Join a Transformative Journey into Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management
The Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Professional Training Program is a four-week, immersive field school hosted by the Alabama Historical Commission at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, the site of Alabama’s first state capital. Designed for students and emerging professionals, this program delivers intensive, field-based training in archaeological survey, excavation, artifact processing, and regulatory compliance.
This is not a typical academic field school—it’s a professional development experience tailored to those seeking careers in CRM and applied archaeology.
Program Dates: Session 1: June 1 – June 26, 2026 Session 2: July 6 – July 31, 2026
Cost: $1,000 per session. SeeLogisticspage for more information about transportation, room, and board
Location: Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, Orrville, AL
Logistics: $1000 per four week session – covers instruction, most tools and equipment, and housing at Dalwhinnie Fields. $500 additional for the optional food plan (continental breakfast, sack lunch, and home-cooked dinner, Monday-Friday) for the four week session.
Participants will gain hands-on experience in both Phase I survey (shovel testing, pedestrian reconnaissance) and Phase II evaluation (test units, feature excavation) at multiple historically significant locations across Old Cahawba, including:
Barker’s Slave Quarters
The Historic Downtown
The Perine Mansion Grounds
You will receive daily instruction in key areas such as:
CRM laws and compliance: Section 106, NHPA, NEPA, and state preservation regulations
Excavation and survey methods: Provenience, stratigraphy, field documentation, and health/safety
Artifact identification: Ceramics, glass, metals, lithics, and ecofacts
Laboratory processing: Cleaning, cataloging, and basic artifact analysis
Technical documentation: Site forms, maps, field notes, photography, et al.
Public archaeology: Engaging communities and interpreting cultural landscapes
Career readiness: Fieldwork ethics, job expectations, and pathways in CRM
The schedule balances lecture, fieldwork, lab work, and collaborative presentations, culminating in a Public Archaeology Day where students present findings and demonstrate field techniques.
In addition to the CRM Professional Training Program, participants are encouraged to enroll in one or more of our advanced workshops. Each workshop provides specialized, hands-on instruction that strengthens your professional skill set—skills highly valued by CRM firms, government agencies, non-profits, and other employers. These advanced competencies are rarely available outside (and often even within) university settings, making our workshops a unique and highly recommended opportunity for career development.
Every tree has a story to tell. Dendrochronology is the study of natural and human processes that are recorded in the annual growth rings of trees. This tree-ring record is archived thanks to the remarkable preservation qualities of wood, and across the wide geographical distribution of trees. Through the science of dendrochronology, a broad range of ecological, climatic, geological, and cultural phenomena can be reconstructed and analyzed with high spatial and temporal resolution.
Course dates: Monday, May 18 through Friday, June 5, 2026
What is DISC2026?
The Dendrochronology Intensive Summer Course (DISC) is a three-week long course that is designed to provide experiential learning in all phases of tree-ring research. Participants will learn fundamental Dendrochronology concepts and be introduced to its rich interdisciplinary nature. In addition, they will hone their skills in track-specific techniques. All tracks will include a fieldwork component and cover sample collection, sample processing, data analysis and will culminate in a project presentation. Ample opportunities to network and interact with participants in other tracks, as well as Invited speakers, are an important and integral part of DISC.
DISC begins with a week-long field trip to classic tree-ring sites in the southwestern United States where participants will learn basic tree-ring sampling techniques as well as specialized sampling strategies for their selected area of focus. This year, we are offering three tracks: Dendroarchaeology, Dendroecology and Dendroclimatology. Upon returning to the University of Arizona, participants will immediately begin processing their samples and collecting tree-ring data. In conjunction with the lab portion of the course, all participants will receive instruction on fundamental concepts and practices of dendrochronology. In addition, participants will learn about current research being conducted at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research (LTRR) and will have the opportunity to meet and network with LTRR faculty members. There will be ample time and support provided for groups to analyze and interpret their tree-ring data. Analytic approaches will depend on the selected track – Dendroarchaeology, Dendroecology, and Dendroclimatology.
For further information about these tracks, stay tuned to this website and/or contact: Dendroarcheology: Dr. Nick Kessler nvkessler[at]arizona.edu Dendroecology: Dr Paul Sheppard prs[at]arizona.edu Dendroclimatology: Dr. Kiyomi Morino kiyomi[at]arizona.edu
Dendroarchaeology
This track will emphasize the process of conducting Dendroarchaeological research from start to finish. During this course, participants will collect, analyze and interpret archaeological tree-rings. Participants (undergrads, grads, professionals) will learn the most accurate and precise dating method used by archaeologists via lectures, laboratory exercises, and field work. The centerpiece of this track is the field trip – a tour through multiple archaeological sites in Arizona. Participants will embark into the field after first receiving instruction in the basics of dendrochronological method and theory. Upon returning from the field, participants will prepare, crossdate and interpret dendroarcheological samples collected during the field trip. Lectures will be presented by course instructors as well as leading tree-ring scientists, including Jeffrey S. Dean and Charlotte Pearson.
Dendroecology
In this track, the field instruction will include site and tree selection criteria for dendro projects (fire history, stand dynamics), learning how to collect high-quality tree cores and possibly cross sections from fallen logs, and proper care and maintenance of the equipment. Samples collected in the field will be processed in the wood shop and lab and further analyzed during the remainder of DISC.
Dendroclimatology
This track will emphasize the application of tree-ring data to the reconstruction of climatic and hydrologic time series. With guidance, students will design and conduct a mini-research project that includes 1) assembly and quality control of data, 2) tree-ring standardization, 3) climate signal identification, 4) climate or streamflow reconstruction, and 5) climatological interpretation of reconstructions with the aid of time series and statistical methods.
Registration & Fees
To register, please fill in(link is external)this form(link is external). Course fees are $1200 for students and $1400 for professionals. All fees must be paid by April 3, 2026. Fees do not include room and board. If you are interested in on-campus housing options, please indicate so on the registration. NOTE: On-campus housing is limited so please register and indicate this option as early as possible.
This summer programtrains four participantsto work with archaeological museum collections, including cataloging with PastPerfect software, ceramic analysis, digitization, document and photograph handling, and other tasks. Students will focus on collections from the NAN Ranch, a largeClassic Mimbresperiod pueblo in the Mimbres Valley excavated by the Texas A&M University summer archaeological field school from 1978 to 1989 and now housed at the Western New Mexico University (WNMU) Museum.
The program takes place at WNMU in Silver City, New Mexico. Housing and meals are provided for all participants, but the internship is unpaid.
Our program highlights the practice of Preservation Archaeology, which integrates research, education, preservation, and engagement with local communities and stakeholders.We share what we learn throughout the project with the public via local events, blog posts, and other venues. Together, students and staff explore ethically responsible and scientifically rigorous research and curation approaches while making an important collection more available to researchers, Tribal members, and the public.
This project is committed to increasing the diversity of views represented in archaeology and museum studies, including improving communication between specialists and nonprofessionals and between researchers with different backgrounds and training. Students from backgrounds and institutions traditionally underrepresented in archaeology (including small colleges and community colleges) are especially encouraged to apply.
Location and Amenities
Our work takes place at the Western New Mexico University Museum, a newly renovated historic building with classroom, laboratory, and exhibit space on the 83-acreWNMU campus in the town of Silver City. Silver City is located in pine forests at an elevation of 5,895 feet, with just under 10,000 residents and access to outdoor activities, historic sites, and a local arts scene. Housing is provided on the WNMU campus in apartment-style dormitories with private bedrooms/bathrooms and shared living rooms, and a meal plan is provided at the WNMU dining hall.
Museum work will generally take place Monday through Friday. We will take two 1-day field trips on weekends, and other weekend days will be open for interns to explore on their own. We provide transportation during all field trips and required internship activities, and between Silver City and the airport in El Paso, Texas, at the beginning and end of the program. You will not need a car during the program, but may bring one if you want to.
Faculty
Danielle Romerois Director of the WNMU Museum and is the onsite faculty member for the internship program. She received her PhD at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2024. She has more than 10 years of field experience in the Southwest, and her research has focused on Mimbres archaeology and archaeological ceramic (pottery) analysis. Prior to her current position, she worked at the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office as a database manager andSection 106reviewer.
Karen Schollmeyeris a Preservation Archaeologist at Archaeology Southwest who will join the interns for some scheduled activities during the program. She received her PhD in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 2009. Her interests include long-term human-environment interactions; food security and landscape use; and how archaeologists’ long-term insights can be applied to modern issues in conservation and development. She has directed numerous field schools in southwest New Mexico.
Application
The application form is availablehere(opens/automatically downloads as an MS Word doc). Applications received by April 1, 2026, will receive priority. Application review will begin immediately after that date, and applications will be accepted until the internship is filled.The internship is limited to four participants, who may be undergraduate or graduate students or recent graduates looking for hands-on experience.
Course credit:We may be able to arrange optional course credit through Western New Mexico University. Please check with your advisor about transferring credits to your home university, and contact Dr. Romero (danielle.romero@wnmu.edu) for details if you need course credits.
This is a college research and service leadership program of study focused on the people of the Clear Lake, California region through time, beginning specifically when the first colonizers arrived from Spain and the East Coast. In uncovering unremembered stories of the past and working to incorporate the research ideas and goals of the local population of the region, we hope to gain a richer understanding of the past.
The field class runs from July 5-14, 2026 in Lake County, California. This allows working students to take one week off and complete a full field school.
The field school will integrate training and direct field experience in Lake County. Most students will be camping at Clear Lake State Park. Options abound for hotels and AirBnB.
The program fee for students is $400. Costs for camping reservations for ten daysin the Clear Lake basin are covered.Course creditsare offered for Anth 52 –Archaeological Field Methods, you apply to Foothill College and enroll in the class. Allother costs will be directly incurred by the students, to include food andtransport. We will provide options for group dining, fees are arranged directly with the provider.
Foothill College’s Department of Anthropology is excited to be offering a low cost field program in California. Led by Dr Samuel Connell and colleagues, we are studying the remarkable history of the Clear Lake region through time. In 2025 survey of the lake side will continue, and the excavation component will be at a locally important site that is to be determined. In 2024 we were at theKelsey Creek Schoolhouse, the last standing original one room schoolhouse in Lake County. In 2021 summer student survey and excavations focused on the historically significant site of theEly Stage Stop,which was used as a stage coach stop, public house, hotel and a school for boys. Students will be learning all aspects of fieldwork from survey, ground-penetrating radar, excavation techniques and laboratory work. The work involves defining foundations of the main building, finding the privies and excavating the out buildings. Each student is required to create a legacy project on a topic of their choice with the idea being everyone should leave something postivie behind. Lastly, every student will be heavily involved in community development projects with various stakeholders.
Explore the history and heritage of Amache, a World War II-era Japanese American confinement camp recently designated as a U.S. National Historic Site. This unique field school combines archaeology, museum studies, and community engagement, giving you the chance to investigate daily life at Amache while contributing to its preservation. During this four-week program, you’ll survey the site, carry out targeted excavations of gardens and landscape features built by incarcerated persons, and work directly with artifacts and archives in the Amache Museum. Just as important, you’ll collaborate closely with survivors and descendants of the Amache camp, learning how to navigate sensitive issues around a difficult heritage while building skills that translate to careers in archaeology, museums, and heritage management.
This field class will take place at Amache National Historic Site, a former World War II-era Japanese American confinement camp located in southeastern Colorado, and its associated museum. It is particularly appropriate for students who are interested in community-based research and are prepared to engage with sensitive issues around a difficult heritage. With remnant landscaping, largely intact building foundations, scattered surface artifacts, and both formal and informal trash dumps, the site retains significant archaeological integrity. That integrity and its important role in global history is reflected in its new status within the US National Park system.
Since 2008, Dr. Bonnie Clark has led a community-collaborative biennial field school at Amache in both archaeology and museum studies. The field school works closely with the former incarceree and Japanese American community and the Amache Preservation Society, a volunteer organization associated with the Granada High School, to preserve and document the site and associated museum collections. Students will work with volunteers and high school interns who have a personal or family tie to Amache, as well as members of the local community.
Each year work conducted by the field school helps answer central research questions about daily life in Amache, place-making by those forced to live there, and heritage management. To answer these research questions, students participate in archaeological survey, targeted excavations, and work in the Amache museum which maintains a collection of objects and primary materials associated with Amache. During the four-week 2024 field school, crews will spend half of their mornings surveying the site and
the other half conducting targeted excavations of gardens and landscape features constructed by incarcerees. Students in the field school will also have the opportunity to develop an individual project.
Field school highlights:
Gain practical training in survey, excavation, collections management, artifact analysis and more.
Make an impact by helping to preserve and document the Amache site.
Work closely with community members who have personal or family ties to Amache, gaining valuable experience in community-based research.
FIELD SCHOOL DIRECTORS:
Dr. Bonnie Clark, University of Denver (bclark@du.edu)
Dr. April Kamp-Whittaker, California State University, Chico (akamp-whittaker@csuchico.edu)
Dr. Annie Danis, Cal Poly Pomona (aedanis@cpp.edu)
PREREQUISITES
Students in this field school will be embedded in two communities; the survivor and descendants of Amache and the local town of Granada. Your participation is precipitated on their good will and your respect. Thus, we ask that all students prepare with readings about the history of Japanese American incarceration and the site of Amache and participate in a zoom discussion of those readings. However, to succeed in a field situation you should be able to work well with a team in outdoor and changing conditions.
COLORADO
EXPLORING ANCIENT COMMUNITIES THROUGH ARCHAEOLOGY: CROW CANYON COLLEGE FIELD SCHOOL (Northern Chaco region, Colorado)
A National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program
Program dates: May 19 to July 7, 2025 Application deadline: March 7, 2025
Applicants must be U.S. Citizens and currently enrolled in an undergraduate program.
Fee: $2,130.00 due Friday, April 16, 2025
The field school fee covers in-field transportation, field equipment rental, housing, meals, instructor fees, evening lectures, and field trips to ancestral sites in the Mesa Verde and middle San Juan regions.
Transportation to and from Cortez and your personal gear are your responsibility. Weekends are yours to explore the cultural and natural attractions in the area.
Earn college credit at Crow Canyon during College Field School! Tuition for six credit hours: Undergraduate students may enroll in Anthropology 379 through Adams State University.
Stipends Accepted students will receive a stipend to support their attendance through the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program (NSF REU 1851763).
OVERVIEW
This project is funded in part by the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate. It has broader scientific and societal impacts in addition to integrating undergraduate research and education. This REU Sites award to the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center supports authentic archaeological research for 10 undergraduate students from underrepresented populations over the course of seven weeks spanning three years (30 total students).
Students actively engage in research alongside professional mentors within the framework of a long-term research project, the Northern Chaco Outliers Project. Students receive extensive preparation in STEM-based learning objectives that are necessary for future success within the discipline. This program provides students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to secure future employment within archaeology and to pursue advanced degrees, emerging as the next generation of professionals, Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, educators, and leaders within the sciences. Inferences generated about past human behavior are utilized to create a better understanding of the principles that govern culture change worldwide and to address issues relevant to today’s societies, providing critical information to guide future policy making.
The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center initiated the Northern Chaco Outliers Project in 2017 with the goals of addressing important regional questions surrounding the expansion of ancient communities in the Mesa Verde region, as well as broader anthropological research questions concerning human-environment interactions, the development of inequality/equality, the political role of community centers, and identity formation/dissolution. Although this project has a regional focus, its results have national and global impacts. By engaging in scientific research focused on broader anthropological questions, REU students advance and share knowledge of the human past and contribute to cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary research surrounding human actions in the past, present, and future.
This award (#2348945) reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Under the direction of Dr. Susan C. Ryan, the Center’s Executive Vice President of the Research Institute, undergraduate students may, but are not required to, enroll for 6 credit hours in Anthropology 379, through Adams State University in Colorado that can be transferred to their home institution.
Crow Canyon’s College Field School is certified by the Register of Professional Archaeologists
COLORADO
CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER 2025 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Crow Canyon offers paid internships to undergraduate and graduate students in archaeology, anthropology, education, and related fields.
The application deadline for all internships is March 3, 2025.
Internships Build your resume, expand your transferable skills, and develop professional connections that advance your career pathways. Crow Canyon typically offers internships in various fields of Research, Education, and American Indian Initiatives:
Field Archaeology: Build experience in survey, excavation, and mapping techniques along with artifact documentation. Lab Archaeology: Engage in the cataloging and analysis of archaeological collections, particularly pottery and stone artifacts. American Indian Initiatives: Collaborate with Native American partners and advisor to support cultural continuity initiatives and educational outreach. Dendrochronology: Gain analytical skills in the application of tree-ring dating techniques, sampling strategies, analytical methodologies, climate research, and educational outreach. Zooarchaeology: Develop specialized skills in faunal analysis that aid in you development as archaeologists and paleozoologists. Education: Help students build cultural competencies and learn about the rich cultural heritage of Southwest Colorado through traditional and distance learning programs.
The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center maintains high standards of research and scholarship. Students participating in the Center’s programs are closely supervised by staff members, ensuring a positive learning experience, as well as high-quality contributions for the profession. In addition, American Indians—many of them descendants of Ancestral Pueblo people—consult and collaborate on all facets of the Center’s research, and colleagues from many other disciplines lend their expertise to advance mission initiatives. In such an environment, interns have the opportunity to gain valuable experience in working with, and learning from, a wide variety of people.
