Choosing to go to graduate school in any given academic area is a risky business. Throughout the developed world, a Bachelor's degree is becoming a requisite for most management and business jobs; but going for an MA or Ph.D. is expensive and, unless you can get a job in your specific field, possessing an advanced degree in an esoteric subject like archaeology may actually be a detriment should you eventually decide to leave academics.
A recent study by the Council of Graduate Schools indicates that graduate enrollment in Social Sciences (including Anthropology which is where most archaeology degrees are taught in the United States and Canada) has increased by about 2 percent per year between 1984 and 2004. At the same time, applications have increased markedly. In 2004, about 160,000 applicants were sent into Social Science departments; but only 1/3 of these resulted in people being accepted into graduate school. In addition, tuition is very expensive, and the market for new Ph.D. recipients is not great.
Still, we do it. Why would anybody get an advanced degree in archaeology? There both good reasons and bad ones, in fact, there are probably as many reasons as there are people who end up going. The best advice anyone can give you is to think it through, before you rush into school.
What You Can Do with a Graduate Degree
Do you want to practice archaeology in Cultural Resource Management? Far and away the most jobs available are for people in the private sector, performing surveys and investigations in advance of federally funded road and other projects. These jobs require an MA, and in my experience it doesn't much matter where you get it; what matters is the field experience you pick up along the way. A Ph.D. will give you an edge for the upper management positions in CRM, but without years of experience you're dead in the water.
You want to teach? Be very careful; jobs are few and far between, even at the smaller schools. To obtain a teaching job at a four-year or graduate level institution, you will need a Ph.D. Some two-year junior colleges hire MAs, but for the most part, they too can get Ph.D.s for those jobs as well. If you plan on teaching, you will need to choose your school very carefully.
Getting that advanced degree can be worth it, if you want to be a career archaeologist. For current data on jobs and salaries in archaeology, the Archaeology Salary Surveys page includes links to current surveys for Australia, the UK and the US.
Why I Went to Graduate School
[p[Archaeologists and former students John Dockall and Hal Rager describe what went into their decisions to get that degree.- John Dockall: I wanted to pursue a more professional level of responsibility
- Hal Rager: I realized I was not going to be able to do what I wanted with only an undergraduate degree
Before You Go to Grad School: A Guide
- Why You Should--Or Should Not--Go to Graduate School
- Next: Tips for Choosing a Graduate School
- Tips for Applying to Graduate School
- Application Process Step-by-Step
