: May 2006

Student: Ethan McGaffey
Project: Feeding the Family: Prices Paid for Subsistence Salmon near the Upper Copper River, Alaska
Client: Partners in Fisheries, Alaska Fish and Game
Graduation: May 2006

Student: Kiera Thaden
Project: Didactic vs. Constructivist: An Analysis of Two Label-Types at the Gyro Chair Exhibit
Client: The Science Place
Graduation: December 2005

Student: Liya Aklilu
Project: Assessing the Activities Resource Center: An Evaluation for the International Rescue Committee
Client: International Rescue Committee
Graduation: August 2005

Student: Pamela O. Brown
Project: Creating a Sex Education Program for Somali Bantu Women
Client: Refugee organization in the North Texas area
Graduation: May 2005

Student: Violet Sparks
Project: Homelessness in Denton County: Needs Assessment and Homeless Management Information Systems
Client: City of Denton
Graduation: December 2004

Student: Stephen Brown
Project: Community Integration and Resource Development: Landmine Removal Fundraising
Client: Dallas Peace Center
Graduation: December 2004

Student: Jason Swartwood
Project: Bajito Onda: A Grassroots Movement for Peace as an Alternative to Violence
Client: Bajito Onda
Graduation: December 2004

Student: Sandra Tyson
Project: Access to Health Care for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Participatory Action Research Project
Client: Texas Association of the Deaf
Graduation: December 2004

Student: Sarah Barraza
Project: Migrant Education: Giving Hispanic Students a Voice
Client: Denton Independent School District
Graduation: December 2003

Student: Diane Naylor
Project: Somali Bantu in Dallas, Texas: Health Practices and Resettlement Issues
Clients: Parkland Hospital Outreach Clinic
Graduation: December 2003

Student: Albert Schott
Project: Evaluation of Dallas Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center
Client: Salvation Army
Graduation: December 2002

Student: Pei-fang Chuang
Project: Website User Research
Client: UNT Anthropology Department and UNT Multimedia Development Lab
Graduation: August 2002

Student: Anduamlak Meharie
Project: Evaluation of the NSF/UNT Summer Research Methods Project
Client: UNT and the National Science Foundation
Graduation: May 2002

For more detailed information on the Practicum, see our Graduate Student Handbook (.pdf).