Archeologists
Archeologists
Career Overview
Archaeologists study past human cultures by finding, examining, and preserving artifacts, structures, and other evidence left behind by people. They combine fieldwork, research, and scientific analysis with modern tools such as GIS, digital mapping, and 3D imaging to document sites and discoveries. Their work helps us understand human history and protect important cultural heritage.
Education
A bachelor's degree in archaeology, anthropology, history, or a related field is a common starting point. A master's degree or Ph.D. is often needed for advanced research, university teaching, or leading archaeological projects. Field experience and training in research methods and archaeological techniques are also important.
Work Environment
Archaeologists work for government agencies, universities, museums, research organizations, and cultural-resource and consulting firms. They may divide their time between offices, laboratories, and archaeological sites, with some positions requiring travel or extended fieldwork. Depending on the project, they may use GPS, GIS, digital cameras, 3D scanners, and specialized software to document and analyze archaeological evidence.
Future Outlook
Archaeologists will continue to be needed to study and protect cultural heritage as development, conservation, and new discoveries uncover archaeological sites. Technology is making it possible to map sites more precisely, analyze artifacts in new ways, and document discoveries without damaging them. Students who combine strong research and field skills with digital mapping, data analysis, and other relevant technology can broaden their opportunities as the field evolves.
Recommended High School Courses
- Math
- Computer Science
- Environmental Science
- History
- English
- Geography
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
- Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
- History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Conduct anthropological or archaeological research.
- Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
- Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
- Inspect condition of natural environments.
- Record research or operational data.
- Prepare maps.
- Collect archival data.
- Instruct college students in social sciences or humanities disciplines.
- Direct scientific activities.
- Train personnel in technical or scientific procedures.
- Clean objects.
Schools
Boston University
Brown University
Dartmouth College
Dickinson College
Earlham College
Eastern New Mexico Univer...
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Indiana University Of Pen...
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Randolph-macon College
Rice University
Stanford University
Stephen F. Austin State U...
Suny At Potsdam
Sweet Briar College
Tufts University
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of North Carol...
University Of Southern Ca...
University Of Wisconsin-...
Washington University- St...
Wesleyan University
Yale University
Lakehead University- O...
Memorial University
Trent University- Pete...
University Of British...
University Of Saskatch...
University Of Toronto-...
Wilfred Laurier Univer...
Potential Scholarships
Schulich Leader Scholarsh...
Nserc Undergraduate Stude...
Rbc Future Launch Scholar...
Usa - Wts Molitoris Leade...
Indspire Building Brighte...
Usa - Science-regeneron S...
Usa - Science - Science A...
Usa - Science - Acs Catal...
Usa - Science - Priscilla...
Usa - Science Gdit Horizo...
Horatio Alger Canadian Un...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$49,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$71,000.00 /yr
High End:
$108,000.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.