On Wed, 25 Jun 1997 19:21:40 -0700 "William S. Hanable"
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>The "bad" news is that for most (perhaps all) full-time archaeology
>positions, a masters degree is the minimum requirement....
>  If you are serious about a career in archaeology, you
>have to plan for not only an MA, but also a Ph.D.

it is true an MA opens a lot of doors. At that level I was
always able to get work in my chosen field.  Then I
decided to go on for the PhD right away, and frankly, it has
drastically decreased my marketability.  Those jobs that
want a PhD also want a lot more work experience
than I have, and those that require only an MA are
often afraid a PhD will get bored and leave them for
something better (I've had more than one admit this
to me as the main criteria for going with someone with
lower academic credentials).

To add to this, my degree is in Anthropology, specializing
in material culture and historical archaeology.  Now I find
I'm often tagged as a "field archaeologist" and museum's
aren't as interested in the material culture background as
I would have hoped.  Most seem more interested in the
ability to be a fund raiser than anything else.

My advice is to take some courses in business and
non-profit institution finance issues, and wait on a PhD until you
can do it part-time from a secure position somewhere.
Going straight from an MA to a PhD without some working
years in between has made it tough to stay in the field waiting
for openings.

Bryan
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