Postgraduate Study in Archaeology

Bringing the past into the present.

Archaeology seeks to understand earlier human communities through the study of material evidence from the past. This evidence can include assemblages of portable artefacts such as stone tools, larger monumental structures like Mayan temples, and entire humanmodified landscapes. Archaeologists generate data through fieldwork and excavation, and use both laboratory science and interpretive theory to study that data. Archaeology is essentially a humanities discipline, since it studies human societies and their history, but it draws on a range of other fields, particularly from the sciences.

Archaeology is our primary source of knowledge about the deep history of humankind, and the gradual developments in culture and society that led to the present-day arrangement of human communities. Otago offers a range of stimulating archaeology papers, including opportunities for postgraduate students to carry out supervised field and laboratory research, particularly in New Zealand and the Pacific.

Why study Archaeology?

The study of Archaeology will broaden your understanding of the development of human society and culture. At Otago you will learn about the methods and findings that have led archaeologists to understand how and why complex societies emerged throughout the world.

Otago courses provide a unique 50,000 year perspective on early human colonisation and cultural change in Asia and the Pacific. Students gain novel insights into human social and material environments and interactions in the past.

Students can also prepare for a career that promotes new and exciting research into our human heritage, and the care of archaeological sites today. Graduating Archaeology students will have critical skills in the systematic recording, analysis and interpretation of the cultural past.

Archaeology is taught as part of the Arts degree at the University of Otago so our students receive excellent instruction in research, and are skilled in the construction and presentation of well-reasoned and articulated arguments – in both written and oral form. These are the fundamental skills necessary for a wide range of careers and our graduates are currently employed in many different professions. Those with a graduate degree in Archaeology often elect to take up positions in archaeological research, heritage management, museum studies or in related fields.

Are you just starting uni?

Learn about studying Archaeology as an undergraduate at Otago.

Contacts

Archaeology Programme
School of Social Sciences
Email anthropology@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/archaeology

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