collageWhen most people go to college they pick a major, graduate and get a job in that field. Some majors only offer certain types of jobs and most don’t give you too many choices. On the other hand, most archaeology graduates can work in many different settings with many different employers. Archaeology degrees offer unique careers and job opportunities so you can enjoy your education and your paycheck. As a student it’s important to know about these unique jobs that you can get with an archaeology degree or, for that matter, any major at all. I’ve compiled this list to help show people what jobs they can get with their degree. It will also show you what degree is best for your career choice.
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An archaeology degree can lead you directly into a variety of jobs within the heritage sector and you’ll also be valued by local government employers
Job options
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
- Academic researcher
- Archaeologist
- Conservator
- Heritage manager
- Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer
- Museum education officer
- Museum/gallery curator
- Museum/gallery exhibitions officer
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
- Archivist
- Cartographer
- Higher education lecturer
- Records manager
- Social researcher
- Tourism officer
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don’t restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.
Take a few minutes to answer the Job Match quiz and find out what careers would suit you
Work experience
Some employers of archaeologists will expect you to have experience in related areas so look for suitable opportunities. By doing this you’ll also show your commitment and genuine interest in the career.
Consider volunteering as a digger or check out opportunities with local museums and galleries and heritage organisations.
Volunteer work will introduce you to the demands of working outdoors, in all weather conditions. It’s an excellent way of demonstrating your physical fitness and resilience, as well as making sure the work is something you’ll enjoy as a career. Volunteering is also great for networking and making useful contacts.
Typical employers
Employers of archaeologists include:
- archaeological contractors
- independent archaeological consultants
- local government
- national heritage agencies
- private museums and charities
- university archaeology departments.
In addition, you can look for opportunities in the area of rescue archaeology. This can also be known as commercial, contract, compliance, preventive or salvage archaeology, and it takes place before any building work or land development.
Skills for your CV
During your degree, you’ll develop a mix of subject-specific and technical skills:
- applying theoretical and scientific principles and concepts to archaeological problems
- field work, post-excavation and laboratory techniques
- applying statistical and numerical techniques to process archaeological data
- interpretation of spatial data.
An archaeology course also equips you with skills to:
- work as a team member or leader through field and project work
- form structured arguments supported by evidence
- use various IT packages
- prepare and give oral presentations for different audiences
- retrieve information to produce written reports
- work methodically and accurately
- demonstrate attention to detail.
Further study
You can explore a range of specialist areas, such as human osteology and palaeopathology, as well as related subjects, like geophysics. A PhD is often necessary if you want to pursue a career in archaeological research or academia.
Improve your career prospects and keep your skills and knowledge up to date with distance learning and short courses. These are available through professional organisations, such as the:
- Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA)
- Council for British Archaeology (CBA)
Archaeology graduates also pursue courses of professional training in law, teaching, nursing and environmental health.
What do archaeology graduates do?
Social and humanities scientist is the most popular role for archaeology graduates working in the UK, with 14% engaged in this type of work.
| Destination | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Employed | 50.7 |
| Further study | 22.9 |
| Working and studying | 9 |
| Unemployed | 7.3 |
| Other | 10.1 |
Graduate destinations for archaeology
| Type of work | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Science | 18 |
| Retail, catering and bar staff | 17.3 |
| Secretarial and numerical clerks | 11.9 |
| Business, HR and finance | 9.5 |
| Other | 43.3 |
Is Being An Archaeologist A Good Career
Archaeology can be a great career, but it doesn’t pay very well, and there are distinct hardships to the life. Many aspects of the job are fascinating, though—in part because of the exciting discoveries that can be made.
For those interested in a career in archaeology, there are a number of different career paths and a wealth of specializations to consider. Archaeologists enjoy unique job perks, such as the opportunity to travel and meet new people, and one day is almost never like the next. Find out from a real archaeologist what this job is all about.
