What good colleges are there?

What are some good colleges in the southern section of the US that offers a great Archaeology and/or...?

• What are some good colleges in the southern section of the US that offers a great Archeology and/or Anthropology degree? I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, and I don't wanna go TO FAR from home. I'm in a community college right now and I just haven't made time to go speak with my Adviser about it. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always just been enthralled and fascinated with Egyptology and their culture and everything. Now that I'm an adult I want to have a career involving that so I thought that degree (or an Early Civilization degree) would be good, and I could work in a Museum or something (preferably the British Museum in Cairo. Egyptology is my greatest passion and I've always wanted to go on digs in Egypt so I thought that would be a good choice. So what are some good schools that offer a great Archeology and/or Anthropology degree? Also they should have a Arabic language class so I can know how to speak over there LOL! Anyways, one last question. Should I major in one of those and minor in the other? Or Major in just 1 of them and forget about the other. Give me all the info. you can please. Thanks, Cory.

• Answer:

  Although I can't offer you a recommendation for a school, I can suggest you attend a field school before deciding on Archaeology (or more specifically Egyptology). Although exceedingly interesting, as someone who has worked as a field archaeologist for 17 years, I can assure you, there is a great deal of manual labor involved. I've seen more excited recent graduates drop out after their first field experience than I could count. That being said, if it's your dream...go for it! Many schools have most (if not all) of their Egyptology programs housed within Classical Studies, Near Eastern Studies, or Early Civilization Programs, rather than in the Anthropology Department. I would recommend you focus on Near Eastern Studies/Egyptology if you think you might rather do museum-type work, and on a more general Archaeology/Anthro degree if you want to go out to the field. A general degree would also make you far more employable upon graduation. Check out the fieldwork section of my website and follow the Shovelbums link. They have a comprehensive listing of field schools worldwide. If nothing else, choosing a school with a field school geared towards Egyptology might be your best bet. Good luck!