Crow Canyon’s research focuses on the Ancestral Pueblo occupation of the Mesa Verde region. In 2017, Crow Canyon launched the Northern Chaco Outliers Project, an investigation of an Ancestral Pueblo village with two Pueblo II period (A.D. 950–1150) great houses.
Benefits
Interns are paid $14.81 per hour (five-day week, Monday through Friday)
Lodging is available at no cost
Meals included when the kitchen open, stipend provided when the kitchen is closed
A travel allowance (up to $350) is available to help defray travel expenses
Interns will be eligible for sick pay at one hour for every 30 hours worked
Course Credit Crow Canyon does not offer course credit for internships, but will gladly certify work/study performed and provide evaluations if students wish to arrange for credit through another institution.
Campus Amenities
The following on-campus facilities are available to interns at no cost:
Lodging provided in rustic hogans on campus. A shared restroom with running water is nearby for convenience.
Washers and dryers are also available in the Lodge
Meals provided when the kitchen is staffed; stipend provided and cooking facilities available when the kitchen is not staffed
Crow Canyon provides Wi-Fi Internet service in campus buildings
5,000-volume research library and desk space
Access to Crow Canyon’s 170-acre campus, which includes a large meadow, pinyon- and juniper-covered hillsides, and short nature trail
The Zooarchaeology Internship is designed to provide valuable experience to students in the fields of zooarchaeology and environmental archaeology by working with and learning from our research staff in the lab and field on zooarchaeology related projects and topics. Working with research staff at Crow Canyon, this internship will provide valuable on-the-job training related to faunal analysis. The zooarchaeology intern will develop a broad range of skills that will aid in their development as archaeologists and paleozoologists. The intern will advance their non-human osteological identification skills with fauna from the U.S. Southwest and learn new quantitative methods/interpretative frameworks related to zooarchaeological data. The intern will apply these analytical skills to enhance Crow Canyon’s research interpretations, educational outreach, and overall understanding of the culture history of the greater Mesa Verde region.
Education and/or Experience:Advanced undergraduate or graduate course work in education, museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, American Indian studies, or a related field is required.
The Archaeology Field Internship is an entry level position designed to provide valuable hands-on experience working with and learning from Crow Canyon’s field staff.
Education and/or Experience:Advanced undergraduate or graduate course work in education, museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, American Indian studies, or a related field is required.
The Archaeology Laboratory Internship is an entry level position designed to provide valuable hands-on experience working with and learning from our staff in Crow Canyon’s laboratory.
Education and/or Experience:Advanced undergraduate or graduate course work in education, museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, American Indian studies, or a related field is required.
The Education Internship is designed to provide experience in developing and delivering education programs and products for all learners with an emphasis on public archaeology, American Indian engagement, and outreach. Interns will gain valuable experience working with, and learning from, Crow Canyon’s education, field, lab, and American Indian initiatives staff, and they will engage with members of the public (in person or remotely). The Crow Canyon Education department specializes in the fields of Southwestern archaeology, anthropology, and American Indian studies. Responsibilities include developing interpretive materials and displays for sensitive material culture, teaching and supervising participants in Crow Canyon programs, curricula development, and preparing educational materials.
Education and/or Experience: Advanced undergraduate or graduate course work in education, museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, American Indian studies, or a related field is required.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center 23390 Road K, Cortez, CO 81321
COLORADO
FORT LEWIS COLLEGE 2025 ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL: Continuation of the Paleoindian survey and land use study in Southwest Colorado
Learn professional field methods while working on archaeological sites during this 6-week summer course. Specific project locations may change yearly, but research focuses on the Four Corners region. You will be trained in and gain experience with:
Archaeological survey and documentation methods
Manual and digital mapping techniques
Artifact recovery and processing and collections management
You will also take field trips to significant archaeological sites to broaden your knowledge of our region’s history and pre-history.
Details about upcoming field schools are typically announced during the Spring semester, including location information, requirements, costs, and application process.
Excavation at the Pueblo I / Pueblo II Bowthorpe site in Southwest Colorado
Survey and excavation at Petrified Forest National Park
Cultural Resource Management project at three Pueblo I sites in the Durango area
Archaeological testing and historic preservation at Los Ojitos, a 19th/20th Century Hispanic village in eastern New Mexico
Excavation at the Pueblo III Pigg site near Lowry Ruins in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
Students will have additional opportunities to work with data and material from the field school in subsequent lab classes or through independent research projects.
Our Archaeology Field School, which has operated since 1969, brings students each summer to sites in Colorado and beyond. The Summer 2025 session will take place at sites across Colorado, and offer opportunities to learn and apply archaeological field methods.
Dates: May 26-July 3, 2026
Six-week field school exploring and researching the Mountains and Plains of Colorado
Learn archaeological methods and theory related to survey and excavation
Gain valuable field training in archaeology and cultural resource management
Earn credit for ANTH 260 (2 cr.) and ANTH 460/660 (6 cr.)
Financial Aid
Anthropology and Geography Field School Scholarship
The Department of Anthropology and Geography will provide modest financial support for Colorado State University undergraduate and graduate students to supportArchaeology, Ethnographic (not currently offered),Land Change Science (Geography), orPaleontologyField School endeavors. Funds shall be used to help cover necessary expenses associated with field school costs including tuition and supplies. Scholarships are made on a competitive basis.
To be eligible for the scholarship, you must:
be a full-timegraduateorundergraduatestudent enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts,
have an overall and in major 3.0 GPA,
be enrolled in one of the department’s field school courses (**see more details below)
complete a 500-word essay describing the chosen program of study, your interest in the specific program, how the completion of the program will further your career goals, and how you expect to be affected by participation in such work.
** To enroll in field school courses, students must apply to an individual field school and then be accepted into the program and course. More information on the field schools are available on our website, including contact information for field school directors.
Field school courses include:
Archaeology Field School: ANTH 260, ANTH 460/660 (summer course)
Ethnographic Field School for Risk and Disaster: ANTH 442 (Not Currently Offered)
Land Change Science Field School: GR 382A (Not Currently Offered)
Paleontology Field School: ANTH 470 (summer course)
To apply, click the button below and complete the form and upload your materials. Applications are due March 13, 2026 by 11:59 p.m. MST. A committee appointed by the Department of Anthropology and Geography Chair shall select the recipient(s).
The University of Connecticut Anthropology Department and the Office of State Archaeology are excited to announce that we will once again be offering an archaeological field school at the John Hollister Site in Glastonbury, CT.The field school will take place in the summer of 2025 and is a 4-week, 4 credit intensive program.The Hollister Site was occupied between 1651 – 1711 and consists of several English domestic structures that have yielded thousands of seventeenth-century Euro-American and Native artifacts and food remains. The focus of field excavations during the summer of 2025 will be to investigate several of the English domestic structures, identify the military aspects of the site, and delineate the Native occupation.This field school will include:
Training in archaeological field survey and excavation
Artifact conservation, cataloguing, identification and analysis of 17th Century Euro-American and Indigenous material culture and analysis of primary sources
Battlefield archaeology research and methods training including use of military terrain models, metal detection survey, and GPS/GIS applications
Working on a nationally significant collaborative research project
Participating in training workshops in laboratory and research methods
Ground Penetrating Radar
Attending guest lectures by experts in the field
Opportunities to obtain employment with local Cultural Resource Management firms who will be seeking field technicians for an anticipated busy field season
Fees: Summer Session courses are paid on a per-credit basis at a rate of $756 per credit hour. The four-week program will cost $3,024. In addition, there is a $75 lab fee, payable on the first day of class.Application and Registration:All students must fill out an application in order to be considered for the field school and receive a permission number so that they can register. Contact Dr. Kevin McBride (kevin.mcbride@uconn.edu) via e-mail for an application and more information on the field school. For information on the registration process, go to the summer session website.
CONNECTICUT
MOHEGAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL LABORATORY SCHOOL 2026 (on the Tufts University campus, Medford, MA)
The Mohegan archaeological laboratory school teaches archaeological laboratory techniques while working with real archaeological collections on the Tufts campus. Students learn archaeological method and analysis as they catalogue and research an archaeological assemblage from an eighteenth-century site, collected on Mohegan Reservation in Uncasville, Connecticut. The school operates as an equal partnership between the Mohegan Tribe and Tufts Anthropology. The project is designed to respect the sensitivities, interests, and needs of the Mohegan Tribe while conducting rigorous archaeological research. The course allows students to learn about colonial history, Mohegan history and heritage, and the history of North American archaeology while gaining new experience with archaeological laboratory processing and research. No previous archaeological experience required.
In Person:This is an in-person course that follows the published schedule of course meetings and requires attendance at all sessions. Tufts courses are designed to provide high-quality and interactive courses to Tufts and visiting students. For more information about course policies and expectations, please visit https://universitycollege.tufts.edu/policies#University-Policies
For questions regarding the program, please contact Dr. Craig Cipolla.
FLORIDA
Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, St. Augustine, FL
Nation’s Oldest Port® Maritime Archaeology Field School
Since 2007, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), the research arm of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, has provided professional and educational maritime archaeology training nearly every summer through ourNation’s Oldest Port® Field School.
Field school is a foundational component in the education of any student pursuing a career in archaeology. Each year, our professional archaeologists oversee an intense, five-week accredited progra
m that provides undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on experience in maritime archaeological research.
In addition to methodological instruction and academic lectures, students gain real-world experience in all aspects of archaeology, including site set up, excavation, documentation, data management, and public outreach. We have partnered with Flagler College to organize and implement this four-credit course. Students may also set up course credit through their own university.
As an official American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) Organizational Member, we are proud to offer AAUS Scientific Diver Training – run in conjunction with the field school.
Applications for 2026 will open January 19th. Please check back for an updated link to the application documents.
2026 Field School Supervisor Application:
LAMP will select at leasttwo Field School Supervisorsfor the 2026 season. Supervisors must already be an AAUS Scientific Diver with prior experience assisting with archaeological fieldwork and an interest in developing leadership and mentoring skills.
Supervisors serve as on-site leaders and mentors, supporting daily field operations both on the vessel and on land, coordinating student crews, and helping ensure that fieldwork, data documentation, and field house operations run smoothly. When not in the field, supervisors also act as intermediaries between the students and LAMP staff.
Supervisors will also:
Present one academic lecture (topic to be approved prior to the start of the Field School)
Plan and lead one weekend group excursion (museum, archaeology site, historic site, etc.)
Assist with training stations during the initial week of field school
Please note that there is no paid compensation for this position, butroom and board are provided. Supervisors will need to arrive two weeks prior to the start of field school.
Supervisor Applications for 2026 will open January 19th.
Please check back for an updated link to the application documents.
For questions, please email LAMP at the contact information below.
Tuesday, January 13, 12-12:45 pm in Room 3101 (no Zoom)
Wednesday, January 14, 6-7 pm on Zoom
Aloha and E Komo Mai to the Hawaii Indigenous Archaeology Field School. Our anthropology studies begin during the summer quarter. If you want more information contact either Sam or Mike at Foothill College or Stanford University. A more complete website can be foundhere. Preliminary applicationfound here.
Discover with us the beauty of Hawaii as we start our community based research project.
Live with us and other project members in Hawaiian communities.
Work on all aspects of the research project.
Come to Hawaii and experience a field school like none other. You will live on the Big Island for three weeks. You will be exposed to a new way of thinking mixing an applied anthropological and an archaeological field school. Join us on the ground for the second field season in Hawaii. This summer we are researching and learning at four places on Hawaii. Kaloko Fishpond on the Kona coast which is jointly administered by the National Park Service and native Hawaiian cultural groups; the Kohala field system on the western slopes of Kohala; Hamakua on the northern slopes of Mauna Kea volcano; and, hopefully, Waipio Valley helping farmkalo(taro).
This is a project that practices Community Based Participatory Research meaning that we ask people who live in Hawaii what they want us and you (the students) to do. If it’s helping clean, rebuild, and map a royal Hawaiian fishpond, then we do it; if it’s organizing an exhibit at the school, then we are working at the school; if it’s planting kalo (taro), then we are in the fields for the day. In other words, our field program is a fluid experience employing concepts of applied anthropology and service learning as we begin our research on this important landscape.
We are professors Mike Wilcox and Sam Connell, and we are just as excited as our students about this program. The idea here is to do research in a pono or Hawaiian way, meaning we will live and breathe local thinking as we learn about the life and history of these amazing islands. The team of people from whom you will learn is going to be growing over the next months, but let us start by introducing two of the main contributors, Ruth Luka Aluoa and No’eau Peralto, both of whom are expert cultural practitioners who have thought long and hard about the best way to teach about Hawaii and also study her history and people. We are so excited to be working with them and bringing you along for the ride.
What does this all mean for you the student? Well you get over 60 years of field experience working on field projects with over 500 students in Ecuador, Belize, Ireland, California, New Mexico and Hawaii. The aloha spirit is truly special and we can’t wait for you to become a part of it. Come to the islands, earn credits, and begin helping us study the culture and society of Hawaii over time.
Students will live 10 days or so in each of two locales, Waimea and Holualoa. We think it is important to base in a community and meet the people as we begin to understand the local life. We are taking as a model what we have been doing in Ireland and Ecuador, so check the links for past examples.
Period(s) of Occupation:PreContact, Postcontact Hawaiian periods including historic and modern.
Project Directors
Dr. Michael Wilcox (Stanford University) Dr. Samuel Connell (Foothill College)
Our Adult Field School is your opportunity to be an archaeologist. Undergraduates, graduate students, and adults of all ages are welcome! Join our field crew and participate in real archaeological research alongside professional archaeologists. With our staff, you will learn how to do fieldwork, laboratory work, identify artifacts, and more as we investigate the German site.
The German Site is a Late Woodland / Jersey Bluff Phase habitation site located on a colluvial slope in the Crawford Creek valley. The site was occupied approximately 800-1200 CE. Remote sensing results indicate several possible structures and associated features. Since 2019, we have identified three house basins and several associated storage and refuse pits. A fourth possible house basin was identified in 2023. Field school students and CAA archaeologists have recovered domestic artifacts, including chert tools, pottery, animal bone, and botanical remains during the 2019-2025 field seasons. In 2026 we will continue to excavations at the site in order to better understand Late Woodland people of the Lower Illinois Valley.
Non-credit and for credit options are available. See the Program Credit section at the bottom of the page for details.
Program
Enrollment is open to anyone 18 years or older. You may enroll for one to six weeks. Enrolled weeks need not be consecutive. We are accepting enrollments in all program weeks. Full weeks will be indicated here as they fill.
Week 1:June 28-July 4
Week 2:July 5-11
Week 3:July 12-18
Week 4:July 19-25
Week 5:July 26-August 1
Week 6:August 2-8
While in Kampsville, participants engage in field and laboratory work with CAA archaeologists. Students learn excavation techniques, including shoveling, troweling, mapping, measuring, soil description, and flotation sampling. Lab work includes artifact washing, identification, and flotation. These activities are supplemented by evening lectures on by CAA archaeologists and guest archaeologists on various archaeological topics. The day usually begins at 7 am with breakfast and ends by 9 pm.
If you applying for a scholarship, please include that application as well. Your program application will not be reviewed until your entire scholarship application has been received.
ISU Program Credit
Credit for is available for the Adult Field School through Illinois State University. The schedule, requirements, and program are the same as the non-credit option, however this option does include additional costs for the ISU credits.
In order to earn ISU credits, you must apply using ISU’s application process. Do not use the Non-Credit Option instructions if you want to apply for ISU credits.
Apply to ISU as a non-degree/visiting student. You will be able to pick the appropriate course and section here as well as pay ISU’s tuition.
Pay the Program Fee. Please do not pay the program fee until you have completed the first step.
Once you have enrolled and paid all fees (ISU tuition + CAA program fee), we will send additional travel, gear, and program documents.
For credit enrollment will begin in February 2026
Questions:If you have any questions, please contact the CAA ateducation@caa-archeology.orgor 618-653-4316 for more information.
ILLINOIS
CENTER FOR AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY (CAA) UNIVERSITY FIELD SCHOOLS (KAMPSVILLE, ILLINOIS)
The University Field School has been replaced by two field schools with non-credit and for-credit options. Enrollment is open to anyone 18 years or older. No experience is necessary.
Geophysics for Archaeological Investigations is an intensive two-week field school for students wanting to learn geophysics survey, analysis, and interpretation of archaeological sites. Fieldwork will focus on ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry at archaeological sites in the Lower Illinois Valley.
Non-credit and for credit options are available. See the Program Credit section at the bottom of the page for details.
Program
Enrollment is open to anyone 18 years or older. Applicants must apply for the full two-weeks of the field school. Single-week options are not available for this program.
While in Kampsville, participants engage in field and laboratory work with CAA and VISR archaeologists and spatial scientists. These activities are supplemented by occasional evening lectures by CAA archaeologists and guest archaeologists on various topics.
The day usually begins at 7 am with breakfast and ends by 9 pm. Please see the 2026 Geophysics Field School Schedule and Gear List for program details.
