This is from a Federal Posting...
Applicants who meet the basic requirements described in the individual occupational requirements are fully qualified for the specified entry grade (generally grade GS-5). Applicants who wish to qualify for positions at higher grade levels (generally grade GS-7 and above) must also meet the requirements shown in the table below, in addition to meeting the basic requirements.
There are three ways for applicants to meet the basic requirements for the Archaeologist occupation:
* Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included 3 semester hours each in the following course areas:
o History of archeology.
o Archeology of a major geographical area such as North America or Africa.
o Regional archeology, archeological cultures, or sites in a specific part or portion of a major geographical area to acquire or develop a foundation for regional specialization for professional development.
o Theory and methods of archeology. Methods include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating, and analytical techniques.
o Archeological field school, to provide a basic understanding of theoretical and practical approaches to research design implementation, field preservation techniques, and report preparation by participation in actual field work.
AND
* Six semester hours of related course work in:
o geography, geology, or cultural geography;
o history, historiography, or historical archeology;
o environmental studies;
o scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or
o surveying;
AND
* Archeological field school.
OR A degree in anthropology (with emphasis on ethnology, physical anthropology, or scientific linguistics), history, American studies, or a related discipline, provided the curriculum supplied academic course work sufficiently similar to the requirements above (including archeological field school).
OR
* Combination of education and experience-- College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education.
The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation.
OR
* Four years of archeological work experience that demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional archeology. The work experience must have included archeology field experience, which may include that gained in an archeological field school. Field experience should have included a combination of professional experience in archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials. Applicants with such field experience should, after additional experience under the direction of a higher grade archeologist, be able to demonstrate the ability to be a crew chief, directing the work of others at a single location as a part of a larger archeological project.
Additional Experience and Education Requirements For GS-7 and Above
In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education in the amounts shown in the table below:
Grade
Education
Specialized Experience
GS-7
1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5
GS-9
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7
GS-11
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
1 year equivalent to at least GS-9
GS-12 and above
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level
NOTE: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.
Graduate Education: Completion of graduate level education in the amounts shown in the table, in addition to meeting the basic requirements, is qualifying for positions at grades GS-7 through GS-11 if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
36 CFR 61
This is the code that governs some work on Federally funded projects...it applies only to the US. In many countries, it takes much less. Many agencies also accept experience in the field, and many of the older archaeologists never had any formal training.
Archeology and related laws
http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/law.htm
Scurvydog
Applicants who meet the basic requirements described in the individual occupational requirements are fully qualified for the specified entry grade (generally grade GS-5). Applicants who wish to qualify for positions at higher grade levels (generally grade GS-7 and above) must also meet the requirements shown in the table below, in addition to meeting the basic requirements.
There are three ways for applicants to meet the basic requirements for the Archaeologist occupation:
* Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree that included 3 semester hours each in the following course areas:
o History of archeology.
o Archeology of a major geographical area such as North America or Africa.
o Regional archeology, archeological cultures, or sites in a specific part or portion of a major geographical area to acquire or develop a foundation for regional specialization for professional development.
o Theory and methods of archeology. Methods include, but are not limited to, typology, classification, sampling, cultural evolution, diffusion, dating, and analytical techniques.
o Archeological field school, to provide a basic understanding of theoretical and practical approaches to research design implementation, field preservation techniques, and report preparation by participation in actual field work.
AND
* Six semester hours of related course work in:
o geography, geology, or cultural geography;
o history, historiography, or historical archeology;
o environmental studies;
o scientific writing (nonfiction English composition); and/or
o surveying;
AND
* Archeological field school.
OR A degree in anthropology (with emphasis on ethnology, physical anthropology, or scientific linguistics), history, American studies, or a related discipline, provided the curriculum supplied academic course work sufficiently similar to the requirements above (including archeological field school).
OR
* Combination of education and experience-- College-level education or training that provided knowledge equivalent to that described above, plus appropriate technical experience or additional education.
The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation.
OR
* Four years of archeological work experience that demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional archeology. The work experience must have included archeology field experience, which may include that gained in an archeological field school. Field experience should have included a combination of professional experience in archeological survey, excavation, laboratory analysis, and preparation of written materials. Applicants with such field experience should, after additional experience under the direction of a higher grade archeologist, be able to demonstrate the ability to be a crew chief, directing the work of others at a single location as a part of a larger archeological project.
Additional Experience and Education Requirements For GS-7 and Above
In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education in the amounts shown in the table below:
Grade
Education
Specialized Experience
GS-7
1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5
GS-9
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7
GS-11
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree
1 year equivalent to at least GS-9
GS-12 and above
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level
NOTE: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.
Graduate Education: Completion of graduate level education in the amounts shown in the table, in addition to meeting the basic requirements, is qualifying for positions at grades GS-7 through GS-11 if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.
Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
36 CFR 61
This is the code that governs some work on Federally funded projects...it applies only to the US. In many countries, it takes much less. Many agencies also accept experience in the field, and many of the older archaeologists never had any formal training.
Archeology and related laws
http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/law.htm
Scurvydog
