Archaeology

A degree in Archaeology is the way to work at historical sites, indulge in restoring monuments and exploring the country's ancient history. A person who studies about the ancient remains and culture is referred to as an Archaeologist.

Archaeology is an interdisciplinary activity that involves the investigation of material developed by previous human societies. The primary objective of the course is to study past human cultures through survey, identification and excavation of historical sites. Archaeology is an excellent option as it leads to a broad range of employment opportunities not only in India but also abroad.

The archaeology course teaches a student how to discover, interpret and reserve the historical materials of mankind. This course is suitable for those who are keen to know about the past of humanity and are ready to investigate, learn and discover.

Archaeology Course Highlights

Check the information given in the table below:

Archaeology Course Benefits

Any Archaeology course is worth pursuing. Whether it is an Archaeology Certificate Course or an Archaeology Post Graduate course, the students are trained to instill required skill sets which they later can implement in any work field.

• Theoretical and Scientific concepts are taught in the Archaeology courses. The candidates learn how to use those concepts to comprehend a definite problem
• All across the world Archaeology is considered one of the best science-based jobs. This is the reason why an archaeologist is highly desirable everywhere. So, the benefit in this regard is that after pursuing an Archaeology course most preferably a higher degree course one can begin a promising career
• The learning and the skills provided to a candidate pave the path to a broad career
• Candidates learn to work in challenging work scenarios which again helps their professional career in a greater way
• An Archaeology graduate can get any jobs in other fields or can take jobs in museums, and heritage societies as well
• At present, archaeology postgraduate candidates are often suggested to pursue a post-graduate diploma course after the completion of their master’s degree. This course can be obtained from Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Institute of Archaeology where direct admission is offered for the interested candidates
•  The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and The Directorate of Archaeology of the state government offer a large number of job opportunities on regular basis. So, if a candidate has done maximum higher studies in the field, getting a job at these prestigious organizations becomes higher for them.

Specialisations in Archaeology

• Ethno-Archaeology
• Environmental Archaeology
• Battlefield Archaeology
• Archaeozoology
• Experimental Archaeology
• Urban Archaeology
• Marine Archaeology
• Archaeobotany
• Geoarchaeology

Skills required to become an Archaeologist

• Excellent communication skills and knowledge in the concerned specialisation is essential
• Attention to detail and a focused bent of mind
• Interpreting spatial data
• Applying statistical and mathematical techniques
• Involvement in field work and other laboratory techniques

Type of Archaeological Courses:

Diploma, Certificate and Degree Courses

• In order to take admission in such courses, candidates will have to pass 10+2 exams from a recognized board.
• Candidates from arts, commerce as well as science programmes can apply for these programmes.
• Admissions to certificate and diploma programmes are done directly to the institutes offering these programmes.
• However, admission to B.A. in Archaeology courses offered by top universities is done on the basis of merit in class 12 board exams.

Post Graduate Degree and PG Diploma Courses

• Candidates who have completed B.A. courses and passed with at least 50% marks can apply for M.A. in Archaeology.
• Admission to the M.A. programmes are dome on the basis of interviews. Some universities also take students on the basis of state level entrance exams or other such exams for art courses.
• Admission to PG diploma courses is done directly and candidates can apply after completing UG diploma as well as after pursuing B.A. in Archaeology.

Archaeology Admissions

Admission criteria for Archaeology courses differ as per the course type. The archaeology admissions for different courses are detailed below:

Archaeology Certificate Course Admission

• Admission to the Certificate course in Archaeology is offered both in online and offline mode.
• For both kinds of courses, no entrance exams are followed
• Offline archaeology course admissions are done on a merit basis whereas
•  For the online course admissions, colleges review the applications and ask the candidate to attend an online questionnaire session

Archaeology Diploma Course Admission

• The Diploma course admission for the Archaeology course is done purely on a merit basis
• Colleges release cutoff scores and merit lists after the application process
• Candidates then perform the further round of admission as instructed by the college/university

Archaeology Undergraduate and Post Graduate Course Admission

Admission for Archaeology Undergraduate courses is done based on merit and entrance exams and for the postgraduate courses candidates need to appear in the entrance exams.

