Thinking about Grad School and/or a Career in Archaeology?

Cool.

Studying can be very rewarding, and archaeology is certainly a very interesting pursuit.

Here is some information that might help you consider your options. If you're in one of my classes, you are of course more than welcome to come and talk to me about this.

[Info about many careers is available here: www.bls.gov/oco/ocos054.htm and here: http://www.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH This is an American source but much of what it has to say is relevant elsewhere.]

Last updated: spring 2005

Archaeology as a Career

First, a note: Unlike, say, nuclear physics or neurosurgery, archaeology is an area of study in which amateurs are welcomed and can have a lot of fun! It's true that you need a lot of education and an excavation license to actually run your own dig -- however, if you just want to try some archaeology, and maybe spend a little time on an excavation every few years, you certainly can! In fact, it is now easier than ever before to have all the fun of excavating in interesting places, under qualified supervision,  without all the responsibility of actually running your own excavations etc. Click here for a list of the many ways you can explore archaeology without too much commitment.

If you think you might really want to become an archaeologist in Canada: you have some alternatives.

If you want to teach archaeology at university: OK... but to be honest, there aren't a whole lot of positions in this line of work in Canada, although there are rather more in the USA and the UK. There are related options: some people teach community college courses in archaeology, and sometimes you can teach history and ancient history (including some archaeology) in high school. (For more information about necessary qualifications, check with teachers' colleges and also a community college near you.) University professors usually have these degrees: BA or BSc, MA or MSc, PhD, and often a postdoc and additional research experience. It takes a while to do all this -- usually more than 10 years --  and the job market is not entirely predictable, so you can't be sure of getting a university teaching position once you are done. See below for additional notes about graduate school and what it involves.

If you think you might like to work in conservation, i.e. working hands-on to preserve and restore artifacts for museum display: You can train at a program like Sir Sandford Fleming's Collections Conservation and Management Program

There are also jobs available in related areas of the heritage industry, e.g. historical tourist attractions, heritage centres, and museums. Training for this is varied, ranging from short courses to full degrees, and running the gamut from programs like Fleming's Museum Management and Curatorship to those listed here at the Canadian Museums Association.

If you think you might like to be a professional field archaeologist, i.e. work in Cultural Resource Management in Ontario, then you need to have a Master's degree and a lot of experience -- or to work for someone who does. For examples of Ontario firms, see this page, and scroll down to the Regional Professional Archaeology section. If this route interests you, it can be useful to gain specialist training in Geographical Information Systems, and drafting/mapping software and databases, as well as archaeology. Suggested Reading: Brian Fagan, 2003, Archaeology: A Brief Introduction, New Jersey: Pearson Education -- FINAL CHAPTER. It's on reserve at the Scott library at York for Anth 2150. It discusses the American scenario, but the general information will be useful. If you want more information about life in Ontario Archaeology, contact KD for more reading, and consider joining the Ontario Archaeological Society and the Canadian Archaeological Association. If you're ready for quite a lot of detail, you could also read Neal Ferris' "History of the archaeological consulting industry in Ontario": www.adamsheritage.com/articles/neal/neal.htm

Graduate Studies

Graduate school can be absolutely wonderful, if you are exceptionally keen to keep studying. But it can also be time-consuming, expensive, and unnecessary to your career path, so it's a good idea to think it over carefully before embarking upon graduate study. In general, you should start exploring your options 18 months to a year before you hope to begin studying. (e.g. If you want to begin a degree in September 2006, you should decide which schools you want to go to in Spring/Summer 2005. You'll need to put in applications for funding during fall 2005, and apply to the university program for admission in winter 2005. The application processes are often long and rather tedious, and require input from other people too, so you have to allow time for that. And if you're trying to do these applications at the same time as you're doing your fourth year of undergraduate work, you may be quite overloaded... so it's a great idea to start them in the summertime.)

Here is some very basic information about graduate study in anthropology and archaeology in Canada.

Canadian anthro/arch departments are listed here: www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3ant/cdnant.htm  (if URLs don't work, search for the listed departments yourself using Google.)

The Master's degree (MA = Master of Arts, MSc = Master of Science) is usually a one or two year program, which follows an honours Bachelor's degree (that is, a four-year BA or BSc). The minimum requirement varies, but is usually a Bachelor's average of 3.3 or higher on a 4 point scale, or 75% or so. However, entrance is competitive, and funding is competitive, and so higher marks help. Master's degrees usually involve some coursework and exams, and either a long research paper, or a full-length Master's thesis. Studying for a Master's will give you more advanced knowledge in the discipline of your choice, and the opportunity to learn about doing academic research. Often, you'll also contribute something original to your field of study. Depending on the university you attend, you may also have the opportunity to be a Teaching Assistant, helping a professor to instruct undergraduates. Once you have a Master's degree, in Ontario you will be eligible to hold an archaeology excavation permit.

The PhD (short for Doctor of Philosophy, also known as a doctorate) is a rather more involved undertaking. The minimum entry requirement is usually a Master's degree. In Canada, it usually takes four years minimum to do a PhD, and often more like six or eight. Usually, this involves a year or more of advanced courses, some heavy exams, learning to read and write a second language, conducting a substantial original research program, and writing a dissertation (a book) about it. It takes a long time and your research is usually in a very specialized area that most normal people don't care about, and usually your friends and family wonder what on earth you are doing and why it is taking you so long. (Many people do not finish their PhDs because they just get tired of it.) Once you have a PhD in anthropology or archaeology, you are eligible to apply for a job as a university professor, and people start to call you "Dr." 

Funding: is definitely something to think about when considering graduate work. Tuition can be expensive, and of course you have to have money to live on if you are continuing to study rather than working. Some universities offer entrance scholarships, and others offer teaching assistantships. There are also provincial and federal funding bodies, particularly the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada program. International options include the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fulbright scholarships. Note: there is often a lot of competition for funding, and the process of filling in applications can be lengthy and complex, requiring grade transcripts, reference letters, and outlines of your study plans. Deadlines are usually not flexible at all. Learn the deadlines well in advance and allow yourself (and the people writing letters for you) a great deal of time to meet them.

Still think you might like to give graduate school a try? OK then -- here's some advice.

1) Get the highest grades you can as an undergraduate. (But also keep a balanced life, with friends, family, exercise, regular sleep, healthy food etc.... take care of your health.) 

2) Think carefully about why you want to do graduate work. What appeals to you about it?

3) Think carefully about where you want to do graduate work. Do you want to stay in Canada or study elsewhere?

4) Consider: do you really enjoy studying, library research, and writing?

5) Read through some of the professional journals in your field and see if you still think it's interesting! You might also consider reading through some of the publications about life in academia, like the CAUT (Canadian Association of University Teachers) or the Chronicle of Higher Education (American).  Articles like this one are worth thinking about: http://chronicle.com/jobs/2005/03/2005032401c.htm

6) Talk to one of your professors or departmental advisors.... like this student did!