Choosing the best archaeology program depends on the type of archaeology, course offerings, job and internship opportunities, faculty experience, and degree awarded. Different schools have varying approaches based on location and student interests. Fieldwork is important for hands-on experience and job opportunities. Graduate degrees lead to more responsibility and teaching positions.
You can choose the best archeology program based on the specific type of archeology you want to study, the scope of course offerings, and the possible archeology job and internship opportunities that may open up after completing your initial archeology course. A reputable archeology program will often have faculty with a lot of field experience as historians or archaeologists. Many comprehensive archeology degree programs provide students with solid foundations in cultural studies, various topics in anthropology, and accepted practices for excavating various historical artifacts.
Different colleges often have varying approaches to their archeology degree programs, based on faculty training, school location, and sometimes student interests. An archeology program in a coastal region may have more emphasis on underwater archeology topics along with the historical anthropology of the local area. Other schools may have opportunities for archaeological studies of specific historical cultures, such as ancient Rome or medieval Europe. The best type of archeology program for you should ideally be with course topics that capture your passion and interest, because you will typically spend at least four years studying them in depth.
The right type of degree awarded is another deciding factor as to which type of archeology program is best for you. Many community or vocational colleges offer two-year archeology degrees that will provide a good foundation for transferring to a four-year archeology program. A two-year degree may only qualify you for limited job opportunities in that field; therefore, additional studies are normally required if you want to move to many museum or excavation site positions. Programs that award advanced graduate degrees in your specific concentration in archeology typically qualify you for jobs with more responsibility and more rewards. A graduate degree is usually a prerequisite for teaching archeology at the college level.
Fieldwork is a feature of many good archeology programs as it provides students with comprehensive hands-on experience locating, excavating, and preserving delicate artifacts at different dig sites. Undergraduate students who complete their archeology degree with this type of hands-on course are often more likely to be hired for many jobs or internships shortly after graduation. A high-quality archeology degree program usually has a good balance of classroom learning, field experience, and laboratory sessions to learn how to analyze recovered artifacts. You may also need to submit a final project or researched thesis as a requirement for graduation into one of these programs.
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