June 28-August 8, 2026:Adult Field Schoolis the same program as the six-week University Field School with added flexibility for students. Students may now enroll in one to six weeks of archaeological field and lab experience.
Please see the individual program pages for more details.
Questions:If you have any questions, please contact the CAA ateducation@caa-archeology.orgor 618-653-4316 for more information.
NOTE: This program is designed to train students in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) careers. Students seeking academic careers are welcomed but should be aware that this program strongly emphasis survey and legal compliance of CRM work.
OVERVIEW
This program is a four-week, intensive field school experience designed to provide students with job-ready skills to enter the workforce as archaeological field technicians in the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) archaeology industry. Students will learn key skills necessary for CRM archaeology jobs, including survey, surface collection, shovel testing, excavation, laboratory techniques, relevant laws, and reporting. Students will learn the entire process of CRM archaeology practices, from data collection to data reporting and mitigation. Practical field and laboratory activities are supplemented by relevant readings and formal lectures.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
CRMFS is a four-week, intensive field school experience designed to provide students with job-ready skills to enter the workforce as archaeological field technicians in the Cultural Resource Management (CRM) industry. Students will learn key skills necessary for CRM jobs, including survey, surface collection, shovel-testing, excavation, laboratory techniques, relevant laws, and reporting. Students will learn the entire process of CRM practices, from data collection to data reporting and mitigation. Practical field and laboratory activities are supplemented by relevant readings and formal lectures.
Located near the mouth of the Walnut River at Arkansas City, Kansas, Etzanoa is a pericolonial Ancestral Wichita town, likely visited by the Spanish Onate expedition in 1601 AD. This site is an active research locale with promise to answer questions about ancestral Wichita lifeways and exchange systems right before and during early European colonization. Students will gain the basic skills necessary for employment in cultural resource management fields and archaeology broadly.
Etzanoa is the focus of a major public archaeology project that involves a local conservancy, the town, a local community college, the local school district, Wichita State University, and of course the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. As a result, and students will participate in a public event at the end of the season.
Digital Archaeology Workshop
In addition to the traditional archaeological field school, we are excited to host an additional workshop in digital archaeological recording and analysis, taught by Dr. Matthew Howland. Students taking this one-credit option for the field school will develop skills in digital archaeological recording and analysis, in addition to the regular field school curriculum. Students will learn to design digital GIS field recording forms and use them to collect and analyze spatial data. Students will also be trained in the application of 3D technologies in archaeology. This will include practical experience in recording 3D models of archaeological features using ground-based 3D techniques and aerial photography with a UAV. This one credit course will culminate in an independent digital archaeology project based on data collected in the field.
Logistics
The Field School will run from Monday, June 2nd through Friday, June 27th, 2025. Students should plan to be in Arkansas City, Kansas, by noon for orientation. Excavation days will be Mondays-Fridays, with weekends off. Students will be housed in single-occupancy dormitories on the Cowley Community College campus. Parking is safe and free. Students will need to bring linens, toiletries, and clothing; all excavation tools will be provided. The Paris Park Pool is within easy walking distance of the dormitory. Transportation to/from the site will be provided and we can arrange for airport pick-up from Wichita for students travelling from out-of-state.
Costs
Students are required to register for field school under ANTH690 under Dr. Dozier for 4 credit hours. Those enrolling in the Digital Archaeology Workshop will enroll for an additional 1 credit hour of ANTH690 under Dr. Howland.
Undergraduate Tuition & Fees (Resident): ~$1,100 ($1,375 including Workshop)
GraduateTuition & Fees (Resident): ~$1,440 ($1,805 including Workshop)
Room & Board: ~$855
Excavation equipment is provided. Rooms are provided over the weekend. Meals are provided from Monday breakfast to Friday lunch. Students have free weekends, and many go to Wichita on Friday evenings.
*Do note that these are in-state estimates. Many neighboring states and states along the I-35 corridor are considered in-state and have reduced tuition, but check your exact rates here. Field school costs are subject to change. Scholarships may be available but will not be confirmed until May.
To Apply
Review of applications will be bein after Friday, February 14, 2025, after which all applicants will be emailed for further information. Registration will be filled by priority first to WSU students by seniority and interest in the Workshop, and then first-come first-serve to guest students. Accepted students will have until April 15 to register for the course, at which time we will open for students on the waitlist.
Non-WSU (Wichita State University) students will have to be accepted to either the College of Liberal Arts (undergraduate) or the Graduate School (graduate) prior to registration. We will walk you through the process of registration once you have been accepted into the field school. Only the first 20 students to confirm registration will be admitted.
MAINE
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SUMMER COASTAL MAINE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL (Machiasport, Maine)
Program dates: To be announced Application Deadline: TBD
University of Maine Coastal Archaeology Field School ANT 477 – Field Research in Archaeology
Introduction to archaeological field techniques through excavation of an archaeological site. Intensive training in site survey, excavation techniques, recording, analysis, and preliminary interpretation of archaeological materials. Admission is by application only.We are unable to accommodate volunteers.
General Information and Goals of the Course
The Maine archaeology field school takes place at a coastal archaeology site near Machias, Maine.
The site selected for this year’s research is a shell heap containing a cultural and paleoenvironmental record spanning at least 2,000 years. Shell heap sites are unique places on the Maine landscape where Indigenous families lived for millennia. Large accumulations of clam shells at these locations aid in the preservation of a material and ecological record that includes stone and bone tools, Indigenous ceramics, food remains, and charred plant remains.
Additionally, the site is situated in a region famous for Indigenous petroglyphs or rock art features that are important to the Passamaquoddy people who are active partners in research and management of cultural resources in the area. As such, the field school is conducted in cooperation with the Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Office and focuses heavily on the exploration of past Indigenous lifeways.
This year, the field school will integrate a Passamaquoddy language project into the course. The intent of the language component is to bring field school students and Passamaquoddy speakers together to create language resources centered on an archaeological theme. This initiative is designed to have students help create resources that will aid the Passamaquoddy community in their language preservation efforts and add a layer of archaeological and heritage information to language learning.
The field school is directed by Dr. Bonnie Newsom, Associate Professor of Anthropology at UMaine. Jason Brough and Olivia Olson will serve as teaching assistants. The field school is funded by a prestigious MAPI (Maine Academic Prominence Initiative) grant provided by UMaine (Robinson and Neuman 2005). MAPI funding for the field school covers participant expenses and includes 3 credits of in-state undergraduate tuition (ANT 477), room and board, and transportation to the field site. Maximum course capacity: 12 students.
Dates: TBD Location: Machiasport, Maine Application Deadline: TBD
Course Goals:
Develop in students an awareness of the richness of Wabanaki heritage and Maine’s history through a multi-vocal perspective that blends archaeology with Indigenous knowledges.
Provide training in archaeological field methods, shell midden excavation techniques and strategies,
and archaeological professionalism through experiential learning.
Convey to students the value of shell heaps as important cultural and paleoenvironmental resources
with relevance to contemporary issues and communities.
Develop in students an understanding of Indigenous archaeologies theory and methodologies.
Provide students with experiential learning in community-engaged archaeology.
Research Design:
This year’s field school is approached using an Indigenous archaeologies framework. Indigenous archaeologies are archaeology projects conducted in support of Indigenous values and agendas. In addition to integrating an Indigenous language project into the field school, Indigenous community members will be hosted as community scholars for evening lectures and as participants in the field work. We will work at a new site identified recently by Emily Blackwood and Abigail Mann during a Phase I survey for Maine Coast Heritage Trust. The site has both pre- and post-contact components. Our research questions will center on establishing a site chronology and site boundaries, as well as exploring how this site fits within the cultural landscape of the Passamaquoddy people.
MARYLAND
2026 HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT ST. MARY’S CITY, MARYLAND
Program Dates: May 18 to June 26, 2026 (field school); June 29 to July 24, 2026 (paid internship)
Explore America’s Past at Historic St. Mary’s City
Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland
Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC), in association with St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), announces its 2026 Field School in Historical Archaeology. The 2026 field season will be focused on St. Mary’s Fort, the site of Maryland’s founding. St. Mary’s Fort was a large, palisaded fort constructed by the first wave of European colonists who arrived in Maryland in the spring of 1634. St. Mary’s Fort represented the first major foothold of European settlement in Maryland. Its discovery and interpretation are critical to understanding the early period of indigenous-colonial relations, a period that is not well-documented historically or archaeologically. This project also offers the opportunity to reflect on the nature of historical colonialism in Maryland and its continuing effects in today’s world.
Admitted students are eligible to apply for a four-week paid internship immediately following the field school. Three internship slots are available, one each in the following programs: Archaeological Fieldwork; Laboratory Analysis; and GIS/Spatial Analytics.
About the Program
HSMC is a state-supported, outdoor museum located at the site of Maryland’s first capital (1634–1694). The HSMC field school one of the longest-running historical archaeology field schools in the United States. Participants engage in an immersive six-week program that teaches the foundational principles of historical archaeology through hands-on excavation, laboratory work, and artifact analysis. Students learn artifact identification by working with one of the best archaeological collections of indigenous, colonial, and post-colonial material in the country.
The Field School in Historical Archaeology is an ideal experience for undergraduate or graduate students concentrating in Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Museum Studies, or American Studies, or for any student with an interest in learning about the past through archaeology. Space in the program is limited so students are encouraged to apply early.
Requirements
No prior archaeological experience is required for acceptance into the field school. An introductory course in anthropology, archaeology, and/or colonial history will be helpful, but is not mandatory. Archaeological fieldwork is physically demanding and requires strong communication skills; the ability to engage in sustained, strenuous teamwork is essential.
Tuition and Fees
Although the HSMC Historical Archaeology Field School is accredited through St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM), a state honors college dedicated to the Liberal Arts, the field school program is open to students from any institution that accepts transferable credit. Undergraduate students may register for either Anthropology or History credits. Tuition for the four-credit program is as follows:
MD/DC Tuition
4 credits @ $400 per credit = $1,600
Non-MD Tuition
4 credits @ $525 per credit = $2,100
An additional fee of $100 is assessed to cover the costs of field trips, materials, and a commemorative T-shirt for each participating student. Graduate students should contact Director of Research and Collections Travis Parno (travis.parno@maryland.gov) to discuss accreditation options.
The Pathways to Archaeology Field School Scholarship (PTAFSS) is available for students from historically underrepresented groups in archaeology. Contacttravis.parno@maryland.govfor more information.
Room and Board
Housing in SMCM dormitories is available to students at a reduced rate on a first-come-first-served basis. Housing includes access to free wi-fi and laundry facilities. Meals can be purchased on an as-needed basis from the SMCM Great Room during facility open hours. HSMC is within walking distance from SMCM’s campus. Transportation assistance is available for out-of-state students.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit an application that includes the following components to the email address listed below:
1. A one-page personal statement that describes your interest in the course and your academic background, including your expected graduation date and any previous courses, experiences, or special skills relevant to your participation in the field school.
2. A resume or curriculum vitae that includes your contact information (both mailing addresses and phone numbers) for your university and permanent residences.
3. Contact information (including professional title, mailing address, and email address) of two academic references.
Application documents should be submitted electronically in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format totravis.parno@maryland.gov.
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is beginning recruitment for summer 2026 interns and hopes to confirm a cohort of 4-6 students who are either working towards internship credit and/or have financial support from their institution to underwrite their participation in the program. As an interdisciplinary institution with a focus on art, history, and science, we welcome students from any major or academic area of focus. As in previous years, this is a robust eight-week program that runs three days per week and introduces undergraduate and graduate students to museum work and non-profit management in a supportive environment with assigned mentors and a cohesive department structure. It concludes with a presentation on the student’s project and experiences. Please note we will likely extend the published deadline, included below.
Program description:
The New Bedford Whaling Museum (NBWM) was founded in 1903 as the regional historical society, has a diverse collection of over one million items, 18 galleries spanning 35,000 square feet, and about 100,000 visitors per year. NBWM annually organizes a dynamic and rigorous eight-week summer internship program, open to currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students (and those who have just graduated), to work with the curatorial, collections, and museum learning team at the museum.
The program is structured to support a cohort of 4-6 students, who receive overall training in best practices and orientation to museum operations through meetings with key stakeholders and staff, weekly department meetings, team field trips, and summer activities at the museum. Interns are assigned a project based on their previous experience, interests, and museum needs. A museum mentor supervises the project and offers guidance and support on professional development. Interns present on their projects and overall internship experience at the end of the term.
The 2026 summer internship program will run from June 24-August 14. Interns must commit to a regular weekly in-person schedule: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 9:30-4:30pm. We seek to place students who either have institutional support and/or are local and seeking an internship for college credit or a certificate. Interested students should email curatorial@whalingmuseum.org, with a resume and brief paragraph about their reasons for wanting to intern at the Museum, and must confirm availability for the full internship term and weekly schedule. Students will be contacted for interviews.
Naomi Slipp Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator Director of Museum Learning
She/Her
(508) 997-0046 whalingmuseum.org
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740
MASSACHUSETTS
Field Methods in Bioachaeology & Forensic Anthropology (ANTHRO 588)
(Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Introduces students to major questions in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, including what constitutes data, how excavations and fieldwork are conducted, and how field data are analyzed in the laboratory. Enrollment through application to instructor.
[From the 2025 description:] The field course introduces students to the role of the biological anthropologist, archaeologist and forensic scientist in the excavation of human remains (we use plastic skeletons to practice excavation techniques).
The program is particularly unique because we work in collaboration with the UMass Chan Medical School’s Division of Translational Anatomy and Anatomical Gift Program. Students also receive lectures from experts in political science, federal Indian law, historical archaeology, the US State Department, and law enforcement.
This field school is particularly unique because we work in collaboration with the UMass Chan Medical School’s Division of Translational Anatomy and Anatomical Gift Program. Students will also receive lectures from experts in political science, federal Indian law, historical archaeology, the US State Department, and law enforcement.
The course is divided into three sections. The first introduces students to field and laboratory techniques. Students will participate in lectures and lab exercises at both UMass Amherst and at the UMass Chan Medical School. Topics include:
understanding the human skeletal system
pathology and taphonomic analysis
discussion of what constitutes bioarchaeological or forensic data
the role of violence theory in these fields.
The second section consists of the students entering the field to gain hands-on experience. Excavations are of a pseudo-crime scene and pseudo-archaeological burial, and helps the students develop knowledge through the “Low Stakes, High Impact” learning model.
The final section focuses on the laboratory techniques used to analyze the data generated from these two pseudo-excavation sites. Throughout the course we explore key concepts in ethics, repatriation, public outreach, medico-legal death investigation, and regulations regarding unmarked burials.
Through excavation and lab analysis this field school addresses three major questions in the fields of bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology:
What constitutes data in these fields?
How are excavations and fieldwork done?
How do you analyze field data in the laboratory?
In addition, students will learn how professionals work in the field, examine ethical issues and guidelines, and explore questions of what constitutes violence and how we recognize evidence of violence on human remains and material objects.
For further inquiries about the field school, email us at bioarch@umass.edu.
MASSACHUSETTS
HISTORIC DEERFIELD SUMMER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (SFP) (Deerfield, MA)
Dates: June 1 to August 4, 2026 Application deadline: February 2, 2026
The Summer Fellowship Program 2026will begin Monday June 1, and the closing exercises will be Friday, July 24. The final weeklong trip will run July 27–August 1. The program ends on August 4.
The program welcomes applications from college juniors (class of 2027) and seniors who expect to graduate in 2026 to its nine-week, tuition-free Summer Fellowship Program in History and Material Culture. Located in the scenic Connecticut River Valley of Western Massachusetts, Historic Deerfield is the perfect place to explore New England and regional history, material culture, and museum studies.
The program is immersive and academically rigorous (fellows will be engaged most nights and weekends), fun (fellows get to know cohort members from around the country and travel to regional museums and historic sites), and skill-building (fellows gain practical experience with guiding, interpretation of material culture, research, writing, and the formal presentation of research findings).
Summer Fellows:
Live in the historic village of Old Deerfield, MA.
Explore history and material culture studies in hands-on classroom seminars, walking tours, and room studies with Historic Deerfield staff and visiting lecturers.
Learn to guide and interpret in Historic Deerfield’s furnished museum houses.
Conduct original research on New England history and material culture using museum and library collections.
Go on behind-the-scenes visits to museums and historic sites, including a week-long road trip at the conclusion of the program.
Pay no tuition or program fees; students with summer work requirements are encouraged to apply for financial assistance. Applicants interested in financial aid should submit thefinancial aid authorization formas part of their application.
Fellows participate in classroom seminars, walking tours, and study-sessions in museum houses led by Historic Deerfield’s staff and visiting lecturers. Topics include: early New England architecture; early American daily life as revealed in furniture, ceramics, textiles and other decorative arts, as well as primary documents such as probate inventories and account books; the art and craft of gravestone carving; Native Americans and African Americans in the Connecticut River Valley; the archaeological heritage of Deerfield; the Colonial Revival in New England; the advantages and challenges of teaching early American history through objects; and the complex interrelationship between heritage and history.
Summer Fellows reside in the Champney House on Deerfield’s Old Main Street that runs through the historic village, aka “The Street.” Champney has a full kitchen, two shared bathrooms, and air-conditioned dorm-style bedrooms (singles) furnished with bed, desk, chair, lamp, and shelving. Wi-Fi internet access is available. All fellows have their own room.
