Missouri State University’s Dr. Scott Worman presented the anthropology program’s High Impact Educational Experience (HIEE) success rates at the Society for American Archaeology annual conference. The conference was held April 29-May 3 in San Francisco, California.

Worman is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG). He also serves as the department’s anthropology program coordinator.

In “Dig Up Opportunity in Your Backyard: Accessible Field Training for Undergraduates,” Worman discussed how adopting commuter field schools has allowed Missouri State students to engage with multiple HIEEs. This solution provides hands-on training in archaeology as well as how the university makes that training accessible to students.

Commuter field schools offer numerous benefits, Worman said. Students enjoy a range of scheduling options that accommodate their busy lives. As “work-integrated learning experiences,” field schools also encourage sustained engagement with surrounding communities and create “school-to-career pipelines” for graduates.

“Completing an archaeological field school is required for someone to be able to begin working as a professional archaeologist,” Worman said. “So these field schools open the door to careers.”

Worman collaborated with Dr. Elizabeth Sobel, professor of anthropology, and Kevin Cupka Head, director of the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) for the research and presentation.

Data reveals high success rates

For his research, Worman compiled experiential data numbers by reviewing the transcripts of all majors who graduated between Fall 2024 and Spring 2026. Doing this helped him determine how many students completed HIEEs.

The results fascinated and surprised Worman. He found that 94.3% of graduating majors during that period completed one or more HIEEs. Additionally, 62.9% completed two or more HIEEs, 25.7% completed three or more, and 8.6% completed four or more.

“I was amazed to learn that such a high proportion of our students complete one or more of these HIEEs,” he said. “It compares very favorably to the statistics that small, expensive liberal arts colleges brag about.”

HIEE types highlight program’s variety

Missouri State’s anthropology program offers several HIEEs. They include an ethnographic field school (ANT 321), the archaeological field school (ANT 351), the Friday field experience class (ANT 490), an internship (ANT 499), a faculty-directed independent study (ANT 596 or 599) and a study abroad led by one of SAG’s faculty. With faculty guidance and permission, students can also designate other appropriate learning experiences as ANT 490.

When he broke down the data by HIEE type, Worman found even more interesting results. Nearly 66% of recent graduates completed the archaeological field school. Meanwhile, 31.4% completed the field experience class, 42.9% completed an internship, 31.4% completed an independent study, and 25.7% completed a study abroad.

“The program has had various kinds of experiential learning activities for decades,” Worman said. “I have records of archaeological field schools going back to 1974.”

According to Worman, Missouri State was one of the first universities in the country to be recognized by the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) for its curriculum, which trains students to be professional archaeologists. ACRA is an association of companies that offers professional archaeological services.

Program reinforces public affairs mission

Worman believes SAG’s training programs tie into the university’s public affairs mission in several ways.

“We work with local communities in our research, and we share the results in various public settings,” he said. “The Friday field training program is a partnership with Missouri’s State Historic Preservation Office and generates data they use to better manage cultural resources [from] historical and archaeological sites throughout the state.”

In addition, the department partners with Missouri’s state parks for some programs. It also trains students for careers in cultural resource management (CRM). “CRM projects are all designed to produce a public good in one form or another,” he explained.

Based on his research, Worman sees how combining variety, flexibility and affordability with meaningful community engagement creates success for both students and the university.

“I think the results are among the things showing that we have an excellent program in anthropology,” Worman said.

Study anthropology @ Mo State

Photos provided by Scott Worman.

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