Major: Archaeology
History is a puzzle made up of a million different pieces -- from buildings to bones, from dishes to armor. It’s up to archaeologists to find these pieces and fit them together into a picture of the past.
As an archaeology major, you'll study more than ancient societies such as the Mayans, Egyptians, and Greeks. You'll also search for answers to questions of the more recent past. You might, for example, explore the remains of a Tabasco hot sauce factory in Louisiana, sift through the South Dakota dirt to learn about life in the Old West, or dive underwater to study a sunken riverboat.
As an archaeology major, you’ll learn how to dig out historic objects. You’ll also learn how to use these objects to come up with ideas about ancient cultures and the past of present-day cultures.
“[The dig in Israel] was the best experience. You meet people from all over the world, and you're dirty and tired and joking around … I found a large ceramic vessel from around eight thousand years ago.”
Ashley, senior, archaeology, Indiana University
Are You Ready To...?
- Spend your summers doing back-breaking, painstaking work on a dig
- Sift through dirt for long periods of time to find artifacts and bones
- Study history to get the background needed for fieldwork
- Analyze your discoveries in the lab
It Helps to Be...
Curious, patient, detail-oriented, and able to think creatively. If you love solving mysteries, you’ll enjoy putting together the clues found at an excavation.
College Checklist
- Is there an archaeology department, or is it part of another major, such as anthropology?
- Does the department offer concentrations in specific areas of archaeology, such as classical archaeology?
- Are labs equipped with the latest?
- Does the department offer fieldwork opportunities? Will it help you find internships?
- Does the college have a grad program? A graduate program often translates into more research studies and excavations for you to get involved in.
Did You Know?
- Whether you concentrate on older societies that left behind no written records or later groups that did, you’ll need a graduate degree to qualify for most archaeology careers.
Course Spotlight
Fieldwork is a key part of the major. It’s your chance to apply the methods you learn in the classroom to the real world. And if you’re like some students, you’ll use what you learn in the field to write a senior thesis (large research paper).
You might work on a dig during the summer, or as part of a study abroad semester. You may even find that your professors have their own projects going on. Working in the field will give you an idea of what it really means to be a professional archaeologist.
