For information about the admission process, including deadlines, visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website. Applications can be submitted via the Common Application.
Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The George Washington University
800 21st St NW Suite 100
Washington, DC 20052
For questions visit undergraduate.admissions.gwu.edu/contact-us.
The bachelor of arts with a major in archaeology is an interdepartmental program offered by the Department of Anthropology in cooperation with the Department of Arts and Art History and the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
The following requirements must be fulfilled:
The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.
Additional curriculum requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Language requirement | ||
| Students must complete two years or demonstrate equivalent skill in one of the following foreign languages: Arabic, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, or Latin. Students should consult with their Archaeology advisor to petition to use other languages. | ||
| Students whose preparation allows them to waive this requirement are encouraged to begin study of a second language. Graduate study in archaeology usually requires knowledge of two or more languages besides English. Students planning to pursue advanced study should consult with an advisor early in their program. | ||
| Major requirements | ||
| No course can be counted toward more than one of the following requirements: | ||
| Core courses | ||
| ANTH 1002 | Sociocultural Anthropology | |
| ANTH 1003 | Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3838 | Theory and Practice in Archaeology | |
| or ANTH 3838W | Theory and Practice in Archaeology | |
| Field and laboratory work | ||
| One or two courses (3 or 6 credits) selected from the following: | ||
| ANTH 3832 | Paleoanthropological Field Program | |
| ANTH 3833 | Field Research: New World | |
| ANTH 3834 | Field Research: Old World | |
| ANTH 3835 | Historical Archaeology Field Program | |
| ANTH 3839 | Lab Research Methods in Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3995 | Undergraduate Research (With the advisor's approval.) * | |
| ANTH 6806 | Technology (Qualified juniors and seniors with departmental approval.) | |
| Anthropological archaeology | ||
| Four or five courses (12 or 15 credits) selected from the list below. Students must take at least one course marked with an asterisk. A course counted toward this requirement cannot also be counted toward the Ancient Civilizations requirement (below). A total of only one course from (ANTH 2821 or ANTH 2822) or (ANTH 3812 or ANTH 3814) can be counted toward this requirement. | ||
| ANTH 2821 | Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology | |
| ANTH 2822 | Archaeology in Film and Television | |
| ANTH 3801 | African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe | |
| or ANTH 3801W | African Roots from Australopithecus to Zimbabwe | |
| ANTH 3802 | Human Cultural Beginnings | |
| or ANTH 3802W | Human Cultural Beginnings | |
| ANTH 3803 | Old World Prehistory: First Farmers to First Cities | |
| or ANTH 3803W | Old World Prehistory: First Farmers to First Cities | |
| ANTH 3805 | Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands * | |
| or CAH 3106 | Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| ANTH 3806 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age * | |
| or CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| ANTH 3808 | Archaeology and the Celts * | |
| or CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| ANTH 3811 | Historical Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3812 | The Aztec Empire * | |
| or CAH 3116 | Aztec Empire | |
| ANTH 3813 | Archaeology of North America * | |
| ANTH 3814 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations * | |
| or CAH 3107 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations | |
| ANTH 3823 | Archaeology of Ritual and Religion | |
| ANTH 3891 | Special Topics in Archaeology | |
| Ancient civilizations | ||
| Five courses (15 credits) selected from the list below. The selected courses must include at least one course in each of the categories listed. Courses marked with an asterisk can count in only one category. | ||
| Art history: | ||
| CAH 3101 | Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece | |
| CAH 3102 | Ancient Art of the Roman Empire | |
| CAH 3103 | Art and Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East | |
| CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| or ANTH 3806 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| CAH 3105 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology | |
| or CLAS 3115 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology | |
| CAH 3106 | Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| or ANTH 3805 | Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| CAH 3107 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations | |
| CAH 3117 | Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology | |
| or ANTH 3891 | Special Topics in Archaeology | |
| Classics: | ||
| CLAS 2105 | Special Topics | |
