Study a major in Archaeology at Flinders University

Choose a major in Archaeology

Learn about the past to understand the present, and create better futures.

Archaeology is the study of the material traces of the human past, both ancient and modern. By connecting heritage sites and artefacts with contemporary community concerns, archaeologists work to understand how the past affects the present.

A major in archaeology combines practical skills in field survey, site recording and excavation with expert knowledge in Indigenous, historical, maritime and world archaeology to create your future career as an archaeologist and heritage manager.

Why study Archaeology?

Flinders is only university in Australia that offers archaeology from the bottom of the sea to outer space
Learn from experts in the industry
Archaeologists are highly sought-after, with plenty of job opportunities
Gain transferrable skills and knowledge to kickstart your career
Enjoy hands-on experiences in the field and in the lab.

Your career

An archaeology degree equips you to care for the heritage of humankind.

Potential occupations include:

Museum curator
Consultant archaeologist/heritage manager
Heritage officer
Heritage advisor

Potential employers include:

Cultural heritage consulting companies
Mining and energy companies
Indigenous-run organisations or corporations
Museum sector
Government departments
National and state-run parks
Conservation organisations
Universities.

What you will study

You'll explore a range of exciting topics.

Sex, death and ritual in the ancient world
The archaeology of modern society
Field methods
World archaeology: From the Palaeolithic to Pompeii
The archaeology of submerged landscapes
Geoarchaeology
Environmental archaeology
Australian historical artefacts
Archaeology of Southeast Asia.

Study options

Study this major in the following degrees:

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts and Science
Bachelor of Education (Primary R-7), Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
Bachelor of Arts, Master of Teaching (Primary R-7)

How many units?

A major in Archaeology is comprised of 36 units, including:

Two Year 1 topics (9 units)
Two Year 2 topics (9 units)
Two Year 3 topics (9 units)

Archaeology can also be taken as a minor. Your 22.5 units will include:

Two Year 1 topics (9 units)
Two Year 2 topics (9 units)
Plus an additional topic (4.5 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topic options

You may complete an extended major sequence in Archaeology by completing the prescribed major topics (36 units), plus an additional two topics (9 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topics. An extended major in Archaeology is not available to students enrolled in the double Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts degrees

Add a year of Honours or graduate coursework

To work as a professional archaeologist in Australia you need a three-year undergraduate degree plus one additional year of study.

You can gain this extra year by completing either an Honours degree or a graduate (coursework) Diploma. Archaeology has two post-graduate coursework degrees (one in Archaeology and Heritage Management and one in Maritime Archaeology) to choose from for that crucial extra year.

Explore your honours year

Meet the experts

Professor Jonathan Benjamin

Jonathan Benjamin is a specialist in the archaeology of submerged landscapes, Pleistocene-Holocene transitions and applied methods in Maritime and Underwater Archaeology. Dr Benjamin's research interests include past human transitions and cultural migrations, the inundation of coastal sites and resulting impacts on past societies, 3D site recording and the advancement of method in maritime and underwater archaeology.

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Professor Heather Burke

Heather Burke is an historical archaeologist with a wide range of research interests, including the construction of class and status through material culture, the archaeology of cross-cultural engagement and the links between cultural heritage, memory and contemporary social identity. Her current research focusses on the 'frontier' and its social and material effects, particularly the archaeology of frontier conflict in Queensland.

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Professor Liam Brady

Liam Brady is an anthropologist and archaeologist, Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and Professor. Over the last 20 years he has crafted his research program around multidisciplinary approaches to Indigenous cultural heritage with a focus on integrating Indigenous knowledge into understanding the "archaeological record" (rock art, stone artefacts, rockshelter occupation sites, etc.)

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Associate Professor Martin Polkinghorne

Martin Polkinghorne is an Associate Professor in Archaeology at Flinders University. Between 2011 and 2014 he led an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery project on pre-modern craft economies in Cambodia. This initiative discovered the first historic bronze foundry known in Southeast Asia and continues to excavate at Angkor. Martin is Lead Chief Investigator of an international consortium on the ARC Linkage Project: Reuniting orphaned cargoes: Underwater Cultural Heritage of the Maritime Silk Route.

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