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Professional archaeologists work for universities, colleges, museums, the federal government, state governments, in private companies, and as consultants.

They teach, conduct field investigations, analyze artifacts and sites, and publish the results of their research.

The minimal educational requirement to work as a field archaeologist is a B.A. or B.S. degree with a major in anthropology or archaeology and previous field experience (usually obtained by spending a summer in an archaeological field school or participating as a volunteer).

While this is sufficient to work on an archaeological field crew, it is not sufficient to move into supervisory roles. Supervisory positions require a graduate degree, either an M.A./M.S. or a Ph.D.

Within colleges and universities archaeologists are found in departments of anthropology, archaeology, art history, architecture, classics, history, and theology. Academic institutions in the U.S. can be broadly divided into three groups:

1. universities (with graduate programs);
2. colleges (undergraduate programs leading to B.A./B.S. degrees); and
3. community colleges (two year programs leading to Associates degrees).

A Ph.D. is required for faculty positions at colleges and universities. An M.A./M.S. is required for community college positions.

Faculty teaching loads vary among these three groups.

1. University faculty teach graduate courses, upper level undergraduate courses (for anthropology or archaeology majors), and introductory level courses.
2. College faculty teach upper level undergraduate courses and introductory level courses.
3. Community college faculty teach introductory level courses (and sometimes a few upper level courses).

Requirements to obtain research funds and publish research results are highest in universities and lower in community colleges. Laboratory facilities are greater in universities than in community colleges. Most faculty positions are nine month appointments.

During the summer, academic archaeologists conduct field research funded by grants or contracts, teach summer school, teach summer field schools, or work as private consultants. Research funds come from the archaeologist's school, from federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and from private foundations such as the National Geographic Society, Wenner- Gren, Earthwatch, and others.

Many archaeologists work for the federal government.

1. The U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have about 800 archaeologists among them.
2. Many archaeologists also work for state government agencies. Every state has a State Historic Preservation Office with one or more archaeologists on staff. In addition, other archaeologists work in state parks departments, highway departments, and water resource departments.
3. Some cities also hire archaeologists to handle local ordinances protecting archaeological sites.

Federal and state laws that protect the environment include protection for important archaeological sites. As a result the government is involved in managing archaeological sites on federal and state lands (parks, forests, etc). Construction projects often require archaeological surveys to locate prehistoric or historic sites and the excavation of some sites before construction can begin. Federal and state archaeologists are involved in making these decisions and supervising the archaeologists who perform the work. This kind of archaeology is called cultural resources management (CRM).

Most government positions require an M.A. degree.

Archaeologists also work for firms that conduct the CRM investigations required by law.

They may work for

• laboratories or centers within colleges and universities,
• engineering and environmental companies,
• companies specializing in archaeological investigations, or
• as private consultants.

Positions in CRM work require an M.A. to have a supervisory role.

Private sector archaeologists conduct archaeological surveys to locate prehistoric and historic sites. They also excavate significant sites prior to their destruction by construction activities. Private sector archaeologists work:

• in the field,
• in the laboratory analyzing the results of their field investigations,
• in the office writing reports on those investigations and preparing proposals to conduct additional work.

These organizations also hire field archaeologists as temporary staff to assist with the field investigations. Field positions usually require a B.A. degree and previous field experience in an archaeological field school.