Employment Prospects
Currently, the main source for paid archaeological jobs is not at academic institutions but associated with heritage or cultural resource management. Archaeological investigations are conducted in the developed world every year because of CRM laws which were written to protect, among other things, archaeological sites. Access the latest United States Department of Labor Statistics to see more about jobs for archaeologists, in academia and out of it.FEATURED VIDEOhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.488.0_en.html#goog_13999759600 seconds of 1 minute, 6 secondsVolume 0% Where to Find Information on Potential Careers
An archaeologist can work on hundreds of archaeological sites over the course of their career. Archaeological projects vary a great deal in scope. In some cases, excavations at a single site can last years or decades, while in others, a few hours is all that’s required to record it and move on.
Archaeologists work everywhere in the world. In the US and most developed parts of the world, much archaeology is conducted by firms contracted with the federal and state governments as part of cultural resource management. In terms of academic archaeological endeavors, nearly everywhere in the world (with the exception of Antarctica) is visited by some archaeologist from somewhere at sometime.
Required Education
To succeed as an archaeologist, you need to be able to adapt to change fairly rapidly, think on your feet, write well, and get along with lots of different people.
The educational requirements for a career in archaeology vary because of the diversity of career paths available. If you plan to become a college professor, who teaches classes and conducts field schools in the summers, you will need a PhD. If you plan to run archaeological investigations as a Principal Investigator for a cultural resource management firm, who writes proposals and leads survey and/or excavation projects year-round, you will at least need an MA. There are other career paths to explore as well.
Archaeologists use math a lot in their work, as it is important to measure everything and calculate weights, diameters, and distances. All kinds of estimates are based on mathematical equations. In addition, from any one site, archaeologists could excavate thousands of artifacts. To be able to get a comprehensive understanding of that number of objects, archaeologists rely on statistics. To truly understand what you’re doing, you must understand what statistics to use when.
Some universities around the world are developing online courses, and there is at least one PhD program that is primarily online. Of course, archaeology has a large field component and that cannot be conducted online. For most archaeologists, their first excavation experience was at an archaeology field school. This is an opportunity to experience the work of an archaeologist in a real historical site setting, such as Plum Grove, the territorial home of the first governor of Iowa.
Archaeology Degree Worth It
Everything You Need To Know To Pursue This Exciting Career
Archaeology is the study of uncovering the roots of Human Civilization by investigating artifacts left behind by previous civilizations. Most people picture archaeologists digging up the earth with tools around them, but archaeology is much more than that.It has several branches, some of the more prominent ones are listed below. It is important to understand these branches before pursuing archaeology as a career path in India.
- Historic Archaeology – This branch deals with discovering and analyzing ancient artifacts, such as items used in everyday life of people in different civilizations; Household Utensils, Jewelry, Musical or Medical equipment, etc.
- Maritime Archaeology – The discovery of the lost city of Thonis- Heracleion, discovery of wrecked ships such as the Titanic are a few interesting examples of maritime archaeology. It tries to uncover the interaction of earlier humans with marine bodies.
- Urban Archaeology – It deals with understanding the plans and maps of historical cities in order to determine their importance as well as predict what artifacts they may find while digging such locations. This branch has helped us in understanding the great planning and structural facets of great cities such as Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
- Epigraphy – This branch of archaeology deals with identifying and analyzing inscriptions on documents, artifacts or stones in order to draw conclusions about their writers, their culture, and their historical importance.
- Museology – It deals with organizing, preserving, and restoring museums as well as museum curacy. This segment of archaeology focuses on giving meaning to our existence through the display and preservation of historical artifacts. It is the route through which society understands its history.
What to Study and Skills required to become an Archaeologist
To pursue archaeology as a career, it is advisable to opt for Humanities in Class 11th and 12th. Subjects such as History, Anthropology, and Sociology, etc. build a solid foundation for a career in archaeology. A bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology or History, and a master’s degree in Archaeology and Historical Studies is required to qualify and work as an Archaeologist. A Ph.D. provides better opportunities, and better pay. It opens up avenues in areas of research, academics and higher level positions in the Archaeological Survey of India.
Students who do not have (or did not opt for) humanities, and still want to pursue archaeology, can easily opt for humanities as a subject to major in. It is advisable to check for eligibility and curriculum of colleges, as every college has different criteria.
Archaeologists have an immense interest in one’s history and heritage, in preserving one’s roots, and a thirst to discover more. Apart from this, an observant mind, a knack for research, attention to detail, and being patient and resilient are all qualities that an archaeologist should possess.
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