Click herefor more information about SFP faculty|Click herefor past Research Topics and Object Studies|Click herefor Research Paper Abstracts
All fellows are required to lead tours and interact with visitors, including guiding in one of Historic Deerfield’s museum houses. Fellows train with the Director of Museum Education and Interpretation, museum guides, and other staff as they prepare for this experience.
I am interested, but wish I could talk to someone who has done the program before…
You can! The administrators of the Summer Fellowship Program can put prospective students in touch with former fellows who are glad to share their thoughts on the program from a student’s perspective. Alumni Directory
We encourage candidates from all backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, and identities to apply. Historic Deerfield’s mission is to open doors to new perspectives that inspire people to seek a deeper understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world. Historic Deerfield PO Box 321 · 84B Old Main Street·Deerfield, MA 01342·413-774-5581
MASSACHUSETTS
MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE NORTH SHORE (Salem, MA)
Dates: TBA (July 2025) Registration opens in Spring 2025
Be part of the dig! Join us for our summer field school in July 2025. SEAMAHP will be running a hands-on archaeological dig of a foreshore shipwreck, as an accredited course through Salem State University (SSU) in Massachusetts.
Previous field schools occurred on a steamship wreck believed to be the City of Rockland on Little Misery Island and the schooner Ada K. Damon on a beach of the Crane Estate. This year’s site will be announced soon!
SEAMAHP directors, Dr. Calvin Mires (of Bridgewater State University), and Capt. Laurel Seaborn, along with Victor Mastone, retired from MBUAR (Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources) are the program instructors. They all have extensive experience in maritime archaeological field methods, archival research, and site documentation.
The course will be an intensive, mainly outdoors and hands-on experiential program on the shores north of Boston. Salem State University (SSU) is now accepting registration from both college students and the public, and all students will receive three credits for the course.
Course description:
Maritime Archaeology Field School(HST 305)
Research Focus – “The life cycle of ships” from design and building to sailing and life aboard, to the shipwreck on the shore. The focus is on what this can tell us of the people who lived and worked in the maritime industries and ports of Mass. Students will work with maritime archaeologists to document the site through recording and surveying of the wreck.
Skills, Procedures & Lectures: Students will receive instruction in planning and safety, theory and methodology, procedures, archaeological recording and excavation, artifact documentation and in situ conservation, analysis of findings and publication of results.
Course Outcomes:
Participants will receive three credits through Salem State University (SSU).
Students will receive internationally recognized certification from the Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS)
Students will be involved in one or more products to convey their research to the public, such as creating a webpage or signage.
Requirements:
No prerequisite courses are required!
General level of fitness. Participants must be able to do physical work on site.
All field work will be conducted on beach or shore front, so participants do NOT require dive certification. But students should anticipate getting wet during field operations!
Fees and costs:
Course tuition will be posted in Spring 2025 and includes all lab fees along with transportation to the site. Room and board is not included in this cost, so if you need lodging locally, see below.
A good textbook for info is Underwater Archaeology: The NAS Guide to Principles and Practice by Amanda Bowens (approx. cost = $30, check online for used copies), but it is not mandatory!
Students must provide their own transportation to and from Salem State University Campus, MA. Nearby sites may require carpooling, but all on-water transport will be provided to and from the field work.
On-campus Housing:
If required, on-campus housing can be arranged in advance through SSU. Please contact them directly to inquire about what is included.
Participants are responsible for their own meals, and a fully operational kitchen is available for those staying in the dorms.
For information on costs per night for 2025, contact housing@salemstate.edu or call 978.542.6416
Sign up as an “undergraduate” (there is no unaccredited option for this course).
Maritime Archaeology of the North Shore (Field School, July 2025) is listed as Summer course: HST 305 “Topics in Public History.”
If you have any issues with the online registration process, please contact the SSU Office of Continuing Studies (ce@salemstate.edu) at 978-542-6324.
For more information contact us at SEAMAHP (Seafaring Education and Maritime Archaeological Heritage Programs):
Dr. Calvin Mires or Capt. Laurel Seaborn (Seamahp@gmail.com) or Victor Mastone (Victor.Mastone@gmail.com)
MICHIGAN
2026 Archaeological Field School: Ancient and historical copper mining in the Lake Superior basin, Upper Peninsula, Michigan (Michigan Technical University)
Dates: June 23 to July 31, 2026Application deadline March 1, 2025
Project Description: Become part of our immersive, hands-on introduction to the practice of archaeology in the field!We will explore the archaeology of ancient and historical copper mining in the Lake Superior basin, a region with a deep history of human occupation and use of copper, the first metal to be exploited by humans. Students will learn the fundamentals of archaeological site survey, documentation, remote sensing techniques, excavation, testing, and field lab analysis while working in a backcountry setting. Our partnerships with Isle Royale National Park and heritage sites on the Keweenaw Peninsula will also provide you with opportunities to share your discoveries with thepublic!
Where and What: Michigan Tech’s 2026 Archaeology Field School will take place on Isle Royale National Park, and at several sites on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.
Archaeology on the Keweenaw: Historical Copper Mining
We will begin our program with investigations at a historic copper mining site in the Keweenaw peninsula.
Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula contains the world’s largest know deposit of elementally pure or ‘native’ copper. A globally significant mining district during the latter 19thand early 20thcenturies, the Keweenaw Peninsula, a beautiful, rugged peninsula jutting into Lake Superior. This historic mining landscape, often referred to as the Copper Country has since become a popular outdoor and heritage tourism destination.
Ancient & Historic Copper Mining Technology on Isle Royale
We will then travel aboard theRanger IIIto Isle Royale to join NPS archaeologists for the majority of our 6-week program in investigating the island’s ancient copper mining landscape. We will also visit sites pertaining to historical 19thcentury mining activities and fisheries to gain a more complete picture of the human history of this special and nationally significant place.
Geologically related to the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan’s Isle Royale emerges from Lake Superior some 60 miles northwest of the Keweenaw. For thousands of years, indigenous people made the hazardous trip by canoe during the summer from the north shore (near modern day Thunder Bay, Ontario) to visit the island. Aside from subsistence activities, these ancient visitors also mined for copper, from which they fashioned tools and ornaments. After the arrival of Europeans, Isle Royale also hosted several historical copper mining ventures, family-run fisheries, and resorts prior to the island being designated a national park and wilderness. Isle Royale is a rich and ancient archaeological landscape.
What Will I Learn? During the Summer Field School, students will learn a wide range of archaeological field methods and gain proficiency using standard archaeological equipment and tools. Examples of what team members learn include the following:
Consulting documents, maps, aerial photos, remote sensing data, and oral history during excavation and survey on land and water
Use traditional and new mapping technologies, such as Global Position Systems (GPS), remote sensing, and other instruments for GIS-based analysis
Standard excavation techniques and methods
Ethically driven decision making about artifact collection, cleaning, identification, analyses, and conservation, considering industrial, terrestrial, and maritime archaeological sites
Live and work collectively as part of a team
Work with site visitors to educate the public about archaeology
Who Can Apply?
The program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Students from outside MTU are also welcome!(successful applicants from other universities will register as a non-degree-seeking student at MTU for the summer)
Contact Information: Prof. Daniel Trepaldjtrepal@mtu.edu, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 USA. Tel. 906-487-3580
MISSISSIPPI
BIOARCHAEOLOGY AT THE ASYLUM HILL CEMETERY (Jackson, MS)
Dates: June 28 to August 1, 2026 Application deadline: Early February 2026
The Mississippi State Asylum (originally called the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum) opened in 1855 in Jackson, the capital city. This institution operated from its original buildings until 1935, when it moved to a new location. During its 80 years of operation, the institution housed patients from all areas of Mississippi, and many came with physical maladies in addition to mental conditions. Approximately one third of the 30,000 patients who were admitted to the institution died at the Asylum. More than 4,000 were buried in the cemetery on site, now known as the Asylum Hill Cemetery. Wooden grave markers were used, but they have long-since deteriorated and no longer exist.
The former Asylum lands are currently home to the ever-growing University of Mississippi Medical Center (opened in 1955). To make way for an expansion of vital healthcare services and structures, the Asylum Hill Cemetery is now being excavated. This presents a research opportunity at a scale rarely seen in the U.S. (see this recent article). This field school is part of the larger research and relocation effort.
Students of this program focus on bioarchaeological methods, including burial excavation, human osteology, and mortuary artifact identification. Students also learn basic archaeological methods, such as mapping, soil sample collection, and creation of field sketches. This program’s scale and scope benefits students who seek careers in both Cultural Resource Management and academia.
Previous coursework in human osteology is not required but will be beneficial to participants.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), in conjunction with Millsaps College, invites anthropology students to participate in the bioarchaeological field school at the cemetery of the original Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum (ca. 1855-1935). This unique opportunity is available to a limited number [20] of students in 2026.
The cemetery, which is located on the UMMC campus, contains the unmarked graves of over 4,000 individuals who will be removed to make way for vital medical center expansion. Students will spend five weeks in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi, working alongside a professional archaeological crew on the excavation as well as laboratory tasks. Training will focus on bioarchaeological methods, including burial excavation, human osteology, and mortuary artifact identification. Students will also receive instruction in basic archaeological methods, such as mapping, soil sample collection, and the creation of field sketches. Previous coursework in human osteology is not required but will be beneficial to participants. All students should have completed an introductory course in archaeology or anthropology and should come prepared to work in the extreme heat and humidity of a Mississippi summer.
The Asylum Hill Cemetery field school will provide students the rare opportunity to gain experience in human burial excavation without the expense of traveling abroad. Participants will contribute to a greater understanding of the African American and Euro American population that lived and died at the asylum and will gather data that allow the stories of deceased patients to be told. The Asylum Hill Project plans to permanently memorialize the interred individuals during a later phase of the work.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, students will be familiar with human skeletal terminology, burial excavation techniques, and methods for recognizing and recording pertinent data in the field and lab. They will gain experience in the interpretation of soil stratigraphy, soil sampling, artifact identification, field photography, Total Station mapping, Planview drawing, excavation form completion, water-screening, artifact cleaning, human remains cleaning, and laboratory tracking procedures. While the focus of the field school is the acquisition of practical skills, through this project students will also learn about the ethical issues surrounding the excavation and analysis of human remains, and the nuanced story of the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum and its patients.
Note: This program requires Health & Criminal background screening. Admitted students MUST begin the process by mid-April as the submission and review of such background screenings is a lengthy, multi-step process. Students who have not begun the process by May 5, 2025 will forfeit their slots at the field school and will not receive a refund of tuition. All materials and steps for background screening MUST be submitted and completed by June 9, 2025.
DIRECTOR: Dr. Jennifer E. Mack – Lead Bioarchaeologist, Asylum Hill Project; Assistant Professor, School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center (jmack@umc.edu)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
STRAWBERY BANKE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL: Excavations at the Col. paul Wentworth House (c. 1701, Rollinsford, NH).
Strawbery Banke Archaeology Field School in partnership with the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History
Field Session: June 1–12, 2026 (M-F), 9 AM–4 PM in Rollinsford, NH Lab Session: June 15–26, 2026 (M-F), 9 AM–4 PM at Strawbery Banke
Join Dr. Alix Martin, Archaeologist, along with Dr. Tad Baker, Professor of History at Salem State University, for hands-on training in archaeological field and lab methods, now in its second year focused on the ca. 1701 Col. Paul Wentworth site in Rollinsford, NH. Students may join the Field Session to excavate, identify artifacts, and lead tours and/or the Lab Session to process, catalog, and interpret finds.
Project Description: This course is intended to offer students in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, history, or related fields, hands-on training in field and lab methodology. This year, we are pleased to be working with the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History and Dr. Tad Baker. Research will focus on recovering archaeological resources at the site of the c. 1701 Col. Paul Wentworth in Rollinsford, NH. Field trips, tours by experts, and required readings on historical archaeology will introduce students to various areas of historic specialization. This summer the museum offers a field session as well as a lab session. Students may choose either or both (the field session is not a pre-requisite for the lab session).
During the Field Session, students are trained in archaeological field techniques and learn to identify historic artifacts. This field school places a special emphasis on public archaeology and interpretation. Students will lead tours for visitors daily, and are expected to offer interpretation of the site and the excavation activity.
During the Lab Session, students work in the Carter Collections Center laboratory at Strawbery Banke Museum to gain experience in processing, identifying, and cataloging artifacts recovered from the Wentworth site. Students are expected to prepare a blog post or interpretive panel to describe artifacts to museum visitors.
Requirements: This field school does not require previous archaeological experience, though coursework in anthropology, archaeology, or history might be helpful. Students should be able to work well as part of a team.
For the Field Session: Archaeological fieldwork can be demanding. Students should be able to tolerate physical activity in the summer weather. Students should also be comfortable kneeling, bent, or standing for long periods of time; and be able to lift heavy loads, climb in and out of deep trenches, and work on uneven terrain. If you are concerned about these requirements, please contact the instructor so that we can make accommodations for your involvement in the fieldwork without risk of injury to yourself or others, or damage to the integrity of the site.
Available Credits: Students may arrange to receive academic credit through their university. Please contact museum archaeologist Dr. Alix Martin for more details at amartin@sbmuseum.org.
Room and Board: Students are responsible for their own accommodations and transportation.
Click here to view a short video on the Archaeological Field School!
The NMSU Archaeological Field School will be held in Summer 2026 at two different project areas in Utah. Dr. Katie Richards will direct this field school, which will include a combination of pedestrian survey, excavation, and artifact processing. More information will be published in January 2026.
When: Summer 2026 (Updates and additional details are expected in January 2026)
Where: Utah (southeast and northeast)
How To Apply: check back here in January 2026 for application forms and information
Syracuse University Crown Point Archaeological Field-School 2026
COME CAMP WITH US! Study life on the 18th century frontier, along with the impacts of 20th century archaeological excavations on heritage sites. Crown Point State Historic Site, the “last great unexcavated military site in North America,” sits within the Forever Wild Adirondack State Forest and includes two imposing colonial fortifications – French Fort St. Frédéric and Britain’s His Majesty’s Fort at Crown Point. This field-school is in cooperation with New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation. Additional points of interest include birding, geological/fossil trails, lectures, & nearby lake-access.
ACCOMODATIONS: Participants will camp at the Crown Point Reservation campground. Basic camp facilitates (showers, bathrooms) available. Campsite fees & camp food provided. Participants bring their own tents (let us know if this is a problem).
SCHEDULE: Workday from 7am until 2pm, Monday-Saturday; afternoon programs in archaeology, local history, & public interpretation. Sunday excursions to other local historical sites.
APPLICATION: For information contact Professor Christopher DeCorse (crdecors@syr.edu), Maxwell Hall, 110 Crouse Drive. Syracuse NY 13244
This is a six-credit course, non-Syracuse University students are welcome to enroll via online registration.
NORTH CAROLINA
UNCW Archaeological Field School in the Cape Fear Region
The UNCW Archaeological Field School in the Lower Cape Fear region will be returning in 2026.
Over the course of the session, students will learn archaeological surface surveying, excavation techniques, record-keeping, mapping, and basic lab techniques, including flotation. We will also go on field trips to some local archaeological sites of interest, depending on availability, including nearby archaeological field schools.
The class will be 6 credit hours and will be intensive. It will take place all day Tuesday-Friday, and half-days on Monday. Actual hours of excavation will be decided by vote of the crew.
Laboratory and Project Components
Depending on how much material we find, we will put aside at least one half-day a week for laboratory artifact processing and perhaps more. This will familiarize everyone with standard archaeological lab techniques—washing, inventorying, pottery analysis, etc. We will always have lab days or field trips on our Monday half-days, and will dig Tuesday-Friday, weather permitting.
Each student will also have either a group or individual project that will include an oral and written report, to ensure that everyone is keeping their mind on the larger issues of archaeology, as well as the dirt. More information will be available at the scheduled time.
Where Is the Site?
The site is a well-known state historic site about twenty minutes from downtown Wilmington and about forty minutes from UNCW, depending on traffic. Local students can live in their usual residences, and we will meet at the site (or a designated Wilmington meeting point, such as UNCW) every morning. We can arrange on campus lodging for out-of-town students, if necessary.
Why Choose This Site?
The Cape Fear region is archaeologically important in both the prehistoric and historic periods. Prehistoric occupations began in the Paleoindian period (13,000 BP) and extended up to European Contact. Following the Yamassee War (1715-1716) many indigenous groups were decimated or left the area, although the Waccamaw Siouxan people remain in the Cape Fear region.
The Lower Cape Fear is one of the earliest parts of North Carolina settled in the colonial period, with Brunswick Town formed in 1726.
The area of Russelborough served as the Governor’s mansion in North Carolina for Governors Dobbs and Tryon, and so was the seat of North Carolina government from 1758-1770. Governor Tryon abandoned the area after he was besieged by irate colonists during the Stamp Act crisis. Russelborough was bought by local wealthy merchant William Dry, and burned by the British during the American Revolution. The site of Russelborough is interesting for several different reasons. It was one of the earliest rice plantations in the region. Brunswick Town was built by enslaved African people, as were the house and outbuildings at Russelborough. Excavation in the area will hopefully help us learn more about the lives of enslaved people during the 1700s in the Lower Cape Fear.
