What is archaeology? What are the Different Career Options in Archaeology?
Answer:
Career in Archaeology is for a person who is curious, has a deep interest in the past and wishes to discover how people of different races and nations used to live and think. This multi-disciplinary subject integrates the knowledge of history and anthropology with geology, chemistry and art. Archaeology can be either research related or field oriented.
There are several career options in archaeology. While you can pursue a career in museums, archives, universities and numerous research institutes dedicated to unearthing India’s past, you can also appear for the Union Public Service Examinations conducted every year for the post of archaeologists in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The National Museum of India, New Delhi, has set up a Museum University offering courses recognized by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
It offers Masters and PhD programmes in history of art, conservation and restoration of works of art, and museology.
ASI’s Institute of Archaeology, New Delhi, conducts a two-year post-graduate diploma in archaeology.
The Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management, affiliated to the GGS Indraprastha University, has Masters programmes in archaeology and heritage management, and in conservation, preservation and heritage management.
Two-year post-graduate courses in ancient history and archaeology are available at several institutions including Baroda, Calcutta, Gwalior, Allahabad, Punjab, Kurukshetra and Banaras Hindu universities.
The School of Archival Studies, attached to the National Archives of India, runs short-term courses.
These courses cover archival records, reprographics covering microfilming and handling of automated information, and information sciences.