Admission to a master's degree program in archaeology requires several prerequisites, including tests, forms and experience. Above all, students are required to possess a bachelor's degree in archaeology or a closely-related field, such as history, anthropology or social science. As with all graduate programs, you will need to complete the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) prior to applying for admission. Exact prerequisites may vary by college. For instance, at the University of California Los Angeles, applicants must submit three letters of reference, a statement of purpose and a plan of study, which outlines projected coursework and a statement of objectives.
Archaeology master's degree students must declare an area of specialization, which may vary from prehistoric archaeology to specific cultural archaeology, including North American, Chinese or African. Other disciplines used in the pursuit of a master's degree in archaeology include arts, geography, science, history and language. Some schools require that master's students be able to at least read one foreign language. This may be accomplished by demonstrated competence or the completion of three semesters or terms of a foreign language.
Most archaeology master's degree programs have a time limit in which its course and unit requirements must be completed. For instance, at UCLA, students have a six-quarter limit in which to complete the program's 42-unit requirement. A quarter at UCLA lasts 10 weeks. At the University of Georgia, master's degree students have 12 months to finish the degree requirements. Whatever the time frame, a master's degree program in archaeology demands a high level of commitment, determination and endurance.
Students who complete a master's degree in archaeology often find work in cultural resource management or archaeological research. Often, graduates are found on construction sites, working in artifact identification or historical preservation capacities. It is not uncommon to find archaeology degree holders working in museums, for governmental agencies or teaching in schools and colleges. Wherever the career path leads archaeological degree graduates, they have gained a deeper understanding of humanity's beginnings and evolution in their educational pursuits.