<p>Which program is better? Specifics please, if you know.</p>
<p>This is one area where Chicago has few peers. Checkout the Oriental Institute.
<a href="http://oi.uchicago.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://oi.uchicago.edu/</a></p>
<p>brown has the only dedicated undergraduate egyptology program in the country
<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Egyptology/undergrad/%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Egyptology/undergrad/</a></p>
<p>This is a new department at Brown, which is trying to establish itself in the area. Chicago has one of the oldest and most respected programs in the country. At Chicago the concentration is in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. </p>
<p>One can make a case for being involved in a new program that is trying to get off the ground. On the other hand, the impact of studying at Chicago in this field is not to be underestimated. It presents an interesting choice.</p>
<p>the program at brown isn't new--it's about 50 years old, well established and very well respected. idad, you may be confused because the undergraduate egyptology program is housed in a department that was recently given a new name.</p>
<p>brown also has the joukowsky institute which offers opportunities for field work
<a href="http://brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/undergrad/%5B/url%5D">http://brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/undergrad/</a></p>
<p>the risd museum which has extensive ancient egyption collection
<a href="http://www.risd.edu/museum_ancient_collect.cfm?Choice2=Museum&Choice=Ancient%25%5B/url%5D">http://www.risd.edu/museum_ancient_collect.cfm?Choice2=Museum&Choice=Ancient%25</a></p>
<p>and the heffenreffer anthropology museum
<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Haffenreffer/index.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Haffenreffer/index.php</a></p>
<p>and a public humanities program for those interested in curating ancient art and archeology
<a href="http://proteus.brown.edu/jnbc/Home%5B/url%5D">http://proteus.brown.edu/jnbc/Home</a></p>
<p>I was speaking about the undergrad program.</p>
<p>again, the undergrad egyptology program at brown is well-established and respected and has been around for decades.</p>
<p>There is a new program at Brown. They are combining departments to expand their program to more closely resemble those offered by Chicago (since 1919) and others.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Debuting in the 2005/6 academic year, the Department of Egyptology and Ancient Western Asian Studies is an expansion of the existing Department of Egyptology, founded at Brown in 1948. This new academic unit is still forming and operating on a relatively small scale, as its expansion takes shape. Plans for the new department involve widening the intellectual focus from ancient Egypt to all of Ancient Western Asia, also known as the Ancient Near East.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>(Johns Hopkins has the oldest program, founded in 1883)</p>
<p>this is silly, and is likely of little interest or relevance to the OP. believe me, i know, this is not a new program at brown. </p>
<p>they recently combined departments to consolidate overlapping resources--for no other reason. </p>
<p>this has almost nothing to do with the undergraduate egyptology program at Brown which has awarded undergraduate egyptology degrees for 50 years and sent countless alumni to prominence in the field</p>
<p>Chicago's Egyptology program is superb to the extent that virtually every university that teaches Egyptology will have at least one professor or student with ties to Chicago. The sheer number of courses offered in the subject, as well as related courses (Sumerian, Elamite, Akkadian, Hittite, etc.) simply can't be matched. The Oriental Institute has been excavating and surveying for nearly a century, including the current survey at Luxor. To the best of my knowledge, Brown does not offer a dig in Egypt. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Brown definitely has a decent program. It's not as well-known simply because it's a lot smaller and largely geared toward undergrads. If you're interested in the language, Brown is the way to go. As was noted, Brown has recently restructured its program. The new director, James Allen, is quite famous and has written an excellent grammar on the Egyptian language. Brown also has a good Old World Archaeology program, if that interests you. </p>
<p>I'd lean toward Chicago, but it's really a matter of preference. Courses at Chicago will have both undergrads and grad students, which may or may not appeal to you. Brown will offer more flexibility.</p>
<p>Thanks for the posts.</p>