In North America and throughout much of the rest of the world, modern land use continually threatens evidence of past land use. Most archaeological excavations are conducted as cultural resource management (CRM), so it is essential that all researchers who work with archaeological data and individuals committed to site preservation have a basic understanding of CRM. Students who choose this emphasis learn about the field and about how to address related ethical issues as well as technical and theoretical challenges.

The cultural resource and heritage management emphasis requires 15 s.h. (five courses): a fundamental overview course, two area electives, a technical/practical elective, and a field school course. Students may use some of these courses to satisfy requirements for the major, such as the course in archaeology and the electives.