Undergraduate Program

Majoring in Archaeology

Joining the major:

No prerequisite courses are necessary before joining the major.
Students can get major and advisor add forms from the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Nerissa Russell (nr29@cornell.edu).

Requirements for the major (for students joining in 2014-15 forward):

Coursework requirements:
- 32 credit hours from the Archaeology Courses of Study or related fields
  - 16 of the credit hours must be at the 3000-level or above.
Major distribution requirements (Students are required to take the following number of courses from different categories within the Archaeology Courses of Study.)
- Comparative Survey: One course.
- Methods/Theory: Two courses.
- Regional Concentrations: Students must take a minimum of one course in at least two different regional concentrations.
Some notes on course credits:
- Students select their courses in consultation with a major advisor of their choosing. In some areas of specialization, intensive language training should be coordinated with other studies as early as the freshman year.
- To receive credit towards the major, students must receive a grade of C or better within a course.
- A maximum of 4 of the 32 required credit hours can come from independent study courses (e.g., Arkeo 3000 Individual Study).
- Fieldwork requirement:
  - Every student should gain some practical experience in archaeological fieldwork on a project authorized by his or her advisor.
  - This requirement may be waived in exceptional circumstances.
  - Scholarship opportunities for fieldwork: The Jacob and Hedwig Hirsch bequest provides support for a limited number of students to work at excavations sponsored by Cornell and other approved institutions: see further information at http://ciams.cornell.edu/funding.

Graduating with honors: Please see Guidelines and Procedures for Undergraduate Honors in Archaeology

Joining the minor:

No prerequisite courses are necessary before joining the minor.
Students can get minor add forms from the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Nerissa Russell (nr29@cornell.edu).

Requirements for the minor:

Coursework requirements: (Students must take 5 archaeology courses, including courses from the following categories):
- Comparative Survey: One course.
- Methods/Theory: One course.
- Regional Concentrations: Students must take a minimum of one course in at least two different regional concentrations.
- Note: To receive credit towards the minor for a course, students must receive a grade of C or better.
- Fieldwork: recommended, but not required
  - Minors are encouraged to gain some fieldwork experience.
  - Scholarship opportunities for fieldwork: Minors are eligible for Hirsch Scholarships in support of fieldwork on the same basis as majors.