Wilmington, upriver of Brunswick Town, became the largest city in North Carolina through the Civil War years and into 1898. Areas from the former Brunswick Town upstream to Wilmington were used as naval stores plantations, and later as rice plantations.
The Lower Cape Fear is the northernmost part of the Gullah-Geechee Heritage Corridor, an area where Black descendants of rice plantation slaves formed their own unique culture. The port of Wilmington was an important blockade runner port during the Confederacy, making the Wilmington area the focus of one of the last military campaigns in the Civil War, in December/January 1865.
Following the Civil War, Wilmington was a multiethnic, bustling port. The coup of 1898 suppressed the multiracial Fusionist coalition that had been elected to run the city and replaced it with a white supremacist city government. A majority of the Black population in Wilmington was forced out of town or left, permanently changing the ethnic makeup of the city.
What Work Will We Do?
Despite this complex history, relatively little archaeology has been performed in the area.
We will specifically be focusing on the outbuildings around the Russelborough house. Russelborough itself has been previously excavated, and there is quite a bit of historic information about it. There is practically nothing known about the enslaved people who lived and worked in and around the house. We hope to learn more about them and their way of life by excavating the outbuildings.
What Are the Costs of the Field School?
UNCW has not yet posted summer tuition costs. The field school will not charge fees for lodging or food, but each student will need to buy individual insurance from the university as part of registration, at a cost of about $18. A good estimate would be one 6-credit summer class, plus $18.
Are There Any Required Prerequisites?
It is preferred that everyone have at least ANT 207 Archaeology (Introduction to Archaeology) or an equivalent, but this is negotiable. Please contactDr. Eleanora Reberto discuss and/or negotiate this.
What About Housing?
This is a ‘commuter’ field school, in that if you already have housing in the Wilmington area, you will live there during the field school, and drive to site or archaeology lab each morning. You are responsible for your own food, including packing your own lunches.
If you do not have housing in the Wilmington area, you can stay in the UNCW dorms as a summer student, or look for a local sublet or rental. Dr. Reber is happy to provide you with resources to look for housing, but this will be your responsibility.
How Do I Apply for the Field School?
If you’re interested in taking the field school, or even considering it, please send an email toDr. Eleanora Reberfor more details. A Zoom or face-to-face meeting will also be arranged, whichever you prefer.
There is no formal application form. If you’d like to apply for the field school, please notifyDr. Eleanora Reber. You will hear from her about your acceptance into the field school. This should give you time to plan your summer schedule prior to the opening of summer preregistration. Following acceptance into the field school, a packet of information and other forms will be sent to you.
We may schedule one orientation meeting before the field season begins. This will depend on everyone’s schedules.
Enrollment is limited to 15 students!
For Non-UNCW Students
We are always interested in hosting non-UNCW students! For academic credit, you will need to register as aVisiting Summer Studentat UNCW and then register for the class. You can then transfer it in to your home institution in whatever way is standard there.
Please apply to the Field School via email (and receive an acceptance) prior to registering as a Visiting Student! And you may want to check with your home institution on what forms are necessary to transfer in a domestic transient study credit.
This exclusively field-based program, now in its third year, aims at familiarizing participants with the professional excavation of human remains from archaeological contexts. Participants will work side by side with professional archaeologists and bioarchaeologists in the excavations of a historic cemetery in central Ohio (HTCC). The cemetery, located just 20 minutes away from downtown Columbus, was originally established as early as 1804 to serve as a burial ground for the local community. Due to its proximity to the Ohio-Erie canal, the site was subsequently used as a resting place for victims of the infectious disease cholera – an infection of the small intestine that killed tens of millions of people worldwide through various pandemics since 1815. The cemetery remained in use until 1859. Preliminary investigations at the site have revealed the presence of several single burials with predominant east-west orientation, which appear largely undisturbed and lined up in the western two thirds of the cemetery. Several tombstones or simple markers are scattered throughout the field, but evidence of vandalism and consequent removal and restoration attempts by the township administration suggest that their current location does not mark any specific graves and does likely not correspond to the original layout of the cemetery.
Learning Objectives:
The excavation of the HTCC site is a multifaceted project with potentially important implications for reconstructing relatively unknown events in the history of the county, for shedding new light on the lives of individuals too poor to be visible in official histories, and for gaining insights on a disease that reaped millions of lives during the 19th century and that persists in the developing world today. Specifically, the primary goals of the research projects are:
Locating individual and mass graves, which, following years of neglect and several episodes of vandalism, are no longer marked. If gravestones can be found, they will be erected to mark actual grave locations, thus restoring the cemetery’s original appearance.
Reconstructing the life conditions of the individuals buried at the site (for both cholera victims and non‐epidemic burials);
Providing accounts of the life and social identity of canal and farm workers, who are often stereotyped and almost invisible in historical accounts due to their low socioeconomic status;
Investigating the presence of Vibrio cholerae at the site by conducting soil analyses aimed at amplifying and identifying ancient DNA, ultimately with the goal of studying human/pathogen interactions;
Comparing skeletal and genetic characteristics of cholera victims and non‐victims to determine whether certain factors predisposed individuals to perishing from the disease and possibly improving modern approaches to treating the disease.
Program Structure & Schedule
The field experience is designed to provide participants with first-hand experience of the archaeological and bioarchaeological field methods applied in a professional excavation. Typically, participants will work alongside researchers in a variety of activities, including survey, excavation of human remains, and documentation of findings. Given the research focus of the project, no formal lectures will be held and the didactic components of the field experience will be limited to hands-on excavation and work under the supervision of senior personnel. Excavation will take place daily, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, with a short lunch break.
All participants will be required to attend a general orientation at the beginning of the program, and daily briefings in the morning prior to starting fieldwork. IRLAB does not provide meals, lodging or transportation as part of this program, and participants are expected to make their own arrangements.
While this is a field-based program, lectures may be offered in times of inclement weather or to supplement learning objectives.
TUITION AND FEES
OSU Students: For information on tuition and fees, please visit this page.
Non-OSU Students: $1,250/session; $2,250 for both sessions; returning students: $1,000
Staff: Executive Director/PI Giuseppe Vercellotti, PhD
Co-Director Francesco Coschino, PhD
Field Director* and Supervisors Alessandro Cariboni, Allyson Simon, and Lauren Hayden
INFO & CONTACTS For any questions concerning enrollment in OSU’s Class, ANTH 5685, please contact Sarah Palazzo: palazzo.66@osu.edu. For all other questions, including regarding obtaining credits through non-OSU institutions, please contact Dr. Giuseppe Vercellotti: giuseppe.vercellotti@irlabnp.org.
OKLAHOMA
University of Oklahoma Archaeological Field School 2026: Black Mesa, Oklahoma
The 2026 University of Oklahoma Archaeological Field School will be held in Black Mesa Oklahoma at several Late Precontact stone circle (or tipi ring) sites. The project will teach students how to conduct archaeological surveys and excavations. Students will earn 3 credit hours.
How to Apply
To apply, download and complete the Application Form (pdf). Email the completed form to Dr. Jennifer Haney at jmhaney@ou.edu using the subject line “2026 Field School Application.” You will be notified of your acceptance to the program after the application deadline date. Only students who are accepted into the program may enroll.
Cost and Credits: ANTH 3930 (3 credits) You will pay for course tuition/OU fees + and a room and board fee for food, lodging, & transportation to/from/within the project area. Non-OU, out-of-state, and graduate students contact instructor for details on credits, cost, course designations, and registration procedure.
Application: Go to the web page to fill out an application form and send it jmhaney@ou.edu by March 20, 2026.
Questions? Please direct any questions to Dr. Brandi Bethke bbethke@ou.edu
Previous Field Schools
The 2024 and 2025 University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field School was directed by Patrick Livingood, Amanda Regnier, and Scott Hammerstedt and conducted at Spiro, OK. Sooner Magazine profiled this work.
The 2022 University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field School, directed by Dr. Patrick Livingood, Scott Hammerstedt, and Amanda Regnier was conducted at Spiro, OK.
The2020 and 2021University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field Schools were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The2019University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field School, directed byDr. Bonnie Pitblado, conduct survey around and excavatin at a 10,000 year-old Paleoindian site in Colorado.
The2018University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field School, directed byDr. Asa Randall, investigated Archaic and Woodland non-mounded domestic and public architecture at the Silver Glen Springs complex in Florida.
The2017University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field School, directed byDr. Sarah Trabert, was at the Deer Creek site in east-central Oklahoma. It focused on an ancestral Wichita fortified village where students investigated the fortification ditches, trash mounds, and village entrance. The Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created ashort video on the Deer Creek Project.
The2016University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeological Field School, directed byDr. Sam Duwe, was in Abiquiu, New Mexico and focused on the archaeology of early (A.D. 1300-1350) Tewa Pueblo communities.
The2015University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeology Field School, directed byDr. Leland Bement, investigated the 9,000 year old bison kill site of Ravenscroft in northwestern Oklahoma.
The2014 University of Oklahoma Summer Archaeology Field School took place in Spiro Mounds, Oklahoma. The Archaeological Institute of America did ashort write upon the excavation.
The2012archaeological field school was an investigation of ancient shell mounds on the St. John’s River in northeast Florida. You can download a pdf of Asa Randall’s and Kenneth Sassaman’ssummary reportof the field school findings, which were published in Florida Archaeologist.
The2011OU and OSU archaeological field school was at the Bryson-Paddock site. The field school was under the sponsorship of Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Archeological Survey. The site is in north-central Oklahoma along the Arkansas River near Kaw Lake. Bryson-Paddock is an eighteenth-century Wichita village that was visited by French traders. It is one of the earliest Wichita sites that had extensive contact with Europeans. Excavations have been conducted at this village and a nearby, sister village in 1926, 1974/1975, and 2003-2009. The site is noted for mounds containing trash that includes metal and glass trade materials as well as native artifacts and features such as house patterns, hearths, pits, and fortification ditches.
The2010OU archeological field school took place at the Ramos Creek site, which was occupied by the prehistoric ancestors of the Caddo between AD 1200 and 1500.Caddo Prehistory in Oklahomablogs about the excavation. In 2011 students had the opportunity to participate in an Advanced Field Opportunity at the Badgerhole Paleoindian Bison Kill Site in Northwest Oklahoma
PENNSYLVANIA
UNDERWATER CRM (Cultural Resource Management) AT LAKE ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, 2026
Cultural Resource Management, the legally required management and protection of our shared heritage, requires archaeologists to do more than just archaeology. CRM work requires an understanding of legal frameworks, professional ethics, consultation, and project management. Conducting CRM in an underwater environment also requires specialized skills in marine remote sensing, landscape reconstruction, and, occasionally, SCUBA diving.
This field school teaches the skills of underwater Cultural Resource Management through research on the submerged landscapes of Lake Erie. This program will not focus on shipwrecks (the more academic side of marine archaeology) but on understanding submerged landscapes as this is the mainstay of Marine CRM work and where the greatest need for trained marine CRM professionals is. The skills taught in this course are similar to those employed in CRM to identify sites prior to offshore energy (wind, oil, and gas) development. This course is appropriate for students interested in both Cultural Resource Management and traditional academic archaeology in an underwater environment.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Cultural Resource Management, the legally required management and protection of our shared heritage, requires archaeologists to do more than just archaeology. Also referred to as CRM, Cultural Resource Management requires an understanding of legal frameworks, professional ethics, consultation, and project management. Conducting CRM in an underwater environment also requires specialized skills in marine remote sensing, landscape reconstruction, and, occasionally, SCUBA diving.
This field school teaches the skills of underwater Cultural Resource Management through research on the submerged landscapes of Lake Erie. This program will not focus on shipwrecks (the more academic side of marine archaeology) but on understanding submerged landscapes as this is the mainstay of Marine CRM work and where the greatest need for trained marine CRM professionals is. The skills taught in this course are similar to those employed in CRM to identify sites prior to offshore energy (wind, oil, and gas) development. This course is appropriate for students interested in both Cultural Resource Management and traditional academic archaeology in an underwater environment.
Until approximately 4,000 years ago, Lake Erie was lower than it is today, leaving large swaths of the modern lake bottom open for habitation. During earlier times, the lake basin contained two smaller lakes connected by a wetland and stream. This mixture of environments would have been attractive to humans, and the quick filling of the basin likely preserved sites in situ. By combining marine remote sensing, geoarchaeology, and Indigenous knowledge, we will identify areas on the lake floor that likely contain submerged habitation sites.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course students will have an understanding of the Cultural Resource Management process and underwater archaeology. Students will be able to describe the US laws that pertain to submerged cultural resources and explain how those laws are applied in a CRM context. Students will also have a working knowledge of the practical skills necessary to conduct archaeological research underwater.
To achieve these objectives, this course has three primary goals: (1) to provide students a practical working knowledge of archaeological field methods, including marine remote sensing, geoarchaeological coring, underwater science while SCUBA diving, and recording sites underwater, (2) to introduce students to the intellectual challenges presented by archaeological research, including research design, data analysis and interpretation, and need to bring together multiple lines of evidence to address heritage preservation; and (3) to train students in consultation and reporting to ensure that the products of their work serve future generations.
The course will be based in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the shores of Lake Erie. Portions of the course will take place on Lake Erie, as well as at local facilities, including the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. Accommodation will be in the Gannon University dormitories. Students are responsible for their own meals.
Student will participate in the following research activities:
Remote sensing: Students will collect, process, and interpret marine remote sensing data, including side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler data. Coring: Students will collect cores of submerged sediments and learn to process and analyze these cores to identify potential living surfaces and sites. Underwater Recordation: Students will practice recording sites in an underwater environment. Ethnography: Students will work with local partners to record oral histories and traditional knowledge. Reporting: Students will co-author the annual project report.DIRECTORS:
Dr. Ben Ford – Professor of Anthropology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (ben.ford@iup.edu) Dr. Jessi Halligan – Associate Professor of Anthropology, Texas A&M University (jessihalligan@tamu.edu) Dr. David George-Shongo – Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Seneca Nation of Indians (david.shongo@sni.org)
PENNSYLVANIA
PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION SUMMER KEYSTONE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Description
Internships participating in this year’s program will focus on several disciplines and be available in 8 counties across the Commonwealth. Please check back soon for internship posting links!
PHMC’s Summer Keystone Internship Program
Our Keystone Summer Internship Program is designed to provide preprofessional training to students interested in pursuing a career in history, historic preservation, or museums. We created this program to be an integral part of our interns’ academic training, and students are encouraged to seek credit. Each Keystone Summer Intern will work directly with a Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) staff mentor on a specific project or projects and will also learn about PHMC’s multiple functions through educational and networking opportunities. Interns will also have regular opportunities to reflect on their own experiences within the broader context of the challenges and possibilities of public history. Keystone interns will receive a formal evaluation at the conclusion of the internship and will be asked to provide feedback to PHMC on their experience.
Requirements
All applicants must be enrolled at a college or university in an undergraduate or graduate program at the time of their internship. Additional requirements, such as a required field of study, may be applicable to some internships. This information will be listed on the posting. Selected interns must pass all required background checks. Applications are accepted from students throughout the United States; however, PHMC is unable to provide housing or transportation stipends to our interns.
Areas of Study
Internship opportunities are available in a wide variety of disciplines and professions included within PHMC’s programs, such as archival studies, archaeology, architecture, collections care and management, cultural resource management, curation, exhibition development, geographic information systems (GIS), graphic arts, historic preservation, historical research and programming, museum education, museum studies and zoology.
Internship Locations
Keystone Summer Internships are available in a variety of locations, including PHMC’s headquarters in downtown Harrisburg and at PHMC sites and museums along the Pennsylvania Trails of History(opens in a new tab).
Dates and Internship Hours
The Keystone Summer Internship Program will take place during a 10-week program period during the summer of 2026. Final program dates and work schedules will be decided between interns and their mentors. Interns must work a minimum of 225 hours and are eligible to work up to 300 hours, within the program timeframe, at a rate of $17.38 per hour.
Selection Criteria
Primary criteria for selection are the overall quality of the application responses and interview; match between the applicant’s educational and career goals and the goals of the Keystone Internship Program; and the fit between the applicant’s skills, interests, and experience and the specific project or position in which they apply.
To Apply
An unofficial transcript must be uploaded as part of the application process. Submissions will be reviewed and applicants will be notified if selected for an interview. Questions regarding the Keystone Summer Internship Program may be directed to MegAnn Carey at mecarey@pa.gov(opens in a new tab).
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE (SHPO) Summer 2026 Historic Preservation Internship
The South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) welcomes applications for the Summer 2026 Historic Preservation Internship. This position will be based in our Pierre office and the selected candidate will assist our team with various historic preservation tasks. The intern will update and research survey material, plan and/or conduct historic site survey(s), assist in preparing a nomination for a historic property to the National Register of Historic Places, assist the office with holding a youth archaeology camp, and handle other duties as assigned.
All part-time and full-time students are encouraged to apply. Coursework in American Indian studies, Great Plains history, public history, archaeology, architecture, historic preservation theory & practices or similar research areas are desired. To learn more about the position and access the application, followthis linkto the Historic Preservation homepage. The application is under “SHPO News and Deadlines”. For any questions about this position please contact me directly or our office atSHPO@state.sd.us.
