Guide to Graduate Schools in Archaeology: FAQ

Here are some good questions we've received at the About.com Guide to Graduate Schools.

Why did you build this guide? Both the Society for American Archaeology and the Society for Historical Archaeology have online versions.

Yes, and they are both excellent. When I got started, neither one had been built. The SAA and SHA guides are limited to specific topics they cover; the SHA for graduate departments that teach historical archaeology, and the SAA for the American continents. Archaeologists come from all over the world and from classics and art history departments as well. And About.com Guide to Graduate Schools will always be free to access.

Plus, I have to be honest and say I'm doing it for fun. I had no idea of the breadth of archaeology around the world, and it is interesting to see how the various departments are put together. For the record, I have not used either the SAA or SHA versions to build or maintain this Guide.

Why not just list the departmental websites?

There are several of those kinds of lists floating around; another one would be superfluous. But I mine the information off the departmental websites so that that information is on one server on the Internet, making the About.com Guide fully searchable; in fact, you can use the search engine at the top of this and every page to find a name or keyword or phrase used anywhere on my site, including the Guide.

My university is not on the list. Why not?

Any university that gives MA and PhD degrees to archaeologists can be listed on the Guide. If your school fits those criteria and you're not listed, drop me a line. I obtained the information from the web sites, and there are many universities who do not as yet have established web pages; in addition, I know I don't have information from many that do. Frankly, I just haven't found them all. I'll keep adding until we have a truly useful resource. At this point, I have no real idea on how many such departments there are out there, but I'm getting an inkling that I've barely scratched the surface.

Would you consider listing departments that provide only bachelor's degrees?

Maybe. I guess it depends on how manageable the Guide stays in size. I don't think so, though.

How often is the guide updated?

I contact each of the universities every summer to see if there are changes; if there are mid-year corrections or additions I make them when they are requested.

Can I make a few suggestions?

I wish you would! Feel free to email me with any thoughts you have on the project.