Archaeology (BA)

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

Archaeology at Cornell is where the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences converge, posing questions of both the past and the present. The major in archaeology provides students with grounding in the methods of archaeological investigation and the material record of the human past from the Neolithic to the present. Students can pursue interests in the material world that range from the molecular to the global and are encouraged to experience archaeological discovery beyond the classroom, including in the lab, the museum, and the field. Courses at the 1000 and 2000 level provide students with a general survey of major themes or specific world regions. Upper-level courses hone student facility with fundamental approaches, from dendrochronology to exhibit curation, and core intellectual traditions from Art History, Classics, Anthropology, and Near Eastern Studies, among others.

Academic Standards

Major Declaration Information

  • No prerequisite courses are necessary before declaring the archaeology major.
  • To declare a major and be assigned a major advisor, students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Nerissa Russell nr29@cornell.edu.

Honors Program

Requirements for Honors

  • Honors in Archaeology is awarded on the basis of the quality of a senior thesis and the student's overall academic record.
  • The Honors criteria described here will start for all graduates in the 2026-2027 academic year.
  • Requirements for prospective honors students include:
    • 3.5 GPA in the major
    • 3.0 GPA overall
    • Senior thesis
      • During the senior year, students enroll in ARKEO 4981 Honors Thesis Research  and ARKEO 4982 Honors Thesis Write-Up .
      • Both courses are offered in the fall and spring. Only ARKEO 4981 may count toward hours for completion of the archaeology major requirements requirements (up to the degree maximum of 4 of the 32 required credit hours from independent study courses). The credit hours for these courses are variable.
  • Students applying for honors should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Nerissa Russell nr29@cornell.edu, before the beginning of their final year.