Study

Some advice on how to study to become an archaeologist and how you can study archaeology at JCU.

Can I really have a career in archaeology?

Archaeology is often associated with pyramids, explorers and far away places, but the subject has a large and diverse professional community right here in Australia. Archaeologists engage in a wide variety of work, from finding archaeological sites and excavating them, to scientific laboratory analysis of finds and writing papers and books about their findings. Australian archaeologists tend to specialise in one of three major subfields – Indigenous, historical or maritime archaeology. Most archaeologists in Australia work for public and private organisations to find, excavate and record archaeological sites and other aspects of cultural heritage affected by development projects, such as mining and construction.

How do I become a professional archaeologist?

To become a professional archaeologist you generally must have at least a Bachelor-level degree plus either an Honours degree in archaeology or coursework masters with a research component specialising in archaeology. This normally takes 4 to 4.5 years of full‐time study, with a 3‐year Bachelor of Arts degree and an additional 1‐year archaeology Honours programme. Around one-third of professional archaeologists also complete a PhD in archaeology, which takes 3-4 years of further full-time study.