TEXAS
LUBBOCK LAKE LANDMARK QUATERNARY RESEARCH PROGRAM, Northwest Texas 2026
First Session: May 31 to July 12, 2026 Second Session: July 12 to August 23, 2026
Overview
For more than 50 years, the Lubbock Lake Landmark Regional Research Program has conducted summer field research on the Southern High Plains of Texas. Each summer, volunteers from around the world join our professional staff to help uncover the region’s deep history through archaeology, geology, and paleontology.
The work is exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Field conditions are rigorous—expect hot, dry, and dusty weather, long days outdoors, and hands-on work in excavation units and labs. Volunteers should be physically prepared and ready to work as part of a close team.
In return, participants gain practical experience in real research. You’ll learn how scientists investigate ancient environments and past human life through excavation, mapping, and lab analysis—all while contributing to one of the longest-running continuous field programs in North America.
Cost: There is no cost; room and board are provided.
Where We Work: The Lubbock Lake Landmark
The Lubbock Lake Landmark is a nationally recognized archaeological and natural history preserve located in Lubbock, Texas. Research here focuses on how people and environments have interacted over the last 12,000 years. Excavations at the Landmark uncover the remains of ancient campsites, animal bones, hearths, and tools that tell the story of how humans adapted to changing climates and landscapes on the Southern High Plains.
Post Research Area
About an hour southeast of Lubbock lies the Post Research Area, a large working ranch that has been preserved with minimal disturbance for more than a century. This ranchland offers a rare glimpse of how people and animals used this landscape over thousands of years.
Slaton Research Area
The Slaton Research Area is located between the Post Research Area and the Lubbock Lake Landmark. The Slaton Research Area is another historic ranch that also provides significant research opportunities in both prehistoric and historic archaeology.
What to Expect
– Outdoor fieldwork in hot, dry, and often windy conditions
– Hands-on excavation and survey under professional supervision
– Team-based work with students, researchers, and volunteers from around the world
– Basic laboratory activities such as washing and sorting.
Interested? Read the Landmark Volunteer Information Guide here.
Then, fill out a Volunteer Application Form here.
Upon review of the application form and two letters of recommendation, volunteers are provisionally accepted into the Landmark’s regional research program. Following provisional acceptance, volunteers must email the Landmark’s medical history form filled out by a licensed physician, proof of current tetanus vaccination, and proof of adequate and appropriate health insurance during their stay at Lubbock Lake Landmark to Dr. Johnson at eileen.johnson@ttu.edu.
Lubbock Lake Landmark
Lubbock Lake is located on the Southern High Plains in a meander of an ancient valley (Yellowhouse Draw) near ancient springs. People used the water resources in the draw for thousands of years until those resources went dry in the early 1930s. In 1936, the city of Lubbock dredged the meander in an effort to revitalize the underground springs. That activity revealed the long-occupied site.
The first explorations of the site were conducted in 1939 by the West Texas Museum (now the Museum of Texas Tech University). By the late 1940s, several Folsom Period (10,800-10,300 years ago) bison kills were discovered. Charred bison bones from an ancient bison kill from a then unidentified Paleoindian group produced the first ever radiocarbon date (currently the most accurate form of dating) for Paleoindian material (9,800 years old). The Landmark currently serves as a field laboratory for geology, soils, and radiocarbon dating studies, as well as being an active archaeological and natural history preserve.
Physiographic Setting
The Lubbock Lake Landmark is located on the southeastern portion of the Southern High Plains (Llano Estacado) of western Texas. The ca. 300 acre (121 hectare) site encompasses both upland and lowland settings. The Southern High Plains today has a continental climate. The region experiences a large temperature range. Rainfall occurs throughout the year, but highs are in the spring and fall. Summer droughts are common due to high pressure that dominates the region during this time.
The Landmark is developing research to examine the territorial identity of these hunter-gatherers. Information learned from this field work will help to address the following research questions: 1. What is the relationship between material culture, identity, and territories? 2. Did the Apache develop a territorial identity on the landscape that distinguished themselves from other hunter-gatherer groups?
A territory is defined as a landscape spatial unit controlled by a society that share a social identity and tie to the landscape and distinguish themselves from other societies in adjacent territories. From this perspective, identity is equivalent to a territory. Territories are defined and infused with multiple layers of socially constructed meaning through daily interactions with the landscape.
The Protohistoric on the Southern High Plains is a culturally dynamic period marked by the migration of the Apache into the region, and the development of an intensive Southwest Puebloan trade network. Pedro de Castañeda, the chronicler of the Coronado expedition (1540-1542 AD), documented two culturally distinct nomadic bison hunting groups. This research will explore the formation of Apache territorial identity in relationship to other hunter-gatherer groups in the region.
The University of Utah’s summer program in archaeological field techniques will be held at Range Creek Canyon in east central Utah. Jointly sponsored by the Department of Anthropology and the Natural History Museum of Utah, this course offers students the opportunity to learn modern archaeological field and lab techniques in an ongoing field research program. Under the direction of Dr. Shannon Boomgarden, participants in the program will also receive training in archaeological method and theory.
A one-page Statement of Interest, explaining your reasons for applying to the field program. (Please take this seriously as it not only tells us if our field school is a good fit for you but also provides a sample of your writing.)
A list of any previous field and/or laboratory experience in archaeology or geoarchaeology, including dates, locations, and persons in charge.
A letter of recommendation from a professor or advisor, professional in a related field, or employer. The recommendation letter can be emailed by the student, along with the other application requirements.
A copy of your college transcripts (this can be an unofficial transcript or DARS report).
While not required, preference will be given to students who also submit a video/slide presentation introducing yourself and describing the following: Your professional academic goals, why you have chosen the Range Creek Field School, your research interests, and your experience with hiking, camping, and working in hot strenuous conditions.
View of Range Creek and Nelson Canyon from east canyon wall
The University of Utah’s summer program in archaeological field methods will be held at Range Creek Canyon. Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology and the Natural History Museum of Utah, this eight-week field course is designed to teach basic archaeological field methods. Under the direction of Dr. Shannon
Boomgarden, participants will receive training in a variety of field techniques including survey, mapping, soil identification, aspects of paleo-ecological research.
Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of experimental projects using traditional methods to farm small plots and/or collect wild resources. No previous experience is necessary, but some exposure to basic archaeological and anthropological concepts is recommended.
Admission to the field school is by application only and is limited to 12 students. Priority for admission will be given to those pursuing a professional career in archaeology or a related discipline. Applications are welcomed from both current University of Utah students, non-students and out-of-state students. Students will earn 8 semester upper division credits upon successful completion of the field school (ANTH 5712).
Participants must provide their own health insurance, a small tool kit, basic personal camping equipment, and transportation to the University of Utah.
The University of Utah’s summer program in archaeological field methods will be held in Range Creek Canyon. Range Creek is a tributary of the Green River on the West Tavaputs Plateau in east-central Utah. Extremely remote due to the rugged character of the plateau, Range Creek is bordered by Nine Mile Canyon to the north, the Book Cliffs to the west and south, and Desolation Canyon to the east. The canyon heads at about 10,200 feet in elevation and descends rapidly to its confluence with the Green River at an elevation of about 4,200 ft. The canyon itself is extremely rugged, consisting basically of a narrow, sinuous canyon floor between walls that tower nearly 3,000 feet overhead. The dozen or so named side-canyons that open into Range Creek, as well as the many unnamed ones, provide even the casual visitor with breathtaking vistas.
A long section of the lower canyon floor was a privately-owned ranch until it was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2002. Although the ranch in the lower canyon includes only about 3,000 acres, it provides access to nearly an additional 50,000 acres in the canyon. In 2004, ownership of the ranch was transferred to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and In 2009 the ownership transferred again to theSchool and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA).
The Natural History Museum of Utah at the University of Utah currently manages the property, which has been established as the Range Creek Field Station. Because of the long and vigilant efforts of the family that owned the ranch, and the dedicated efforts of subsequent managing agencies, the archaeological sites in the area are in excellent condition. The vast majority of the sites recorded to date are associated with the Fremont archaeological complex, which dates between about A.D. 500 and A.D. 1350.
Simply stated, Range Creek Canyon shares many similarities with world-famous Nine Mile Canyon, but without the 100 years of overt vandalism, visitor wear and tear, and development impacts. We are unaware of another region in the state of Utah that has the sheer number and density of essentially untouched archaeological sites. See the Natural History Museum of Utah’sRange Creek website for more information.
UTAH
ZOOARCHAEOLOGY AND FIELD ECOLOGY FIELD SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Program Dates: May 4-May 30, 2026
Zooarchaeology is an interdisciplinary subfield of archaeology focused on the analysis of animal remains from archaeological contexts to address questions involving past human foraging behavior, paleoecology, and paleoclimate. The foundation of this research is the identification of archaeological vertebrate bones and teeth but much of the meaning of those data resides in knowledge about the behavior, ecology, and natural history of the identified species. This novel, hands-on, laboratory- and field-based course is designed not only to train students in the identification and analysis of fragmentary vertebrate remains but to provide them with a rich background in the natural history of vertebrate animals that is essential to conducting zooarchaeological research. Unlike any other archaeological field experience, students will gain expertise in the identification of fragmentary vertebrate remains from archaeological contexts in the western U.S. and at the same time be immersed through daily field trips in the natural history and ecology of local vertebrate animals in a remote and scenic setting in Range Creek Canyon, Utah. Topics that will be covered include foraging theory, prey choice, the nature of the archaeofaunal record, units of quantification, taphonomy, ecological concepts and theory, vertebrate taxonomy and natural history, and skeletal preparation. Students gain additional experience in archaeological vertebrate identification and analysis through the completion of a problem-oriented research project based on the analysis of one of several provided faunal assemblages from sites in western North America. Students attend and present their research at the 19th Annual Zooarchaeology Conference held at the Range Creek Field Station the last day of the field school and thus attain invaluable experience in delivering professional conference presentations as well as the opportunity to network with prominent zooarchaeologists.
Course Structure and Organization:
Course Structure and Organization:
The course will begin (May 4-8) with five-day intensive introduction to zooarchaeology, vertebrate osteology, and natural history by zoom. Students will then meet in Salt Lake City (May 11) and we will proceed from there on a 6-day camping field trip across the state of Utah. We will explore many of the most important archaeological sites in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau (e.g., Danger Cave, Hogup cave, Lakeside Cave, Homestead Cave, Cowboy Cave, Sudden Shelter, Bonneville Estates Rockshelter) and study the different habitats and vertebrate faunas of the regions. We will then stay for the remainder of the course (May 17-29) at the remote and scenic Range Creek Field Station in eastern Utah with continued field and lab studies and lectures on various topics in zooarchaeology. Students will complete a problem-oriented research project at the field station and present an oral presentation on that work at a conference on May 29. We depart on May 30.
Enrollment limited. Application (see below) is required. Students enroll in University of Utah, Anthropology 5712-section 2; (Field Methods: North America). 6 semester credit hours. Click here forcourse syllabus.
Course Instructors:
Jack M. Broughton (Ph.D. University of Washington, 1995) is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Utah where he teaches archaeology, osteology, and zooarchaeology. His research focuses on hunter-gatherer zooarchaeology and prehistory in western North America and the application of behavioral ecology to archaeological issues. Jack is passionate about zooarchaeology and natural history and has been involved in developing and teaching this course since its inception in 1988. He is also the author of Zooarchaeology and Field Ecology: A Photographic Atlas, a publication that was created specifically as a text for this unique course.
Isaac A. Hart (Ph.D. University of Utah, 2017) is a Post-Doctoral Zooarchaeological Research Fellow at the Department of Anthropology, University of Utah. His research focuses on the archaeology of western North America and Mongolia and paleoenvironmental reconstruction and prehistoric human subsistence based on the analysis of archaeological vertebrates, geological sediments, and fossil pollen. Isaac has been with the field school program for over a decade.
VIRGINIA
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY AT MONTPELIER, VIRGINIA
Date: June 8 to July 10, 2026 Application deadline: March 16, 2026
The 2026 Field School will be held fromJune 8through July 10, 2026, with virtual sessions on June 3-5, 2026.
About The Field School:
Five Week Training Course in Archaeological Methods and Techniques
The Montpelier Archaeology Department has hosted field school since 1987. Over the past thirty-seven years, the program has grown to include students from a variety of universities, spanning the US and abroad.
The field school is a five-week intensive course designed to give students training in field and laboratory techniques. Students will be introduced to excavation and survey methods, cutting edge archaeological recordation and digital data collection techniques (using ESRI’s Field Maps, digital mapping, and mobile photogrammetry), artifact processing and basic curation practices. Students will also be introduced to the principals of Public Archaeology, and will be expected to engage with visitors to the site, members of the descendant community, and online. Students will also be expected to engage in discussions around contemporary museum practice with a focus on community based work.
Where will we be working?
The 2026 season is focused on excavation of an 18th Century Blacksmith Shop, a site located near the Temple and Ice House. Prior metal detector and shovel test pit survey have identified the possibility of a robust iron working operation, the existence of which is also supported by contemporaneous documentation. Excavations in during the 2026 season should help us gain a better understanding of the nature of the specific work that was performed at the site and provide additional insight into the expertise of the enslaved blacksmiths whose work helped support the American Revolution.
The 2025 season focused on obtaining a better understanding of Walnut Hollow, a site located near the Temple and Ice House, where metal detector survey identified several structures believed to be homes for enslaved families, potentially dating from the late 18th century to the early 19th century. Read more about the Walnut Hollow site.
Cost and Accreditation
Scholarships
The Montpelier Foundation offers scholarships for descendants attending the Field School. For more details, please e-mail dig@montpelier.org and ask about scholarship opportunities for descendants. Scholarship application materials are provided when applying for the Field School!
Archaeology Paid Internships
Students who have participated in and completed the Archaeology Field School will also be provided an opportunity to apply for the internship program.
The Montpelier Internship can be up to a ten-month position that begins after the field school and typically ends on April 30th.
In order to qualify for an internship, you MUST attend the Montpelier Archaeology Field School. These paid internships include full employee benefits and free housing on the property. Up to five, long-term interns (3 or 4 field interns and 1 or 2 lab interns) will be selected near the end of the Field School. Current and past Field School students are welcome to apply to the internship.
For those who have not previously attended our field school, you MUST apply, be accepted, attend, and successfully complete the Montpelier Field School in order to be considered for the long term internship. For those who have previously attended the Montpelier Field School and want to apply for year-long internships, please email us atdig@montpelier.orgfor details.
VIRGINIA
MONTICELLO-UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL: ARCHAEOLOGY OF CHESAPEAKE LANDSCAPE AND SLAVERY
Date: June 1 to July 10, 2026(Application deadline: April 3, 2026)
Monticello’s Department of Archaeology and the University of Virginia offer a six-week archaeological field school at Monticello. The field school provides six credits through the University of Virginia’s College of Arts and Sciences. The Monticello-UVA Field School accepts applications from undergraduate students as well as postgraduates. A current or previous affiliation with UVA is not required to attend.
Space is limited to twelve students. Please be sure to have all application materials submitted by deadline: April 3, 2026.
The Program
The Monticello-UVA Field School offers a hands-on introduction to basic excavation, recording, and laboratory techniques in archaeology. The course emphasizes a scientific, multidisciplinary approach to doing landscape archaeology. It also provides the opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research into the ecological and social dynamics that unfolded on Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Plantation in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Technical topics covered include survey and excavation strategies as well as the analytical possibilities for ceramics, faunal remains, plant phytoliths and pollen, deposits and the sediments they contain, soils, and spatial distributions of artifacts across sites and larger landscapes.
Guest lecturers are drawn from a variety of disciplines including archaeology, geology, ecology, paleoethnobotany, zooarchaeology, and history based on documents and oral testimony. On-site instruction, lectures, and discussion sessions at Monticello will be complemented by field trips to related sites. Students will attend classes forty hours per week, with the bulk of that time spent working in the field and the lab. Reading assignments, lectures, and discussion sessions will cover both technical and historical issues.
Research Focus
Our research addresses changing patterns of land use and settlement on Thomas Jefferson’s, Monticello Plantation from c. 1750 to 1860, along with their ecological and social causes and consequences. Toward the end of the 18th century, spurred by shifts in the Atlantic economy, Thomas Jefferson and planters across the Chesapeake region replaced tobacco cultivation with a more diversified agricultural regime, based around wheat. Our research is revealing the enormous implications of this shift for what the landscape looked like and how enslaved African-Americans worked and lived on it. Significant questions remain about the ecological processes that were unleashed, how they were experienced by slaves and slave owners, and the importance of changing slave work routines in explaining social dynamics among enslaved and free people.
In 2026, our fieldwork focuses on stratigraphic excavation to reveal how, over the course of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, enslaved workers created the artificial landscape surrounding Jefferson’s mansion. Our research precedes the construction of new paths to enhance accessibility for visitors.
Prerequisites The course does not assume students have previous archaeological field experience. An introductory course in archaeology will be helpful but is not mandatory. Archaeological fieldwork is very demanding. Students should enjoy sustained, strenuous teamwork.
