UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

Undergraduate Certificate in Archaeology

Certificate in Archeology | Archeology Certificate Courses | Participating Faculty

1. Description: This certificate will be awarded to undergraduate students upon completion of 21 credits of specified coursework.  The 21 credits required for the Certificate must be distributed between different categories of courses as follows:

         3 credits of Introductory Courses (Anthro 102, 107, 112)
         6 credits in Area Courses
         6 Credits in Topics Courses
         3 credits of Field Courses or substitute
         3 credits of Capstone Seminar in Archaeology
          (or graduate level archaeology seminar)

Area courses provide the student with a more specific background in regional issues in archaeology. Topic courses ensure that the student has a strong foundation in theory and methodology. Field courses provide the student with practical experience in archaeology. Together these complementary courses give the student a well-rounded education in the field of archaeology.

The 21 credits must be distributed among at least three of the departments listed below:

         Anthropology
         Art History
         Zoology
         Classics
         History
         Geography
         Geology and Geophysics
         Hebrew and Semitic Studies

2. List of Courses (link to Archaeology Certificate Courses)

3. A minimum 2.0 GPA must be earned on all course work attempted for the certificate program. The supervising faculty will be responsible for making the final decision regarding the fulfillment of this criterion and will notify the Department of Anthropology. The Department of Anthropology is responsible for issuing the certificate.

4. Certificate program course requirements can be met by courses approved for Credit/No Credit (CR/N) grading.

5. At least 50% of the credits applied toward the requirements of the certificate program must be taken in residence at UW - Madison. Credits earned by participation in a UW – Madison study abroad program are resident credits unless special considerations apply.

6. Both degree seeking and special students may be admitted to the archaeology certificate program.

7. Substitution for courses prescribed in a certificate program may be recommended by the certificate program faculty to the student’s Dean. In such cases, the substitute course(s) shall be considered for inclusion in the courses required for the certificate program. Directed study courses and non-UW-Madison equivalent transfer courses would constitute individual exceptions. Cross-listed courses will be allowed, but the student should be careful to enroll in the appropriate department in order to fulfill the certificate requirements.

8. The mission of the Certificate is to help students to obtain a global and more interdisciplinary perspective of archaeology and human culture in general. Through the certificate, students will be able to understand how cultures in different regions of the world have successfully or in many cases unsuccessfully dealt with adaptation to their environment and interaction with other communities. Students will be able to explore the origins of subsistence strategies, trade, technology, ideology and conflict that are still relevant to our modern global environment as well as the ever changing economic and political situation.  The certificate provides a linkage between courses in several departments and stimulates students to think about similar topics from different academic and theoretical perspectives. In addition to providing students with a mechanism for developing and understanding of archaeology in its broadest sense, it provides them with a strong foundation for future careers and graduate study. Finally, this certificate helps students to better understand the diversity of human culture and respect the differences that have resulted from thousands of years of social, economic, political and ideological development.

9. The Anthropology Department is responsible for approving and entering exceptions into the DARS system on the Registrar’s Undergraduate Certificate Program Request Information form. Furthermore we use DARS to track student progress in the certificate.

10. The main advising comes from the supervising faculty of each department, but a student wishing to undertake the certificate should meet with the Chair of the Archaeology Section in the Anthropology Department to finalize the certificate and deal with any specific advising issues. The Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Anthropology assists in setting up advising appointments and in maintaining the records for the Certificate Program.

11. This certificate in archaeology has several important functions. It recognizes specific student activities and specific requirements for the study of archaeology. Students with such a certificate will gain easier admission to academic programs in archaeology as well as have written documentation of their participation in archaeological field projects and research. The curriculum will provide interdisciplinary direction for undergraduate students. Archaeology at Madison is truly an interdisciplinary endeavor and this certificate is one means of involving that diversity.