study options
How do I study to become an archaeologist in Australia?
Most archaeologists start off their training by doing an undergraduate degree at university, generally a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. This typically takes 3 years full-time study. The next step for most people is to do a one year Honours degree in an archaeological area. At most universities this is a specialist year of intensive training in archaeology, often with a small thesis topic where you get to do your own research. At this point, after 4 years of training, you can call yourself an archaeologist. Many archaeologists go straight from their Honours degree into the workforce, particularly as consultants conducting cultural heritage impact studies or the public service into agencies such as National Parks and Departments of Environment which are responsible for managing archaeological heritage in many states. Other people keep studying at this point for higher degrees. This is becoming more the norm as the job market in archaeology is very competitive, so the more training you have the better chance you will have of landing a job. Here most people do either a masters degree (e.g. Master of Arts or Master of Philosophy) or a doctorate (Doctor of Philosophy) in archaeology. Masters degrees usually take 2 years full-time and PhDs 3 years full-time or longer part-time. Although some masters degree programs are taught as classes (coursework), some are by research where you undertake a specialist research project and write up the results in a thesis. A PhD is generally the highest award in archaeology. Obtaining a PhD means that you have demonstrated a broad knowledge of the field of archaeology.
Archaeology is taught in many Australian universities. The tricky thing is that it is not always called 'archaeology' and it is not always taught in 'Departments of Archaeology'! Archaeology is often taught as part of Anthropology, Ancient History, Classics and Social Science programs. So when you are looking at university courses, make sure you have a good search through these areas as well.
Every state and territory in Australia has a university that teaches some aspect (or in some cases many aspects!) of archaeology. They all differ in the number of courses offered, number of staff, specialist areas and resources available (e.g. laboratories and museums). For example, if you were interested in archaeology in Egypt you might want to look at courses offered by the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University in Sydney which offers many courses in the area, including a Masters in Egyptology! Other universities specialise in other areas such as hunter-gatherer archaeology, Mayan archaeology, forensic archaeology, African archaeology etc etc.
In the list below we have tried to showcase all the major archaeological teaching programs available in Australia. We have included a web link to get you to the home page of the department for further details as well as a list of 'Fields of Speciality' for each institution. Please note that this may not cover all the courses or specialisations available at an institution. These change with changes in staff, research grants etc.
If you think that there is something we have missed or needs to be changed please email us.
For information about why, how and where you can do work experience in archaeology, look here.
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | VIC
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| Department of Archaeology & Natural History, Australian National University |
Archaeological Science |
| School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University | Archaeological Science Biological Anthropology Field Methods in Archaeology Historical Archaeology Indigenous Anthropology & Archaeology Stone Technologies Palaeoanthropology & Human Evolution World Archaeology |
| Centre for Archaeological Research, Australian National University | Archaeological Science Archaeological Theory Materials Science in Archaeology Pacific Archaeology Vocational Training in Archaeology Indigenous Archaeology South East Asian Archaeology Quaternary Science & Dating |
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| School of Human and Environmental Studies, University of New England | Indigenous Archaeology Palaeoanthropology Rock Art Studies Cultural Heritage Management |
| Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney | Classical Archaeology Indigenous Archaeology Historical Archaeology Near Eastern Archaeology |
| Archaeological Computing Laboratory, University of Sydney | Computer applications in archaeology Short Courses available Geographic Information Systems (GIS) laboratory |
| Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University | Classical Archaeology Egyptology |
| Centre for Geoarchaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Research, Southern Cross University | Geoarchaeology Geomorphology Residue Analysis Palaeolimnology |
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| School of Creative Arts & Humanities, Charles Darwin University | Indigenous Anthropology & Archaeology Historical Archaeology |
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | VIC
QUEENSLAND
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| School of Social Science, University of Queensland | Indigenous Anthropology & Archaeology Residue Analysis Ancient DNA Analysis Mesoamerican Studies Historical Archaeology Cultural Heritage Management Museum Management & Development |
| The School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics, University of Queensland | Civilisations of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia Greece and Rome Art, Architecture and Culture of ancient Greece and Rome History and Civilisation of the Celts in the Classical Period |
| School of Anthropology, Archaeology & Sociology, James Cook University | Maritime Archaeology Indigenous Anthropology & Archaeology Forensic Archaeology Celtic Europe Historical Archaeology Cultural Heritage Management |
| Faculty of Arts, University of Southern Queensland | World Archaeology Australian Pre-European Archaeology |
| School of Arts, Griffith University | World rock art Australian archaeology Cultural evolution |
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | VIC
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| Department of Archaeology, School of Humanities, Flinders University | Maritime Archaeology Archaeological Sciences Indigenous Archaeology Historical Archaeology Cultural Heritage Management Bioarchaeology Public & Community Archaeology |
| School of Humanities, Adelaide University | Classical Archaeology Greek Archaeology Roman Archaeology |
| Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, Discipline of Anatomical Sciences, University of Adelaide | Bioarchaeology Biological Anthropology Forensic Anthropology Indigenous Health |
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | VIC
TASMANIA
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| School of History & Classics, University of Tasmania | Classical Archaeology Historical Archaeology |
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | VIC
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| Archaeology, School of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Western Australia | Palaeoanthropology Indigenous Archaeology World Archaeology Historical Archaeology Viking Archaeology |
ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | VIC
VICTORIA
| Department | Fields of Speciality |
|---|---|
| School of Historical and European Studies, La Trobe University | African Archaeology Chinese Archaeology Field Archaeology Indigenous Archaeology Historical Archaeology Mediterranean Archaeology Mesoamerican Studies Methods and Theory Middle Eastern Archaeology |
| Centre for Classics & Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne | Egyptian Archaeology Near Eastern Archaeology East Mediterranean Archaeology Cypriot Archaeology Black Sea Archaeology Prehistoric Greek Archaeology Archaeology of Gender Archaeological Theory |
| Centre for Archaeology & Ancient History, School of Historical Studies, Monash University | Egyptology Classical Archaeology |
| School of Geography & Environmental Science, Monash University | Indigenous Archaeology Methods and Theory Field Archaeology Geoarchaeology Bioarchaeology Post-Colonial Theory Rock-Art Torres Strait |