Expert: John J. Shea - 4/19/2006

Question
Hello,
I am a high school junior and I contacted you earlier about college archaeology programs, and now I have a few more questions.  I am thinking of specializing in Classical or Old World archaeology; what colleges are known for strong programs in those areas?  And, just in case my interests change, what schools have strong New World archaeology programs?  Thank you very much!

Answer
Hi Mallory
Some of the best include Univ. of Penn, UCLA, Brown, BU, Bryn Mawr, NYU.  This is really kind of outside my main area of expertise, though (prehistoric archaeology).  I suggest that you look online and contact some of the professors in these universities and colleges and ask their opinoins.   There are a lot of good classics programs in smaller colleges of which I am ignorant.  Because this is outside my area, I mainly know about the big schools and the ones near where I live and where I grew up.
The website of the Archaeological Institute of America (www.archaeological.org) mayhave some useful information as well.
Sincerely,
John Shea