<p>I am nearing the completion of an undergraduate degree in physics. My interests have changed somewhat, and I'm not certain that I want to pursue a graduate degree in physics. Rather, I am considering the possibilty of changing to archaeology.</p>
<p>Would this shift be possible without having to earn a history-related bachelor's degree? History really interests me, but so does science, and I would love to be able to combine the two. </p>
<p>I understand that many prerequisites would be needed, but am I in a position to inquire further to archaelogical graduate programs? What would be the best way to approach such departments in light of my differing undergrad degree?</p>
<p>If you want to maintain a science bent, an anthropological approach to archaeology is best. There are a few freestanding programs (Boston U, UCLA, Brown, etc.), but mostly you’ll find them in anthropology departments. You would certainly be at a disadvantage in the PhD application process, but there are probably at least a few decent funded master’s programs willing to accept someone with a strong background in another field.</p>
<p>If you want to adopt a historical approach (e.g. classical or Egyptian archaeology), your odds are nonexistent.</p>
<p>Archaeology is a hideously competitive field. BU accepts/funds 2 of ~150 applicants, and it’s relatively weak compared to other programs! It doesn’t end there…the competition for jobs is even worse. Think VERY long and hard before applying for grad school in archaeology; most of my classmates could not see themselves doing absolutely anything else. Remember that you can still do archaeological work as a physicist. One chemistry professor I know, for example, works on various excavations doing residue and soil analysis.</p>
<p>I actually did precisely this. I majored in physics as an undergrad and am now in graduate school doing an archaeology PhD in an anthropology department–and I thought I was the only one! While I don’t use too much quantum mechanics in my PhD research, I do tend to veer towards the intersection between the natural sciences and archaeology–what I do involves a lot of geochemistry, materials science, and geology/mineralogy. </p>
<p>What warblersrule86 says is accurate–archaeology is a very competitive field, and archaeology/anthropology as a field has a complex relationship with the natural sciences. It is true that physicists/chemists do sometimes get involved with archaeological work. However, as a chemistry/physics professor, it would be highly unusual for you to be hired by a physics or a chemistry department to work on archaeological problems–and it might be something you do only on the periphery of your research, or perhaps when you get tenure.</p>
<p>You could also try looking at conservation programs - for lot of material conservation, you need a lot of science background that humanities majors lack (NYU’s requires 2 semesters of organic chem for instance). I think these are generally MA programs but I could be mistaken.</p>
<p>Conservation programs tend to require extensive experience that a normal physics major wouldn’t have. I know people who worked overseas for a year on conservation projects and still didn’t get into UCLA or NYU.</p>