Archeology

Types of Degrees Archeology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many archeology graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	48
Doctor’s Degree	14
Graduate Certificate	4

What Archeology Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, archeology majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Archeology Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in archeology should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Archeology Majors

A major in archeology prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Archeology Majors

As you progress with your archeology degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Archeology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with archeology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Anthropology and Archeology Professors	9.9%	$83,940
Archeologists	3.9%	$62,410
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Archeology?

The major attracts more women than men. About 60% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of archeology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	10
White	31
International Students	4
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Geographic Diversity

Archeology appeals to people across the globe. About 8.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Taiwan
• Mexico

How Much Do Archeology Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in archeology was $22,629 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $22,629 (25th percentile) and $22,629 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to archeology so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $65,310 to $115,590 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to archeology. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Archeology

Some degrees associated with archeology may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for archeology careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.4%
Some College Courses	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	34.5%
Master’s Degree	20.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	39.4%

Online Archeology Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 73 schools offered some type of archeology program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	6	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	19	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	9	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Archeology Worth It?

The median salary for a archeology grad is $94,080 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 136% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,083,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Archeology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to archeology.

Major	Number of Grads
Economics	6,173
International Relations & National Security	5,010
Political Science & Government	2,664
Geography & Cartography	2,315
Sociology	1,907
Anthropology	1,446
Criminology	936
General Social Sciences	745
Other Social Sciences	532
Urban Studies	432
Demography & Population Studies	66
Sociology & Anthropology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.