Flickr user Colleen Morgan
If you are curious about the past and love digging around to know more about life many thousands of years ago, you will find an archaeology program immensely exciting. During the course of an archaeology program, you will study history so you have a solid foundation for future fieldwork. An archaeology curriculum also includes sifting through archaeological sites looking for bones and artifacts and learning how to analyze discoveries in the laboratory.
However, a bachelor’s degree in archaeology does not limit you to just an archaeologist career. Anthropologists, geographers, archivers, and curators are all exciting career options available to archaeology majors.
We’ve put together a list of schools that offer some of the best programs in archaeology. What is interesting to note is that each of these schools and programs focuses on different aspects of archaeology. Thus, the college best suited to you depends on your area of interest.
Penn State—University Park, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University’s archaeology program focuses on a specific period of time, unlike most other programs that focus on specific geographical locations.
As a student of this program, you will learn how complex state civilizations, urbanism, and agriculture originated and developed in ancient cultures within a specific time period.
Cornell College—Mt. Vernon, Iowa
The archaeology program offered by Cornell College is unusually flexible. The program allows students to create a degree plan that is customized to their career goals.
Students of this program enjoy several exciting opportunities, from going on excavations within the country to studying in foreign countries. The college has developed a unique curriculum that allows students ample time to participate in experiential learning activities off-campus. Their association with Iowa’s State Archaeologist also gives students access to several other facilities as well.
University of Evansville—Evansville, Indiana
The University of Evansville offers an archaeology program that focuses on Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East.
As a student of this program, you will get to be a part of archaeological excavations. You will also get several opportunities to study outside of the US.
University Of Cincinnati—Cincinnati, Ohio
Archaeology students at the University of Cincinnati can choose from three specialties – Landscape Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, and Social Complexity. Each of these deals with different aspects of archaeology. Through these programs, students examine how the terrain and the structure of different societies were and still are affected by various factors.
The University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill—Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The archaeology program at UNC Chapel Hill offers a wide choice of archaeological specialties with an added emphasis on experiential learning. Students can choose any combination from the variety of courses and then develop a customized plan that best fits their career plans.
Brigham Young University—Provo, Utah
Brigham Young University offers one of the most diverse archaeology programs. Courses include ethnography, old-world archaeology, systems and institutions, new world archaeology, and museum courses. Students graduate from this course with extensive knowledge in history, social theory, as well as a wide range of advanced research techniques.
Interested in any of these schools? Use College Raptor’s free match tool to discover if they’re a good fit for you!
