Expert: Ralph Salier - 12/11/2009

Question
QUESTION: Are there any good colleges in Virginia that have archaeology programs or offer majors in that field?  Are there any that might have programs or special activities dealing with foreign archaeology (most notably Classical archaeology)?  Which degree is the best to have to be able to participate in digs and related activities?

ANSWER: Hi Michaela,

Yes there are some decent programs in VA universities.  College of W&M participates in work at Williamsberg and Jamestown.  But there are other universities that have a wide range of programs.  

I have some questions for you first before I can provide any thing more indepth, if of course you are willing to provide  the information:

1) why are you interested in Archaeology?
2) what kind of archaeology are you interested in? There are many types besides Classical European (Roman/Greek)?
3) are you interested in getting your hands dirty or is there a greater interest in working in the lab or museum?
4) is part of your interest the travel aspect?
5) are you willing to work as a shovelbum to earn your keep and get the necessary "credit" in the community?
6) what year of high school are you in and what classes are you taking?
7) What are your long term goals?
8) do you have a back up plan should this one fall through?
9) how do your parents feel about a career in archaeology?  The degrees are expensive and you make little money to show for the cost....

I don't mean to sound discouraging but a person with a BA in Archaeology can find work as a shovel bum generally making between 14 and 24 dollars per hour plus, on occasion, a per diam of perhaps 25 to 35 dollars perday to cover food and lodging.  To find better work, you will need to get a Masters and be a certified CRM (Cultural Resource Manager) with GIS experience (Geographic Informations Systems).  These jobs are a bit harder to find and they may pay $40K to 60K on a full time basis (if you are lucky to land one).  You can teach lower level classes (college) with a Masters but for teaching in the University, a PhD would be required.  THis is a very dog-eat-dog life and there aren't many tenure track jobs that come up.

So, let me know.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My asnwers to your response:

1) why are you interested in Archaeology?
I have only confirmed this decision for a short time, but I have always been interested in the histories and foreign cultures.  I love learning about how other people or civilizations lived and died, and I would often compare that with mine.

2) what kind of archaeology are you interested in? There are many types besides Classical European (Roman/Greek)?
Besides ancient Greek and Roman, I have previously been interested in Far Eastern cultures, followed by Near Eastern and Northern European.

3) are you interested in getting your hands dirty or is there a greater interest in working in the lab or museum?
I would much rather be in the field, but working in a museum of my area of interest would also delight me.

4) is part of your interest the travel aspect?
Definitely!  While I know that travel will cost (especially depending on where one goes), I see it as something worthwhile in archaeology.  I would love nothing more than to travel and learn about that area.

5) are you willing to work as a shovelbum to earn your keep and get the necessary "credit" in the community?
I am.  Though I'm sure it is a very gritty job, I'm sure that I would gain a lot of knowledge about what archaeology is and that being a "shovelbum" might give me respect from others.

6) what year of high school are you in and what classes are you taking?
I am currently a Junior and I am taking 7 classes this year (6 of which are actually in my high school): Honors Environmental Science, Math Analysis/Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry, Honors English 11, Honors US/VA studies, Ceramics, and Word Processing.  The seventh class I take is at a vocational/technical center.  It is based on robotics and research/inventing, the latter being the "side" (it is made of of two "sides") I am on.

7) What are your long term goals?
For the moment, I see myself working on a dig, or possibly working in a museum that houses artifacts from my culture of interest.

8) do you have a back up plan should this one fall through?
If archaeology does not work, then my second plan would be to work at a public library or work in a public library system.

9) how do your parents feel about a career in archaeology?  The degrees are expensive and you make little money to show for the cost....
My parents are very supportive of my decision to be an archaeologist, but they do ask if it is something that I am comfortable with and sure of (which I am).  As of yet, they have no qualms about this career or my decision regarding it.

I hope this answers your questions, Mr. Salier.  Thank you for taking time to read mine and giving me feedback.

Answer
Thank you Michaela,

Excellent responses.  

Two schools I would highly recommend besides W&M are UVA Charlottesville and U of Mary Washington.  UMW has a broader archaeological program then UVA but UVA also has museology and library sciences so that you can double major.  Neither is easy by the way and you will need Masters degrees in one or the other to find good gainful employment.  The other aspect of UVA is that they have a very good Anthro department and that is really what you seem to be more interested in based on your responses.  Archaeology is a ways to an end in this case.  

I feel that you lean more towards history, historical aspects of culture and perhaps ethnography ( a sub-branch of Anthropology ).  

What I want you to do is join the following two organizations:

1)  http://asv-archeology.org/          
2)  www.shovelbums.org

The first is the Archaeological Society of Virginia.  They periodically have digs that you can volunteer on.  Also, contact your local college or university and ask to speak to the anthropology department and see if they have a staff archaeologist and if so, talk to him/her and see if you can volunteer on their next dig, where ever it may be.  

Shovel bums is a job board.  But what is important is that it lists what the expectations are by the employers.  This is critically important for you to understand so that you begin looking at what courses you need to take to meet their minimum requirements. Then keep an eye on this site as things change over time and you will need to as well.

This way, 1) you can get your hands dirty and see if you really do like it before you make a career choice and 2) will help you better understand the economics you are getting into.  Both very important.  

Should you have more questions, please ask.  If your parents want to know more, I would be more then happy to provide answers to their questions as well.