Faithful reader Kyle writes: I've decided, after mulling it over for a bit, to go back to school for a degree, probably a master's, in archaeology. I'm interested in a very specific area of archaeology--the Vikings. But I can't find a program on Vikings in the US. Is this a situation where I would need to study archaeology generally and pursue Vikings independently of my studies? Or are there, in fact, colleges (in the United States) that offer Viking "programs"?
This is a great question, and thanks for asking it.
Learn How the System Works
The first thing is to understand how master's programs work in the United States. Although most of the world does have specialized topic programs at the MA level, in the U.S. and Canada, Master's degrees are 'research', that is to say self-directed. In other words, sure, you can study Vikings, but you are not likely to find a directed "Viking program" to follow.
• Read the article How the Master's Degree Works
Be prepared, though: if you don't have a BA in Anthropology, you are almost certainly going to have to back up a step and get some anthropology training. Archaeology is part of anthropology in the U.S., and I'm afraid most departments are going to insist that you get some background in anthropology before you embark on an archaeology MA.
Find a Viking Specialist
Secondly, you need to speak to someone who actually works in Viking archaeology, to tell you how to go about getting your degree, and how to improve your odds of getting a job when you're done. You should also think about finding someone to work with at the MA level. There are, I should think, Viking specialists in the United States, but they work alone as part of an anthropology department. You might consider finding one and going to work on your degree with him or her.
• Read Find a Specialist
Focus on Your Career
Finally, you need to focus on the end result. Graduate school is a lot of work, and a lot of money, and it's best to focus your energy on making that pay in the future.
• Read What Kind of Career Can I Have?
Hope that helps, and thanks for the question!
Comments
There may be Viking specialists teaching somewhere in the US (or Canada) but I am not aware of any. Dr. William Fitzhugh, Smthsonian Institution’s Arctic and North Atlantic specialist, may have some useful thoughts. Also, the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London, England, and the University of York (old Jarvik, a Viking settlement)in England may be worth looking into. And then, of course, there are the Scandinavian univiersities. They could be wonderful places to study if one could master the language. My brief experience in Stockholm a few years ago showed me that everyone speaks better Englaish than I do, but I doubt they present college lectures in English.
Dick Diehl
My old Archaeology TA at University of Toronto was studying Viking archaeology, but I’m not sure where she is now. I was also able to study a bit at the University of Glasgow – they have a great Viking specialist there.
There are a number of scholars who work in Viking studies and Viking age archaeology in the US. Most well known is Thomas H. McGovern at Hunter College but also well know is Paul Durrenburger at Penn State, Tina Thurston at SUNY Buffalo, and Jesse Byock at UCLA. Also, you don’t necessarily have to study with a viking specialist as long as you go to a program with good archaeologists and either medieval or northern studies people on the faculty you can usually focus on aspects of viking age archaeology as I have done at SUNY Albany. The North Atlantic Biocultural Organization offers a great field school that any archaeologist would benefit from.
You might look at a Scandinavian Studies program, of which there are several in the US and Europe. Here is a great link with information about different programs, grants, and scholarships. http://www.scandinavianstudy.org/site/
Or we could get all techie, maintain running track of which buildings had an
oversupply, and make it easier for non-residents
to utilize them as floating parking garages.
(Protection, payments, handwave handwave.
)