Archaeology in the US is mostly a job done through Cultural Resource Management (CRM): surveying, testing and excavating sites before roads, pipelines and buildings are built, as required by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Other employers are federal and state agencies (BLM, NPS, Forest Service, State Historic Preservation Offices), tribal historic preservation offices, museums and universities. You can get hired as a field technician with a bachelor's degree plus a field school. A master's degree is the standard for Crew Chief, Project Archaeologist and Principal Invest
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Stage 1 of 3 · about 16 weeks
Understand how archaeologists think, how sites are recorded, and be ready to apply to a field school and entry-level field jobs.
Archaeological theory and method basics
Before you dig, you need to know why. Excavation destroys the site, so every decision rests on a research question and a method. Knowing concepts like context, provenience, stratigraphy and the law of superposition keeps you from collecting 'neat things' with no meaning.
Law, ethics and Native American consultation
Most US archaeology is driven by law. Section 106 of the NHPA, NEPA, ARPA and NAGPRA decide what gets surveyed, who must be consulted, and who owns what is found. Ethics and respect for descendant communities are part of the job, not an add-on.
Field recording: notes, maps, photos and measurements
Your notes are the only record once a unit is dug. If they are unclear, the work is lost. Field techs are hired mainly on reliability: clean notes, accurate measurements and correct photo practice.
Basic GIS and mapping
Sites are located, plotted and reported on maps. GIS (ArcGIS or free QGIS) is listed in the occupation's software and appears in most job ads. Understanding coordinates, datums (NAD83, WGS84) and UTM prevents mistakes that make site records unusable.
Writing and reading the literature
Writing is the top skill in the occupation data. Reports are the product of CRM archaeology. If you can read a technical report and summarize it clearly, you are already ahead.
Then 2 more stages (about 128 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 6 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.