How to Become an Archaeologist

According to Indiana Jones and the movie world, archaeology is filled with constant excitement. In reality, however, the excavation process is slow and tedious, often involving strenuous physical work in grueling heat. For those in the field, the possibility of discovering artifacts from past civilizations is thrilling, regardless of the conditions.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Graduate School Catalogs And Applications

1. Take numerous courses in history, anthropology, geology, geography and human physiology during your undergraduate years. Your bachelor's degree can be in history, anthropology or archaeology, depending on your school's offerings. The field is extremely competitive, so make certain your grades are excellent.

2. Apply to graduate schools that are currently involved in major archaeological digs. Remember that money for excavations comes from grants, and that a school must have an excellent reputation in order to receive this type of funding.

3. Ask to work on your professors' archaeological digs once you have begun working toward your master's degree. Expect the work to be menial but necessary for your future.

4. Work in museums or on local excavations, if possible, and by assisting professors during the school year.

5. Obtain the mandatory Ph.D. as soon as you can. The degree is necessary for a university teaching position, which is what most archaeologists do when they are not involved in a dig.

6. Make yourself known in the field by writing well enough to have your articles published in journals. That will add to your strengths when you apply for grants. It is also required of full professors.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep up-to-date by reading archaeological journals regularly.
• Jobs for archaeologists may also exist in museums.
• Corporations hire archaeologists when artifacts are discovered in construction sites, halting progress.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Earn your degree from industry experts at University of Phoenix. Take the next step in your career.

[ssrrapper]

on 12/7/2009 Attn. TheBridge1224,

You can still do it. Just use your GED to get into community college & get an associate's degree in history. Then use your credits to transfer to a four university like Ohio State, Florida State, Univ. Of California, NYU, etc....whatever's close to you. Just make sure it's an accredited university, not some school nobody's ever heard of. Also make sure your community college credits transfer to the four year school. (That one's important!) Your advisor at community college should tell you what will transfer & what won't.

[phoenixarrande]

on 7/15/2009 i am 15 and i plan on being 1 but i didn't know i would have to become a PROFESSOR too..........i'm not so great at teaching.......but i don't want to pick another field either beacause i know that archaeology is my calling......what to do what to do?

[TheBridge1224]

on 12/6/2008 Well. i am 21yrs old and have always wanted to be an archaeologist. I the problem is I made a few mistake as far as school and on top of that I have only gotten a GED...
So my question would be is it still possible, if I work uber hard, to still do this?

[StreetBloggers]

on 11/4/2008 My childhood dream job, Missed that boat I guess but thank you

[tifa101]

on 11/3/2008 I've always wanted to be an archeologist, but I hate sitting in class for years on end. I wonder if there is a way to be needed by archeologists because you know something about history that they don't, and they ask you to come to their excavation. You would be like an unliscensed archeologist. I think that would be more fun, as well as risky, than being a liscensed one. People have been led to believe archeologists dodge bullets and giant boulders in temples, but I haven't seen one yet saying they've done these things. Is it really just a bunch of digging for months and never really having much fun? I agree an ancient find is quite exciting, and I've always wanted to find one myself. But is that really enough? I wonder if there's just one out there that has had the Indiana Jones adventures..

[e-mail]