Tuition Scholarships and ICJS Fellowships from Monticello
Tuition rates are set by the University of Virginia and vary by residency status.
All students accepted into the field school will receive a tuition subsidy from Monticello worth half the UVA-mandated tuition. Taking into account this subsidy, tuition for 6 credits is $1,452 for undergraduates and $1,701 for graduate students who are Virginia residents. For non-residents, tuition is $5,361 for undergraduates and $3,453 for graduate students.
In addition to the tuition scholarship, each student will receive from Monticello’s International Center for Jefferson Studies (ICJS) aFellowship in Archaeological Field Methodsin the amount of $2,000 to help cover the remaining tuition costs and living expenses.
Room and Board
Air-conditioned housing at the University of Virginia is available to Students at an estimated cost of $50 per night or roughly $350 per week for a single room.Meals are available at an additional cost through university dining services. Most students choose to prepare their own meals. Numerous summer sublets are also available in Charlottesville, but students will need to make their own arrangements.
To Apply
Send a one-page cover letter that outlines your interest in archaeology and a CV or resume that contains the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three references. The application deadline is April 3, 2026. Please email your application tofieldschool@monticello.org.
For further information about archaeological research at Monticello, visit ourwebsite or visit us onFacebookOr contact Fraser Neiman at (434) 984-9812 orfneiman@monticello.org.
Faculty
Field School Director: Fraser D. Neiman
Field Research Manager: Crystal O’Connor
Research Archaeologist: Derek Wheeler
Curator of Archaeological Collections: Corey Sattes
VIRGINIA
THOMAS JEFFERSON’S POPLAR FOREST ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL (Lynchburg, VA)
Field School Dates: June 1- July 10, 2026 Application deadline: April 1, 2026
A Unique Learning Experience at Thomas Jefferson’s Retreat
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest and the University of Virginia are pleased to offer the 35th annual Summer Field School in Historical Archaeology. The field school provides a foundation in current methods and theories of historical archaeology, and offers a solid introduction to the practical skills of site survey, excavation, recording, and laboratory procedures. Students will also actively participate in our ongoing interpretation of archaeology to the public. In the summer of 2026, field school participants will excavate sites associated with Poplar Forest’s enslaved residents and the plantation’s early infrastructure. Sites that will be investigated will include searching for the location of a stable, slave quarter, and other structures associated with Jefferson’s retreat home and plantation as well as later residents. This includes the opportunity to explore the archaeology of a standing brick quarter, which was built in the 1850s and continued to house African American residents in the years following emancipation. Students will work with the professional staff to better understand the lives of the individuals living and working at these sites by studying the material remains recovered from the summer’s excavations. These sites will reveal new data about the daily lives of people who labored on this plantation. This data can be compared with multiple sites that have already been excavated at Poplar Forest, allowing us to trace the plantation layout and the ways it changed at Poplar Forest over time. The study of this site will also provide new information for Poplar Forest’s interpretive efforts that can be included in signage and tours that help our visitors better understand the landscapes and lives of the many people, both free and enslaved, that lived on this plantation.
What Would I Do at the Poplar Forest Field School?
Students will spend 40 hours a week at Poplar Forest, with most of the time split between the excavation site and the archaeology laboratory. Strenuous daily activity will require physical endurance and good health. Participants will have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment and software, including a total station for recording field information, GPS receivers for collecting spatial data over large areas, a database system containing both the archaeological artifact and context records, and a complete inventory of over 3,000 historical documents relating to Poplar Forest.
Field School Schedule
The program includes weekly readings on topics in historical archaeology; lectures by staff and noted authorities covering such topics as landscape history, plantation life, and nineteenth-century material culture; the archaeology of the African Diaspora in America and beyond; environmental archaeology; professional opportunities in historical archaeology; and the role of public archaeology in our world today. As part of the program, students will also participate in a half-day workshop on architectural restoration and preservation philosophy. On-site work is supplemented by field trips to sites where historical archaeology is underway. Students will be asked to observe and evaluate strategies used by these sites to incorporate archaeology into their public interpretation.
Week 1Orientation to Poplar Forest, instruction, initial excavation, guest lecture, discussion of readings
Week 2Field and lab work at Poplar Forest, field trip, guest lecture, discussion of readings
Week 3Field and lab work at Poplar Forest, guest lecture, discussion of readings
Week 4Field and lab work at Poplar Forest, field trip, guest lecture, discussion of readings
Week 5Field and lab work at Poplar Forest, overnight field trip, discussion of readings
Week 6Conclusion of field work, presentations, summation of activities
What if I’ve Never Studied Archaeology or Been on a “Dig”?
The Poplar Forest Field School is designed for the beginner. While some will bring previous experience, for most participants, this will be their first archaeological field school.
Who Should Attend?
Graduate and undergraduate students in anthropology, archaeology, history, or historic preservation; museum volunteers and staff; public and private school teachers in social studies and related subjects; individuals interested in pursuing archaeology as a career; individuals interested in archaeology, history, and early American Southern culture; students of Jefferson, African-American and early American history. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have finished high school.
University Credit
This field school in historical archaeology carries six credits from the University of Virginia’s School of Arts and Sciences. Students who do not attend the University of Virginia should check with their degree-granting institution to verify transferability of credits.
Tuition & Scholarship Assistance
All participants accepted into the field school will receive a scholarship from Poplar Forest. This is a tuition grant that covers half of the tuition charge for six credit hours. With this scholarship assistance, Virginia resident undergraduates will pay $1,452 and Virginia resident graduate students will pay $1,701. Out-of-state undergraduate students will pay $5,361 and out of state graduate students will pay $3,453. The university also charges a $60 off-grounds administrative fee to all students.
Accommodations
Air-conditioned accommodations are available at the University of Lynchburg. Estimated cost is $39 per day. Students are responsible for their own meals and transportation to the site each day. Students are free to make other housing arrangements as well.
Eric Proebsting, Ph.D., Director of Archaeology and Landscapes
Dr. Proebsting’s research interests include historical archaeology, agricultural communities, landscape archaeology, historical ecology, plantation studies, the archaeology of slavery, public outreach, and the archaeological applications of GIS and other techniques for collaborative research projects.
Steve Lenik, Ph.D., Research Archaeologist
Dr. Lenik’s research interests include the archaeology of the African Diaspora, the archaeology of missions, the Atlantic World, plantation landscapes, and community engagement.
Karen McIlvoy, Ph.D., Curator of Archaeological Collections
Ms. McIlvoy’s research interests include the material culture of slavery and the African Diaspora, social dynamics within plantation communities, the archaeology of spirituality and folk beliefs, and the interactions between people and material culture.
Apply Now! Please submit your application by filling out the form and attaching your résumé. A statement of personal and professional reasons for participating is required. Application deadline is April 1, 2026.
VIRGINIA
JAMESTOWNE REDISCOVERY: HISTORIC JAMESTOWNE ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL (Jamestown, Virginia)
Be part of the Jamestown Rediscovery Project’s ongoing mission to excavate, interpret, preserve, conserve, and research findings from the site of England’s first successful colony in North America by participating in Jamestown Rediscovery’s annual Archaeological Field School from May 26 to July 2, 2026!
The Program
Jamestown’s Field School provides a unique opportunity for students to contribute to the research and interpretation of early 17th-century English America. The Field School, jointly offered by theJamestown Rediscovery Foundationand the University of Virginia, introduces participants to the methods and theories of American historical archaeology through hands-on fieldwork. Students will be helping to expand our understanding of the site of James Fort (1607-1624). Throughout the Field School, students will learn excavation and recording procedures and identify and interpret 17th-century artifacts from each culture that interacted at Jamestown — European, First Peoples, and Africans. In addition, the Field School will include field trips and weekly seminars exploring recent contributions of historical archaeology to colonial history, new field recording and interpretation methods, cutting edge technology in archaeology like ground-penetrating radar, and a survey of the recent literature in the discipline. Both novice and experienced students will learn practical archaeological skills and the course is also an excellent educational opportunity for teachers seeking recertification in the social studies content area.
For more details regarding excavations planned for the 2026 Field School,click here.
Course Requirements
Field School Director:Sean Romo, Director of Archaeology
Students will be required to attend classes 40 hours a week (Monday-Friday), with most of that time spent on-site working on the excavation. Strenuous daily activities will require physical endurance and excellent health. Specifically, students must be willing and able to work outdoors in high heat and high humidity conditions. In addition, students must be able to stand, kneel, or crouch for up to 7 hours and lift weights of approximately 50 pounds. Students also will spend time processing and learning to identify artifacts from the early Anglo-American settlement period in theJamestown Rediscoverylaboratory. Students will be required to keep a journal of their field, lab, and seminar work.
Upon completing this course, participants will receive six graduate credits from the University of Virginia. Students who transfer credits must make arrangements directly with their college or university. Educators wishing to apply this course toward recertification must obtain prior approval from their school systems. See below for 2026 tuition rates and fees as well as information on housing.
Application
To apply, please submit an application form (download application form), a résumé, a statement of personal and professional reasons for wanting to participate in the Jamestown Archaeological Field School, any other evidence of a well-rounded personality, the ability to work with others, willingness and ability to work outdoors for up to 7 hours in high heat and high humidity conditions, ability to lift weights of approximately 50 pounds, and two recommendation letters (download recommendation form). Current or previous affiliation with the University of Virginia is not required to attend the Field School. Completed applications must be received by April 10, 2026 (if you cannot make this deadline, please contact the staff).
Applicants will be selected based upon a review of their résumé, application form, statement of personal and professional reasons for wanting to attend the school, and recommendations. Applicants will be notified no later than April 14, 2026 (In some cases, early acceptance may be granted if required by the applicant).
2026 Tuition Rates and Fees
The tuition rate for the 2026 Summer Field School is yet to be determined. The rates from the previous two years are listed below to give an estimated cost for the program. These rates are subject to change.
Tuition is based on University of Virginia Summer Session rates for 2025, which can be found here: https://summer.virginia.edu/tuition-fees. All tuition/fees listed above include the University of Virginia’s additional off-site fee of $60.
* Virginia Domicile has stricter requirements than Residency, and is determined by the University of Virginia. Domicile requirements can be found here: https://vastatus.virginia.edu/virginia-domicile-requirements
** Tuition rates for out-of-state students reflect a scholarship of 50% provided by the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation.
Room and Board
Jamestown Rediscovery works with the College of William & Mary to secure local housing for interested students. Please note on your application if you would like to rent local housing through Jamestown Rediscovery, so the proper number of rooms may be secured.
2025 Rates
Single apartment:$2,415 ($55 per night + $15 management fee + $90 key deposit)
Double apartment:$1827 ($41 per night + $15 management fee + $90 key deposit)
Application:
To apply, please submit an application form (download application form), a résumé, a statement of personal and professional reasons for wanting to participate in the Jamestown Archaeological Field School, any other evidence of a well-rounded personality, the ability to work with others, willingness and ability to work outdoors for up to 7 hours in high heat and high humidity conditions, ability to lift weights of approximately 50 pounds, and two recommendation letters (download recommendation form). Current or previous affiliation with the University of Virginia is not required to attend the Field School. Completed applications must be received by April 10, 2026 (if you cannot make this deadline, please contact the staff).
Applicants will be selected based upon a review of their résumé, application form, statement of personal and professional reasons for wanting to attend the school, and recommendations. Applicants will be notified no later than April 14, 2026 (In some cases, early acceptance may be granted if required by the applicant).
Each year the Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School (PNWPFS) attracts a range of participants, from practicing cultural resource professionals to undergraduate and graduate students, to novices with little background in the field. They all share a love for heritage and a desire to learn.
The University of Oregon’s Historic Preservation Program developed the PNWPFS to provide you with the opportunity to experience preservation firsthand.
The Pacific Northwest Field School (PNWFS) has taught hands-on preservation skills at historic sites across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho for three decades!
PNWFS will return in 2026 with another immersive, hands-on program dedicated to exploring the cultural landscapes and historic places that define our region. Each year, PNWFS brings together students, emerging professionals, craftspeople, and preservation experts to learn by doing—engaging directly with historic materials, traditional building techniques, and the broader contexts that shape preservation practice today.
Through fieldwork, workshops, tours, and discussions, participants gain practical experience in assessment, repair, documentation, and planning, all grounded in the core values of stewardship and community collaboration. PNWFS 2026 will continue this tradition by offering three focused week-long sessions, each designed to build technical skills, deepen understanding of place, and foster meaningful relationships across disciplines.
We look forward to another year of shared learning, collective care, and hands-on preservation work across the Pacific Northwest. Please check back soon for more information on next year’s program!
The field school is intended for anyone interested in:
Working in a hands-on environment
Learning about preservation by doing it
Seeing a spectacular part of the United States
The typical class varies in age, skill-background, and interest, but the common thread is always fun and learning.
Many of our participants have used the field school to launch into historic preservation, and many graduates of the University of Oregon’s program got their start at the Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School.
If you would like to be notified when more information becomes available email us at pnwfs@uoregon.edu
Internships at the Smithsonian! The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. We are a community of learning and the opener of doors. Smithsonian Internships are workplace-based guided learning opportunities that provide participants with hands-on experience in a wide range of fields.
Application opens: January 5, 2026 Deadline to apply: March 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM (EST)
Program length: 10 weeks/ 40 hrs per week
Stipend Amount: $8,000
This is a need-based program supporting internships for undergraduates in research and collections projects related to art history.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: AAAInterns@si.edu
The Archives of American Art offers internships year-round to students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs who wish to learn and gain professional experience in various fields including archival science, information management, museum studies, art administration, art history, and cultural studies.
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) believes that a great 21st-century museum is more than a building. We must engage communities in surprising and innovative ways, transcending boundaries and barriers. We are a migratory museum that brings Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander history, art, and culture to you through innovative museum experiences online and throughout the United States.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Arlene Reiniger, reinigera@si.edu
Summer Internship Deadline: March 1
Every year, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage involves over a hundred interns in our various activities. We offer internships year-round in various fields, including folklore, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, linguistics, museum studies, arts administration, graphic and web design, videography, marketing, social media, and library science. Most internships take place in Washington, D.C.
Deadline: Monday, February 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET (Eastern Time)
The Peter A. Krueger Summer Internship Program offers undergraduate students the unique opportunity to develop professional skills and learn about museum practices at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Interns will gain in-depth knowledge and an enriched understanding of how the museum fulfills its mission to educate, inspire, and empower people through design.
The National Air and Space Museum’s structured summer internship program provides firsthand experience working in a museum. This program offers a one-of-a-kind introduction to museum work or a rich opportunity to expand on previous experience. Lasting from early-June through early-August, our 10-week summer program provides unique professional development opportunities and enrichment activities. We offer internships in a wide array of disciplines.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: NMAAHCInternships@si.edu or call (202) 633-9013
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Internships at the National Museum of African American History and Culture offer undergraduate and graduate students, and recent graduates’ opportunities to work closely with professionals and scholars in the museum field. The museum provides a dynamic learning environment and access to supportive mentors that help interns reach their academic and professional goals. Interns receive a stipend while they gain practical museum skills and program development experience in a variety of positions!
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Caroline Fiertz, NMAH’s Interns & Fellows Program Manager, NMAHintern@si.edu
Application Deadline: October 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST
Are you interested in US history? Do you want to learn more about the inner workings of history museums–either as an introduction or a deeper dive into an aspect of the museum field? The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) offers internships to folks who are excited to engage in professional learning experiences!
Application deadline:Monday, February 9, 2026, at 11:59pm EST
The National Museum of Asian Art invites applications for its eight-week, paid Summer Undergraduate Internship Program. Designed for current undergraduate students with little to no previous museum experience, the program introduces interns to museum work in general and matches you with a team that fits your interests, giving you hands-on projects, experienced mentors, and a front-row seat to the museum world—all while diving into the art and cultures of Asia.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Arc@si.edu (NMNH resource account) and/or Virginia Power, powerv@si.edu
Natural History Research Experiences (NHRE) is a 10-week summer internship program hosted at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. NHRE interns work closely with scientific mentors to complete independent research projects in Earth Science, Biology, and Anthropology.
The internship is full time, 40 hours per week. Starting in early June through early August. For exact dates, visit theNHRE website(link is external).
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Arc@si.edu (NMNH resource account) and/or Danielle Olsen, olsondk@si.edu(link sends email)
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History seeks a science writing intern interested in developing science communication skills in an active communications and public affairs office. The intern will help create original content to be published on the Ocean Portal website (https://ocean.si.edu(link is external)), and participate in other communication activities, including social media campaigns.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History seeks a science writing intern interested in gaining experience in an active communications and public affairs office. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your professional portfolio and learn how to present science and natural history stories to the public in relevant and engaging ways.
The Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology (SIMA) at the Smithsonian seeks to promote broader and more effective use of museum collections – artifacts, audio recordings, art works, still and moving images – in anthropological research by providing graduate students with an immersive, four-week training program and research experience at the Smithsonian Institution. The SIMA Research Internship is a residential program held at the National Museum of Natural History.
Please contact nmaiinterns@si.edu or 202-633-6988 with any questions.
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) offers internships during the Fall, Winter/Spring, and Summer terms at the museum in Washington, D.C.; at the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD; and at the museum (George Gustav Heye Center) in New York City. The NMAI internship program provides educational opportunities focusing on cultural transmission; professional development; meaningful departmental projects; and networking with museum professionals.
