Archaeologists locate and excavate unknown archaeological resources and evaluate their importance. Get information about ways to take classes online as well as career options in the field.
What Types on Online Archaeology Degree Programs Are Available to Me?
Archaeology is not available as a completely online degree program; however, you can find options for online classes. On the undergraduate level, individual archaeology courses are sometimes delivered as Internet videos that can be viewed at your convenience or live Web conferences that meet at a specific time. These courses might cover topics such as the following:
- Language and culture
- Approaches to archaeology
- Ancient Greece
- The Aztec empire
If you're already a working archaeologist, you might find online professional development courses that combine your job experience and participation in distance education classes for credit toward a master's or doctoral degree. These graduate-level courses might explore the following topics:
- Dating methods
- Excavation principles
- Prehistoric lithic analysis
- Field photography
- Surveying techniques
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Online Availability</b></td><td>Generally, degrees in archaeology are not available online, though some courses could be completed in related topics online</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Traditional Degree Levels</b></td><td>Bachelor's, master's, doctoral</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Median Salary (2020)</b></td><td>$66,130* (<i>for anthropologists and archaeologists</i>)</td></tr>
</table><p><i>*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatArchaeologyDegreeOptionsAreAvailableToMe">What Archaeology Degree Options Are Available to Me?</h3><p>Archaeology degrees are available through traditional, on-campus programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. Bachelor's degree programs include general education requirements, along with core subject courses. Some universities offer an undergraduate-to-Ph.D. program, through which you can earn a bachelor's degree in archaeology and then enter directly into a Ph.D. program. Other universities offer separate master's and doctoral programs.
</p><p>Graduate programs in archaeology typically require you to have a bachelor's degree in anthropology or archaeology, competence in a modern language other than English and knowledge of an ancient language. Your coursework will reflect an area of specialization that you've selected, such as art history or medieval studies, and may cover courses such as the following:
</p><ul><li>Classical world archaeology
</li><li>Egyptian archaeology
</li><li>Old world prehistory
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatCanIDoWithMyDegree">What Can I Do With My Degree?</h3><p>A bachelor's degree in archaeology will prepare you for entry-level work as an archaeological surveyor or a field or laboratory technician. Research careers, such as a field archaeologist, historic preservation officer or collections manager, generally require a master's degree, while a Ph.D. in archaeology will prepare you for an academic career teaching at colleges and universities, as well as working in the field.
</p><p>According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (<i>www.bls.gov</i>), career opportunities for anthropologists and archaeologists were predicted to increase by 5% from 2019-2029. The best job opportunities were expected to be with management, scientific and technical consulting firms. The median annual salary for anthropologists and archaeologists was $66,130 in May 2020.</p>