| CLAS 2106 | Mythology of the Classical World | |
| CLAS 2107 | Greek and Roman Drama | |
| CLAS 3114 | Topics in Ancient Literatures and Cultures | |
| CLAS 3115 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology * | |
| or CAH 3105 | Topics in Ancient Art and Archaeology | |
| History: | ||
| HIST 2112 | History of Ancient Greece | |
| or CLAS 2112 | History of Ancient Greece | |
| HIST 2113 | The Roman World to 337 A.D. | |
| or CLAS 2113 | The Roman World to 337 A.D. | |
| HIST 2803 | The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C. | |
| or CLAS 2803 | The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C. | |
| HIST 2804 | History of Ancient Israel | |
| or CLAS 2804 | History of Ancient Israel | |
| HIST 3111 | Topics in Ancient History | |
| Archaeology of ancient civilizations: | ||
| ANTH 2821 | Myths and Mysteries in Archaeology | |
| ANTH 3804 | Origins of the State and Urban Society | |
| ANTH 3805 | Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands * | |
| or CAH 3106 | Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands | |
| ANTH 3806 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age * | |
| or CAH 3104 | Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age | |
| ANTH 3808 | Archaeology and the Celts * | |
| or CAH 3116 | Aztec Empire | |
| ANTH 3812 | The Aztec Empire * | |
| ANTH 3813 | Archaeology of North America * | |
| or CAH 3116 | Aztec Empire | |
| ANTH 3814 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations * | |
| or CAH 3107 | Ancient Mexican Civilizations | |
| ANTH 3891 | Special Topics in Archaeology * | |
| or CAH 3117 | Special Topics in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology | |
In addition to the University General Education Requirement, undergraduate students in Columbian College must complete a further, College-specific general education curriculum—Perspective, Analysis, Communication (G-PAC) as well as the course CCAS 1001 First-Year Experience. Together with the University General Education Requirement, G-PAC engages students in active intellectual inquiry across the liberal arts. Students achieve a set of learning outcomes that enhance their analytical skills, develop their communication competencies, and invite them to participate as responsible citizens who are attentive to issues of culture, diversity, and privilege.
Coursework for the University General Education Requirement is distributed as follows:
-
One course in critical thinking in the humanities.
-
Two courses in critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, or scientific reasoning in the social sciences.
-
One course that has an approved oral communication component.
- One course in quantitative reasoning (must be in mathematics or statistics).
- One course in scientific reasoning (must be in natural and/or physical laboratory sciences).
- UW 1020 University Writing (4 credits).
- After successful completion of UW 1020, 6 credits distributed over at least two writing in the discipline (WID) courses taken in separate semesters. WID courses are designated by a "W" appended to the course number.
Coursework for the CCAS G-PAC requirement is distributed as follows:
- Arts—one approved arts course that involves the study or creation of artwork based on an understanding or interpretation of artistic traditions or knowledge of art in a contemporary context.
- Global or cross-cultural perspective—one approved course that analyzes the ways in which institutions, practices, and problems transcend national and regional boundaries.
- Local or civic engagement—one approved course that develops the values, ethics, disciplines, and commitment to pursue responsible public action.
- Natural or physical science—one additional approved laboratory course that employs the process of scientific inquiry (in addition to the one course in this category required by the University General Education Requirement).
- Humanities—one additional approved humanities course that involves critical thinking skills (in addition to the one course in this category required by the University General Education Requirement).
- CCAS 1001 First-Year Experience
Certain courses are approved to fulfill GPAC requirements in more than one category.
Courses taken in fulfillment of G-PAC requirements may also be counted toward majors or minors. Transfer courses taken prior to, but not after, admission to George Washington University may count toward the University General Education Requirement and G-PAC, if those transfer courses are equivalent to GW courses that have been approved by the University and the College.
Lists of approved courses in the above categories are included on each undergraduate major's page in this Bulletin.
For Special Honors in anthropology, archaeology, or biological anthropology, a major must meet the special honors requirements stated under University Regulations, have a grade-point average of 3.5 or better in courses required for the major, register for 3 credits of ANTH 3995 Undergraduate Research and write a paper of special distinction arising out of a program of directed reading or research. Students must confer with an advisor before beginning the work.