In entrance-based admission, colleges take in students on the basis of entrance exam scores. Colleges that offer direct admission for postgraduate courses in archaeology follow the conventional mode of admission. The admission process goes in the following manner:

Application: Shortlist Universities/colleges that offer UG and PG courses in Archaeology. Apply for the Archaeology course through online or offline mode or as prescribed by the institute.

Merit List: After the entrance exam (if any), the colleges publish rank/merit list on their websites. Candidates who get the desired ranks are enlisted in merit list.

Counselling: On the given dates, candidates need to appear for the counselling sessions where the respective colleges will allocate seats to the candidates.

Seat Confirmation: After the seat allocation candidates need to pay the fees to confirm their seat.

Archaeology Entrance Exams

The archaeology colleges in India that accept entrance exam scores for admission generally ask the candidates to appear in the following exams:

AUCET- This entrance test is conducted by Andhra University once a year to offer admission to postgraduate courses.

CUEE- CUEE or the Calcutta University Entrance Examination is conducted by Calcutta University to admit students for the UG and PG courses

IPU CET- Undergraduate and Postgraduate admission at Indraprastha University is conducted through a Common Entrance Test called Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test.

Popular Subjects:

Archaeology Distance Education

Archaeology Distance Learning is now there at some colleges in India. At different institutes, Bachelor’s and Masters’s degree courses are offered through the Archaeology Distance Learning programme. This mode of learning for archaeology is very much popular among students who are professionals as well as possess an interest in studying Archaeology. Entry to the distance Archaeology courses does not require the candidate to appear for any admission tests.

Archaeology Distance Education colleges provide admission based on the candidates’ merit reflected in their previous qualifying examinations. Archaeology distance education eligibility criteria are almost the same as the regular courses. There may be some specific criteria but that depends on the level of course and colleges. The course duration also depends on the type of archaeology programme one chooses for. After the completion of a bachelor’s degree course one can secure a job as a gallery curator, documentation specialist, museum education officer, teacher etc.

A variety of opportunities for archaeologists are available in museums, local government offices, heritage agencies etc. However, it completely depends on the skill set you are able to gather while pursuing studies, and how much of it you are able to apply in practice. Jobs are plenty, but the current workforce is not plenty to cater to the needs of the field. It is predicted that the demand for skilled archaeologists will only increase in the time to come.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the primary recruiter of archaeologists at both central and state level. The graduates can secure jobs in ASI by clearing Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination or State Public Service Commission (SPSC) exam. Following are some popular jobs in this field:

• Professor of History
• Data History Analyst
• Social Science Teacher
• Research Fellow
• Curriculum Design Consultant
• Subject Matter Expert

An Archaeologist can earn around Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 20,000 per month initially if employed by the Archeological Survey of India. The pay scale for lecturers is approximately Rs. 20,000 per month at the beginning of their career. The candidates who possess a Doctorate in Archaeology could earn Rs. 30,000 per month or more depending on skills and experience in this field.

Archaeology Job Roles

Archaeologist- An Archaeologist study about the past activities of human beings. To do that he excavates the archaeological sites, and interprets different objects and places. Cultural resource management is another duty of an archaeologist by which professionals determine whether a site is under the historic preservation laws.

Professor -A Professor imparts knowledge of history and archaeology through teaching. With higher education and training, one can secure the job of a professor in a college or university.

Heritage Managers -Heritage Managers work at different heritage sites where they are liable to conserve and manage the site and its historical assets.

Museum Curators -The job of Museum Curators is to collect, catalog and manage artistic, historical, and cultural collections.

Archaeology Average Salary

In the field of Archaeology, there are different career options and accordingly, the salaries are different. We have incorporated the average salary of some popular archaeology jobs in the given list:

Archaeology Future Scopes

Learning about ancient history, evaluating and renovating past actions, doing documentation, and implementing the required changes in human societies are some of the key areas of work in the field of archaeology.

Being a crucial part of ancient History, the study of archaeology is of great importance. By pursuing a course in this field, a candidate can secure a high demanding job. In India, archaeologists are mostly employed in the Defence Service, Ministry of External Affairs, The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), etc.

Apart from these jobs, archaeologists are also recruited in different museums as Museum curators. The jobs of conservation of heritage sites are also there.