What colleges offer a good archaeology program?

Question

I am very interested in becoming an archaeologist. As of now I am a junior and have recently begun looking into colleges. I would like to know which colleges offer good archaeology or anthropology departments. Thanks for your help.

Answer 1

Most universities offer degrees solely in anthropology at the B.A. level, but it is possible to specialize in archaeology through your electives and any volunteer or job programs within your department. I suggest you look into a school that has a lab and field school opportunities. This is the best way to gain valuable experience in the field, and it will be very important if you decide to pursue a graduate degree. A smaller program is more advantageous than a larger one for obvious reasons.

I am currently working on my Master's degree at the University of Tennessee and while I have been rather unimpressed with the physical anthropology program and its professors, I would have to reccomend that you consider UT for its archaeology program. From what I've seen, many of the archaeology professors are very actively involved with their students. Granted, this is on the graduate level but there do seem to be some opportunities for the undergraduates as well. I have also heard wonderful things about the program at the University of West Florida. My undergrad advisor got his degrees at Texas A&M and the University of Texas. These are supposed to be wonderful schools too.

The best advice I can give you is to consider where you would like to go for college. Do you want to be close to home or do you want to move away? Once you decide on that, start looking up universities in those places and contact professors. Many places will even let you set up visits and get a tour not only of the campus but of the department as well. I cannot stress how important that is!

Answer 2

Honestly, the College of Charleston in South Carolina has a strong arabic program and fairly decent archaeology program. It is only offered as a minor, but the college offers majors in history, historic preservation, anthropology, geology, etc that work well in conjunction with the minor. Dr. Newhard, the head of the archaeology program takes students to Turkey every summer for a field school outside of Ankara. The college's anthropology program is closely ties to the Charleston museum, the oldest museum in the country and an organization with close ties to the British museum. Other than preliminary networking, undergrad schools are not really important in the long run. Graduate work is what counts in archaeology. EDIT: In the US, archaeology is a sub-field of anthropology. You will be hard-pressed to find a program that deals exclusively with archaeology and not at all with anthropology.

Answer 3

I would suggest going to a school that doesn't only have specialized (undergraduate) majors within the anthropology umbrella, rather the option to focus/concentrate your major on a particular area. A broad base in all fields of anthropology is incredibly helpful in understanding archaeology and context. Also, you may find that you are more interested in one area than another that you originally thought was what you wanted to do (I started out with a concentration in cultural anthro and moved to archaeology--something I had never really thought about before!).
As for schools...
http://www.studentsreview.com/rank_em.php3

Answer 4

Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA, has an excellent undergraduate program in field archaeology.

Your selection of a school would depend on your area of specialization, if you have one so far. Pick up a copy of "Archeaology" magazine at any of the larger bookstores -- some of the schools have ads. Check with your school counselor also for federal publications that list summer and internship programs in Archaeology -- these are a good means to get some first hand experience in the field.

Answer 5

It would depends on where you eventually want to work, but if you are interested in Classical Archaeology (Greece and Rome), you couldn't go wrong with the University of Chicago. If you are interested in the American Southwest like myself, I would recommend Northern Arizona University, New Mexico State, or the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Answer 6

Review page 1, and click on red writing on bottom of page to view prerequisites before beginning your major directed classes and getting your BA.

You will also need to attend graduate school for your Masters.

Anything worth having is Never easy, hang in there and have fun. College tuition fees: $250,000.00... college books: $42,000.00... being an Archaeologist: priceless.

Answer 7

Check with your local library to see if they have a copy of Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges. It has an index of majors and the colleges offering them.

Answer 8

kansas & cornell

Answer 9

go to egypt or spain for that

Answer 10

chicago
philadelphia