Options with your subject: Archaeology

Whether you want a career in archaeology or to investigate other graduate options, you'll be able to demonstrate a range of transferable skills with an archaeology degree…

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Archaeologist
• Heritage manager
• Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer
• Museum education officer
• Museum/gallery curator
• Museum/gallery exhibitions officer

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Archivist
• Cartographer
• Higher education lecturer
• Social researcher
• Tourism officer

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. To find out what jobs would suit you, log in to My Prospects.

Work experience

Relevant work experience demonstrates a commitment to, and genuine interest in, becoming a professional archaeologist and is often required for entry into many archaeology-related careers. Consider volunteering as a digger or check out opportunities with local museums and galleries, the National Trust  and heritage organisations.

Volunteer work will introduce you to the demands of working outdoors, in all weather conditions, and it is an excellent way of demonstrating your physical fitness and resilience. It will also help you build a network of useful contacts.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Employers of archaeologists include archaeological contractors, local government, university archaeology departments, national heritage agencies and independent archaeological consultants. Other organisations employing archaeology graduates include some private museums and charities such as the:

• Council for British Archaeology (CBA)  
• National Trust
• National Trust for Scotland  

Jobs can be found at:

• British Archaeological Jobs and Resources (BAJR)  
• Institute for Archaeologists (IfA)

Rescue archaeology in advance of building work for utilities companies and environmental agencies has become a growth area.

Find information on employers in the public sector, teaching and education, creative arts and culture and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

During your degree, you'll develop a mix of subject-specific, technical and transferable skills, which generally include:

• applying theoretical and scientific principles and concepts to archaeological problems;
• field work, post-excavation and laboratory techniques;
• applying statistical and numerical techniques to process archaeological data;
• interpretation of spatial data.

Archaeology courses also equip you with the skills to:

• work as a team member/leader through field/project work;
• form structured arguments supported by evidence;
• use various IT packages;
• prepare and give oral presentations for different audiences;
• retrieve information to produce written reports;
• work methodically and accurately;
• demonstrate attention to detail.

Further study

A range of specialist areas can be explored, such as human osteology and palaeopathology, as well as related subjects, such as geophysics. A PhD is often necessary for a career in archaeological research or an academic career.

Archeology graduates have also pursued courses of professional training in law, teaching, nursing and environmental health.

Distance learning and short courses to improve your career prospects, and to keep your skills and knowledge up to date, are available through the:

• Council for British Archaeology (CBA)
• Institute for Archaeologists (IfA)

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.

What do archaeology graduates do?

Almost half of all archaeology graduates are in employment either in the UK or overseas six months after graduation. Over a quarter go on to further study immediately after completing their course.

Find out what other graduates are doing six months after finishing their degrees in What Do Graduates Do?  

Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date: 

January 2012

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