Career Opportunities for Archaeologists

 

Laboratory Specialities

These can be academic research specialties for faculty, full-time jobs working for professional archaeology firms (even at the BA and MA level) or on big research projects,  or independent self-employed consulting:

Osteologist     Faunal analyst     Archaeoethnobotanist     Stable isotope analyst

Ceramic analyst     Lithic analyst     Materials conservator     DNA analyst

 

Heritage Management

Site managers for parks, other public lands  and heritage sites

Environmental assessment for consulting firms or government agencies

Preservation planning – can be local, state or national government or international

 

            Information-Based Specialties

Computer-based artifact and site imaging

Geographic Information Systems for archaeology

 

Museum Positions 

There are many different types of museum that can offer a wide variety of career opportunities. A museum curator’s role varies a lot depending on the size of the institution but can include academic study of collections, development of exhibitions, writing labels and interpretation, publishing catalogs and studies, lecturing and giving talks to the general public. Curators and Collections Managers also manage the day-to-day care, conservation, access and development of collections. They may organize exhibition loans to other museums or may be involved in outreach and education projects with local communities.

Museum positions usually require a graduate degree (M.A./M.S or Ph.D) in either the collections specialism (e.g archaeology) and/or a general museum management or conservation degree. Museums also look for candidates who have practical experience working with collections and may have interned or volunteered for a museum.