Expert: John J. Shea - 3/24/2006

Question
Hello,
I am a high school junior interested in a career in archaeology.  Is it better to major in archaeology or anthropology in college--should I be favoring colleges that offer archaeology majors, not just an anthropology major?  Generally, what colleges in the US have strong archaeology programs?  (And more specifically, do you know anything about the programs at Wesleyan University, Washington University in St. Louis, UNC, or William & Mary?)  Thank you very much!

Answer
Dear Mallory
This is a tough one to answer.  I myself majored in archaeology at Boston University.  I thought I got an excellent training in archaeology (I had always wanted to be an archaeologist), and in anthropology (I double-majored).  However, in retrospect, I think an undergrad archaeology major may be too specialized for most students. Nowadays, as a professor, I am constantly encouraging my students to take a diverse range of classes. I would suggest that if you major in archaeology, you consider double-majoring or minoring in anthropology.  The links between archaeology and anthropology are stronger in the USA than in European schools, where archaeology is more allied with art history.  I think that for undergrads, some of the strongest archaeology programs include Boston Univ., UCLA, Texas A&M (underwater archaeology), Bryn Mawr.  The archaeology section of larger anthro departments is also very good at Arizona State Univ. in Tempe, U of AZ in Tucson, Univ. of New Mexico....the answer to this question partly depends on what region or time period interests you.  Some schools have much to offer in, say, Classical archaeolgy (Rome & Greece) than they do in prehistory, or more in the New World than in the Old World.  If you have a particular area or time period of interest, write back to me and I'll try to answer more specificall.  Wash Univ in St. Louis has an excellent track record for training archaeologists.  I do not know much about William & Mary, Weslyan, or UNC. Check out their anthro/archaeology dept web pages, then do a Google Scholar search on the names of the faculty listed there.  Also, look to see if the school offers an archaeological field school.  This is usually a sign of a good program.
Cheers,
John Shea