Archaeological Science Major

Year 1 Study Planner

What do the different requirements mean?

• Compulsory for program – all students must complete this course
• Prerequisite for major – course required for this major
• Recommended – other science course which complements the major, but can be substituted for an elective
• Elective - choose a Level 1 course that interests you

1. Course is available in both semester 1 and 2.

1. Course is available in both semester 1 and 2.

Year 2 to 3 Study Planner

The following are suggested study plans for this major and should be used as a guide to planning your program. Please refer to the course list to ensure you complete the major requirements.

What do the different columns mean?

• Sem - Semester
• Compulsory courses – compulsory for the major.
• Key courses – electives from the major's course list.
• Recommended courses – complements the major.

Choose a study plan

• Archaeobotany and Zooarchaeology

  Year 2

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCS2000 Science in Archaeology	AGRC2080 Plants and Archaeology: Food, fuel, foraging and farming in the human past	BIOL2010 Ecology
  2		[ERTH2002 Palaeobiology OR ARCA2025 Archaeology of the Pacific Islands] ARCS2168 Human Evolution 1	BIOL2203 Plant Biology BIOL22204 Zoology

  Year 3

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCA3100 Critical Studies in World Prehistory	ARCS3020 Animals and Archaeology 2	CONS3017 Landscape Ecology BIOL3209 Organism Diversity and Evolution
  2	ARCS3010 Field Archaeology	GEOS3107 Plants, People and the Environment	BIOL3227 Plant Identification and Vegetation Classification

  1.Semester offering subject to change
  2. This course is offered every second year.

• Artifact Analysis

  Year 2

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCS2000 Science in Archaeology		Choose courses from the BSc course list
  2	-	[ARCS2010 Ancient Technologies 2 OR ARCS2011 Lithic Analysis 2] ARCS2050 Historical Archaeology	Choose courses from the BSc course list

  Year 3

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCA3100 Critical Studies in World Prehistory	ARCS3001 Advanced Research in Archaeology	Choose courses from the BSc course list
  2	ARCS3010 Field Archaeology	Choose #2 from level 3 courses in the major	Choose courses from the BSc course list

  1.Semester offering subject to change
  2. This course is offered every second year.

• Geoarchaeology

  Year 2

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least 2# from:	Key Courses Choose at least 2# from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCS2000 Science in Archaeology	ARCA2025 Archaeology of the Pacific Islands  ERTH2003 Sedimentary Petrology & Stratigraphy		GEOM2001 Geographical Information Systems GEOM2000 Introduction to Remote Sensing of Environment
  Sem 2	–	GEOS2103 Biogeography & Geomorphology	ARCS2011 Lithic Analysis 2 ARCS2060 Archaeology Field School 1	Choose courses from theBSc course list

  Year 3

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCA3100 Critical Studies in World Prehistory	ERTH3103 Sedimentary Environments	CONS3017 Landscape Ecology
  2	ARCS3010 Field Archaeology	Choose #2 from level 3 courses in the major	Choose courses from the BSc course list

  1.Semester offering subject to change
  2. This course is offered every second year.

• Human Evolution

  Year 2

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCS2000 Science in Archaeology		BIOM2020 Human Anatomy
  2		[BIOL2201 Evolution OR ERTH2202 Palaeobiology] ARCS2168 Human Evolution 1	BIOL2202 Genetics

  Year 3

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCA3100 Critical Studies in World Prehistory	BIOL3209 Organism Diversity and Evolution PSYC3262 Evolutionary Approaches to Human Behaviour	BIOM3002 Human Biomedical Anatomy
  2	ARCS3010 Field Archaeology	ARCS3020 Animals and Archaeology 2	BIOC3003 Human Molecular Genetics & Disease

  1.Semester offering subject to change
  2. This course is offered every second year.

• Human Osteology and Palaeopathology

  Year 2

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCS2000 Science in Archaeology	ARCS2070 Bioarchaeology: Human remains and ancient disease	ARCS2003 Forensics: The Archaeology of Death & Crime Scenes BIOM2020 Human Anatomy
  2		BIOL2201 Evolution ARCS2168 Human Evolution 1	BIOL2202 Genetics

  Year 3

  Sem	Compulsory Courses Complete all courses	Key Courses Choose at least #4 from:	Recommended Courses
  1	ARCA3100 Critical Studies in World Prehistory	ARCS3001 Advanced Research in Archaeology	BIOM3002 Human Biomedical Anatomy
  2	ARCS3010 Field Archaeology	Choose #2 from level 3 courses in the major	BIOC3003 Human Molecular Genetics & Disease

  1.Semester offering subject to change
  2. This course is offered every second year.

   

Careers in Archaeological Science

Archaeological science develops a wide range of research, observation, analytical and critical thinking skills in its graduates which allow participation in the heritage sector but are also more widely applicable in a number of work environments. Australia has one of the largest and best remunerated archaeological professional communities in the world and its members work widely across industry and the public sector, often in cultural heritage industries. Authoritative information on the structure of Australian archaeology be found in recent survey results (Ulm et al. 2013. A Working Profile: The Changing Face of Professional Archaeology in Australia. Australian Archaeology 76, 34-43 (http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/23289/1/ulm_etal_2013b.pdf).

Commercial consulting: Most archaeological practitioners work for or run commercial cultural heritage consultancy services evaluating threats via development to cultural heritage assets (sites, landscapes etc) and conducting archaeological survey and excavation to mitigate those threats. Most consulting work is commissioned by large developers, including mining and construction companies, as well as government as part of infrastructure projects.

University teaching and research: Archaeology is a strong academic discipline in Australia and globally, with universities employing archaeologists as lecturers and research fellows. University careers require the development of strong research track records (publication, grant acquisition etc) beginning with, in the Australian system, Honours and PhD research degrees. The university sector is international and Australian-trained researchers work on projects and in institutions around the world. Jobs include permanent and contract lectureships and post-doctoral fellowships, which are usually obtained via competitive application.

Government: Archaeologists work in government departments developing public policy, regulating industry and as advisers to decision makers concerning archaeology and heritage issues. Government jobs require a sound knowledge of the legal and ethical basis of the profession, as well as methodological skills.

Museums: Archaeologists work in museums globally as research and curatorial staff managing and studying museum collections. Archaeological science is also a key skill set for material conservation work.

Forensic science: Archaeologists work commonly in forensic science as government employees or as consultants.

Australian archaeologists commonly work across sectors of the profession (e.g. working in university but undertaking heritage consulting) and there is a close link between those sectors. It is, therefore,  recommended that students gain knowledge of technical/methodological approaches, research foci and professional requirements during their degrees. Students who wish to develop an archaeological career should read the national benchmark for teaching in archaeology: By Degrees (http://www.australianarchaeology.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/By-Degrees-Benchmarking-Archaeology-Degrees-in-Austrlaian-Universities.pdf), which specifies which skills and areas of knowledge are required for professional practice.

Many BSc graduates also enter into further research-based studies in Honours, Masters and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs.