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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Work in museums or on local excavations, if possible, and by assisting professors during the school year.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Comments
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certainly, archaeology is my passion.lm an archaeology student, but where can l get my attachment next year since zimbabwe is still underdeveloped?
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I like
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It is not necessary to receive your PhD in archaeology to do archaeology! If you want to stay in academia then, yes, you will need the PhD, but in reality 90% of archaeologist do contract work for Cultural Resource Management firms (U.S, called something differently in various countries). In that branch of archaeology you can do it with just a bachelors degree but if you want to move beyond just using your physical abilities in the field and actually run archaeological crews then a Masters is the minimum degree you should obtain.
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if only.
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yes Death the Kidd. He's epic.
