Career Talk

Is there good scope for Archaeology in India?

Male archaeologist at work

I am a student of Class 9 and I will soon become a student of class 10 (CBSE board). What Maths should I choose — standard or basics — as I want to become an archaeologist? What courses should I do after Class 10? Is there good scope for Archaeology in India? Please help me with the list of Institutes and courses.
Kirty Singh (15)

Archaeology is the study of uncovering the roots of human civilization by investigating artifacts left behind by previous civilizations. The responsibility of an archaeologist is to gather different types of evidence of human past from various places using different methods and instruments, and manipulate the data using drawing, notes and photography. Most people picture archaeologists digging up the earth with tools all around them, but archaeology is much more than that.

For admission to Archaeology courses, Mathematics is not required. So if you do not like Maths, you can go for basic Maths now. Then in 10+2, you may take any combination of subjects, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in History, Sociology or Anthropology.

Most of the Universities in India offer this subject at the post-graduation level. Some of these are: Institute of Archaeology, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi (asi.nic.in); The Delhi Institute of Heritage Research & Management, New Delhi (dihrm.delhigovt.nic.in); Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Punjab University, Chandigarh (aihca.puchd.ac.in); Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute, Pune (dcpune.ac.in); MS University at Baroda, Vadodara (msubaroda.ac.in).

Dr Vibha Gupta, a feature writer, is a Ph.D. in Mathematics from IIT Roorkee. Her book Careers: A Pathfinder and articles in various publications are an attempt to guide students in choosing a career according to their natural strengths, talents and skills.

Dr Vibha Gupta

Dr Vibha Gupta, a feature writer, is a Ph.D. in Mathematics from IIT Roorkee. Her book Careers: A Pathfinder and articles in various publications are an attempt to guide students in choosing a career according to their natural strengths, talents and skills.