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is committed to equity and social justice for the Native/Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere through education, inspiration, and empowerment. NMAI stewards one of the most extensive collections of Native American cultural heritage in the world – approximately 825,000 items – representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 Indigenous cultures throughout the Americas.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact LMSPinfo@si.edu
Application Deadline: March 31, 2025
The Latino Museum Studies Program (LMSP) Undergraduate Internship is a paid 12-week, cohort-based museum studies program that offers hands-on training opportunities in non-curatorial subfields to participants interested in museum careers. Internship projects offered are geared to help participants gain skills in the following museum subfields:
The Communications Department at the National Portrait Gallery is responsible for all promotion related to the museum’s exhibitions, public programs, and collection.
This internship provides an opportunity to gain firsthand experience and professional training in a fast-paced curatorial department. The intern will work closely with the departmental curator and collection manager to carry out research on potential or recent acquisitions; assist with object examinations and cataloging; write labels; create web content; and assist with administrative tasks.
If you have any questions about the application process, please send inquiries to npgInterns@si.edu. If you have questions concerning the SOLAA application, please go to the Help section on the SOLAA Web site.
Are you seeking a creative and exciting museum internship? The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery offers formal internships to qualified applicants. A Smithsonian internship is a prearranged, structured learning experience that takes place during the fall, spring, or summer semester. The experience should be relevant both to the intern’s academic and professional goals and to the professional disciplines represented at the Portrait Gallery.
The Office of the Registrar is responsible for the care, tracking, and transport of the permanent collection and objects on loan for exhibitions; creating and maintaining accession files; and the management of the museum’s collections information database, The Museum System (TMS). The internship will provide an excellent opportunity to gain experience in collections management, museum registration, and collections information standards.
The internship will provide an excellent opportunity to learn about editing and museum publishing. The Publications department reviews all written materials the museum produces for the public, including exhibition catalogues and labels. Working closely with the National Portrait Gallery’s head of publications and the museum’s editor, the intern will sharpen their editorial skills (copyediting and proofreading) while reviewing a variety of written materials produced by museum staff and outside authors.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact: Tamsen DeWitt dewittt@si.edu
The National Zoo offers a variety of internship opportunities from animal care, veterinary medicine, IT, communications, animal enrichment, animal behavior, conservation, GIS One Health, nutrition, genetics, and more. We have opportunities at the Zoo in Washington, DC and our Conservation Biology Center in Front Royal, Virginia as well as Hawaii.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact: Andrea Stewart, Intern Coordinator (StewartA2@si.edu)
The Office of Advancement is pleased to offer internship opportunities for candidates interested in fundraising and development-oriented careers. Through these internships the Office of Advancement seeks to: – Provide interns with meaningful professional learning experiences. – Ensure interns supportive opportunities for growth and inclusive access to the advancement field through mentorship.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact, Philippa Rappoportat rappoph@si.edu
An internship at the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology is a unique opportunity to be part of a department working to make digital education resources more accessible and useful to PK12 teachers, students, parents, and anyone looking to discover and explore museum content. As an intern with us, you’ll be an integral part of the team, working to deepen, enrich, personalize, and promote learning through the creative use of museum resources.
Please see https://learninglab.si.edu/about/internships for more information and application instructions.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Jessica Sanet, Associate General Counsel, at sanetj@si.edu
Legal interns in the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) work closely with attorneys whose work covers such diverse topics as tax, employment discrimination, ethics, imports/exports, federal appropriations, intellectual property, and environmental law. Interns will gain exposure to the Office’s diverse law practice through litigation and transactional work, client counseling, case law research, preparing legal memoranda, reviewing agreements, surveying state law, and researching legislative history.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Rebecca Newton, newtonr@si.edu
Thank you for your interest in the work of the Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office (DPO) which is an office within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). OCIO provides the Smithsonian’s central computing and telecommunications services; provides leadership in information technology throughout the Institution in support of systems planning and development, communications, and computer-related training; and provides policy and guidance to ensure the integrity and security of Institutional automated data.
The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) provides the Smithsonian’s central computing and telecommunications services; provides leadership in information technology throughout the Institution in support of systems planning and development, communications, and computer-related training; and provides policy and guidance to ensure the integrity and security of Institutional automated data.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Tracie Spinale, Program Manager, OUSE via email at: tspinale@si.edu
Application Deadline: Sunday, February 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EST)
The Claudine K. Brown Internship in Education is funded through an endowed fund in memory of Claudine K. Brown(link is external), an educator and influential leader of the Smithsonian. Awardees of the Brown Internship are appointed based on a demonstrated interest in the field of education and museum leadership. Internships are available for college students, including under-served youth.
The Leadership for Change (LfC) internship is an eight-week, paid program providing undergraduate college students with meaningful and enriching experiences that strengthen their understanding of the role museums and arts and cultural organizations play in advocating for change in communities across the US.
Our Women’s History Internship program offers paid eight-week paid internships that amplify women’s stories to tell a more complete American history, reach a diverse audience, and empower and inspire people from all walks of life. The 2026 Women’s History Internship Program will take place from June 8 to August 7, 2026, in Washington, DC. Interns will receive a $1,200 weekly stipend and reimbursement for travel to and from Washington, DC. It is open to current U.S. college students or recent college graduates (within 12 months of June 2026) who are at least 18 years old.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Heather Jaranat Associates-Internships@si.edu
Interns with Smithsonian Associates are offered unique opportunities to learn about all aspects of educational programming for both adults and children, while contributing extensively to one of the world’s great cultural institutions. Intern projects are designed to benefit both the Institution and complement the intern’s own interests, skills, and experience.
Intern Duties:Promotional and programmatic support for the large-scale public events, with a special focus on after-hours, Smithsonian-wide programs for young professionals.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: Associates-Internships@si.edu
Interns with Smithsonian Associates are offered unique opportunities to learn about all aspects of educational programming for both adults and children, while contributing extensively to one of the world’s great cultural institutions. Intern projects are designed to benefit both the Institution and complement the intern’s own interests, skills, and experience.
This internship offers the unique opportunity to immerse in all the Summer children’s’ program offered by Associates. Looking for a team of interns both on in person and virtual. Duties will vary based on location.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: intern@cfa.harvard.edu.
For technical questions about the online application, contact OCIOServiceDesk@si.edu or call: 202-633-4000 ext. 1 (US).
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) Summer Intern Program is a 10-week NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship where students take on an astrophysics research project with an SAO or Harvard scientist. Students are expected to work at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for the full duration of the program. We house our interns in Harvard’s graduate student dormitory facilities.
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) provides science-based knowledge to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century. SERC leads research on coastal ecosystems to inform real-world decisions for wise policies, best business practices, and a sustainable planet.
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) provides science-based knowledge to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century. SERC leads research on coastal ecosystems to inform real-world decisions for wise policies, best business practices, and a sustainable planet.
For questions regarding Smithsonian Gardens internships or the internship application process, contact the Smithsonian Gardens Internship Coordinator at gardens@si.edu(link sends email).
Smithsonian Gardens provides an array of public garden learning experiences through its internship program thanks to the wide diversity of services and programs it offers at the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Available intern projects include opportunities to learn skills in the fields of horticulture, archives, landscape architecture, and education.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: STRIfellows@si.edu
Application Deadline March 15, 2025. Applicants will be notified of acceptance into the program approximately 4 weeks after the application deadline.
Description
Through the SENACYT Academic stays Program, we are looking for undergraduate or master’s students who wish to complete their thesis during a paid 9-month internship at STRI.
Thanks to a generous donation, we are also looking for undergraduates from universities in Latin America who have completed coursework or post baccalaureates (recent graduates) to conduct a paid 9-month internship at STRI.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: STRIfellows@si.edu
Competitive program funded by the Smithsonian and generous donors open to all nationalities.
The purpose of the STRI General Internship Program is to provide a place for internship applicants who are generally interested in STRI’s science to pursue a research experience with one of our scientific mentors based on their interests. Interns are selected based on merit and potential for achievement.
For more information about this opportunity, please contact: STRIfellows@si.edu
Panama’s science and technology secretariat (SENACYT) provides internships to Panamanian students at local universities (undergraduates, recent graduates, and Master’s students) so they can work alongside STRI scientists.
This program is designed to enhance intellectual development and give students real world experience working alongside professionals here at STRI.
2025 Information Sheet ANTH 399: Archaeological Field School Washington State University Hell Gap National Historic Landmark, Wyoming
Instructor/Co-PI: Dr. Mackenzie J. Cory Mackenzie.cory@wsu.edu
Instructor/Co-PI: Dr. Carlton Shield Chief Gover Carlton.shieldchief@ku.edu
Archaeological Field School (ANTH 399) is designed to teach students the skillset that many CRM firms need. Students can expect to spend a lot of time on foot doing pedestrian surveys, recording features using digital and physical techniques, and compiling the results of their work into a site report. A maximum of 10 WSU students will be selected to participate in the class as we will be joined by 10 students from the University of Kansas.
Students will be an active part of the team investigating the greater landscape surrounding Hell Gap using a multipronged approach. The team will question the temporal and geographic extent of occupations at the site, how these data inform broader understandings of Indigenous lifeways within the local area, and how the total landscape of Hell Gap is unique in its ability to describe the diversity of human experience from the late Pleistocene through the historic era. The 2025 field season’s investigations will largely be dedicated to the survey and recording of archaeological features located outside of the site’s previous research areas with some excavation.
We will spend a month at the Hell Gap National Historic Landmark, about 20 minutes northeast of Guernsey, Wyoming. The site will serve as our home and workspace for the course. Students can expect to camp on the property with access to a shared field house used for communally cooking and eating our meals.
Field School Schedule Meet in City Park, Guernsey, Wyoming: May 26 th Session 1: May 27 th -June 5 th Session 2: June 8 th -June 17th Session 3: June 20 th -June 29th Camp Closed: Morning June 30th
Cost Approximate WSU Summer credit hour cost (6 credits) $~577.75/credit, this may change depending on the Board of Trustees Field School Fees (Covers food and camp expenses during sessions) $750 Approximate Total Undergraduate Tuition and Fees $4216.50
Note: The fees for this class are non-refundable. If you withdraw from the class or are dismissed for misconduct, you will not receive reimbursement of the course fees.
WYOMING
DIGGING THE DIVIDE: EARLY PALEOINDIANS, GHOST TOWNS, AND QUARRYING FOR STONE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING 2026 ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD SCHOOL
The University of Wyoming Archaeology Field school provides professional training in field research methods. Students will learn techniques applicable to career paths in academic research as well as public lands and cultural resource management. We provide instruction on fine-grained sampling and exploratory strategies including block excavation, test excavation, shovel probing, augers, soil coring, and a wide range of pedestrian survey techniques. During this process students will learn how to identify different examples of material culture – including chipped stone tools and lithic debris, pottery, ground stone, faunal remains, and historic artifacts. Additionally, students will become familiar with using advanced geospatial technologies in fieldwork, including total stations, sub-meter GPS units, drones, and handheld photogrammetry.
All students receive the in-state university tuition rate for 6 credits. This year’s field program will be in the following locations:
Willow Springs, WY (Session 1: June 1st– 10th)
Willow Springs is a densely occupied multi-component campsite spanning 12,000 years of Wyoming prehistory. The 2026 investigations will focus on excavating a block over a newly discovered Paleoindian component buried around a meter deep. Students will learn how to excavate, take notes, plot artifacts with survey equipment, identify artifacts, stabilize fragile faunal remains, and other skills necessary to conduct data intensive archaeological block excavation. This effort is being conducted in collaboration with Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist. Students will stay at the University dorms during this session.
Old Carbon, WY (Session 2: June 15th– 24th)
Old Carbon was one of the first coal mining towns established along the UPRR in Wyoming in 1868. Research questions center on tracing capitalist expansion, global processes of migration and consumption, settler colonialism and frontier ethnogenesis. The 2026 session will focus on a previously unexcavated neighborhood and students will learn skills related to test excavation around structures and historical artifact identification. Students will be camping remotely for this session.
Cumbres Pass, CO (Session 3: June 29th– July 8th)
Cumbres Pass is a high-altitude landscape on the Continental Divide (10,000 ft asl) at the Colorado-New Mexico border. Native American hunter-gatherers used the pass as a migratory route over the San Juan Mountains for nearly 12,000 years. We will be exploring evidence of ancient lithic quarrying practices and stone tool production on Cumbres Pass, with research questions focusing on forager mobility patterns and toolkit gearing-up strategies. Students will learn to apply fine-grained systematic surveys as well as reconnaissance surveys to detect lithic workshops in a high-density lithic landscape. Students will also learn how to formally record new sites using SHPO guidelines and how to assess site eligibility according to the NRHP criteria of significance. Students will be camping remotely for this session.
All students will live in a field camp and must provide their own basic camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, etc.). Please refer to the recommended gear list in the field school syllabus for more information (posted here Spring 2026 semester). The field school provides all kitchen and excavation gear. Participants will assist in regular camp chores (cooking, cleaning up, etc.). The work is physically demanding and takes place regardless of inclement weather (which will include rain, snow and/or freezing temperatures…even in summer). Students should be in good physical shape and prepared to learn while hiking and using gear in high-altitude mountainous terrain under challenging conditions. Students should be prepared to eat and live in remote locations away from town, with limited internet access and cell phone connections.
We teach the field school in three 10-day sessions, each separated by two 4-day intervals. Students are responsible for themselves during those four-day breaks. A 6-credit, 30-day field school is the minimum accepted standard to qualify for entry-level employment on research or Cultural Resource Management (CRM) projects. Credit from the University of Wyoming field school should be transferable to any academic institution and fulfill the field school requirement of any CRM company.
We accept 15 students for the field school and welcome applications from students at any educational level or from any background. We do, however, give preference to those students majoring in anthropology, who seek a career in archaeology, and who have taken at least one archaeology course. The field school is a good place to discover if a career in archaeology is the right place for you.
The Anthropology Department offers multiple archaeological field schools to students with different levels of archaeological expertise, so please explore our other offerings as well.
Note: There will be an orientation on the morning of May 27 in the Frison Anthropology Building at the University of Wyoming. Non-UW students should plan to arrive in Laramie no later than May 26. Out of town students will have the option of staying the UW dorms for the second session.
Please fill out an Application Form and forward it to Dr. Randy Haas: whaas@uwyo.edu. Once decisions are made, we will forward the information needed for admission to UW and for registration for the field school.
Dr. Meyer is an anthropological archaeologist who specializes in the study of Early Paleoindian hunter-gatherer societies in the Rocky Mountains as well as small-scale farming populations on the Colorado Plateau. His active field projects focus on lithic quarry sites, Folsom camps and bison kills, Fremont corn granaries, and stone hunting traps in the alpine.
Dr. Kelly is a historical archaeologist/anthropologist interested in 19th-century global processes of capitalist expansion, settler colonialism, industrialization, and consumption. She has excavated and worked with archival and museum collections in East Africa, the UK, New England, the American Southwest, and in the Rocky Mountain region.
Field school is a foundational component in the education of any student pursuing a career in archaeology. Each year, our professional archaeologists oversee an intense, five-week accredited progra
Come to Hawaii and experience a field school like none other. You will live on the Big Island for three weeks. You will be exposed to a new way of thinking mixing an applied anthropological and an archaeological field school. Join us on the ground for the second field season in Hawaii. This summer we are researching and learning at four places on Hawaii. Kaloko Fishpond on the Kona coast which is jointly administered by the National Park Service and native Hawaiian cultural groups; the Kohala field system on the western slopes of Kohala; Hamakua on the northern slopes of Mauna Kea volcano; and, hopefully, Waipio Valley helping farmkalo(taro).
The Field School will run from Monday, June 2nd through Friday, June 27th, 2025. Students should plan to be in Arkansas City, Kansas, by noon for orientation. Excavation days will be Mondays-Fridays, with weekends off. Students will be housed in single-occupancy dormitories on the Cowley Community College campus. Parking is safe and free. Students will need to bring linens, toiletries, and clothing; all excavation tools will be provided. The Paris Park Pool is within easy walking distance of the dormitory. Transportation to/from the site will be provided and we can arrange for airport pick-up from Wichita for students travelling from out-of-state.
Students are required to register for field school under ANTH690 under Dr. Dozier for 4 credit hours. Those enrolling in the Digital Archaeology Workshop will enroll for an additional 1 credit hour of ANTH690 under Dr. Howland.
Excavation equipment is provided. Rooms are provided over the weekend. Meals are provided from Monday breakfast to Friday lunch. Students have free weekends, and many go to Wichita on Friday evenings.
Internship opportunities are available in a wide variety of disciplines and professions included within PHMC’s programs, such as archival studies, archaeology, architecture, collections care and management, cultural resource management, curation, exhibition development, geographic information systems (GIS), graphic arts, historic preservation, historical research and programming, museum education, museum studies and zoology. 
The University of Utah’s summer program in archaeological field methods will be held at Range Creek Canyon. Sponsored by the Department of Anthropology and the Natural History Museum of Utah, this eight-week field course is designed to teach basic archaeological field methods. Under the direction of Dr. Shannon
