UF fast-tracks graduate students into high-demand archaeology careers

As infrastructure projects surge nationwide, the country is facing a widespread shortage of archaeologists. To bridge this gap, the University of Florida’s Department of Anthropology has launched a Master of Science in Archaeology degree to meet growing demand from government agencies and private firms.

Led by Kenneth Sassaman, Ph.D., who serves as the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology at UF, the curriculum responds to the needs of cultural resource management — the field responsible for protecting archaeological sites during development. The degree program, which will be available to applicants this fall, complements the Graduate Certificate in Public Archaeology that was developed in 2023.

In the United States, archaeology largely operates as a public service discipline embedded in compliance with federal and state historic preservation laws. From highways to housing developments and renewable energy projects, land alteration often requires archaeological assessment.

“When there is land alteration, archaeology becomes part of the consulting process,” Sassaman said.

That demand is expected to grow. National analyses suggest the supply of master’s-level archaeologists could meet only about half of projected workforce needs if university training models do not change. In response, UF is building on its doctoral-focused foundation by adding applied training designed to prepare students for immediate employment.

Through partnerships with agencies like the Florida Forest Service, students gain field and lab experience conducting archaeological surveys on public lands near Gainesville.

For Lennon Myers, who graduated in December 2025 as one of the certificate program’s first participants, the training offered a direct path into the field. After gaining early field experience, he entered knowing he wanted a career in archaeology but needed a clear route forward. 

“I got my first full-time job within a month of graduating,” Myers said.

Now an associate archaeologist with Ardurra Group, Inc. in Tallahassee, Myers credits the program with giving him an immediate edge. Beyond fieldwork, he learned how legislation shapes projects, how sites are evaluated, and how to communicate findings to clients and regulators.

“Understanding the legislation behind how archaeology gets done, was huge,” Myers said. “And being able to determine whether a site is significant, that’s everything.”

The program also addressed a long-standing barrier in the field: access. Traditional anthropology graduate programs can take four or more years, often making them financially out of reach. UF’s condensed model lowers that barrier while still meeting professional standards.

Few people understand that better than Anne Stokes, a triple Gator and CEO of Search Inc. — one of the nation’s leading cultural resource management firms. Stokes built her company while still a graduate student, at a time when formal training for cultural resource management work was limited.

“We had to figure everything out ourselves,” Stokes said. “From proposals to fieldwork to navigating regulations, it was all trial and error.”

Today, she sees UF’s approach as a direct solution.

“It’s incredibly valuable,” Stokes said. “Ken has taken everything we do in the private sector and condensed it into a two-year program. Students come out understanding not just archaeology, but how to apply it.”

That applied focus reflects the realities of cultural resource management, where archaeologists work at the intersection of development and preservation. Their job is to identify and evaluate cultural resources, determine their significance and ensure compliance before development moves forward.

“We’re in the middle,” Stokes said. “We help clients meet their deadlines while still protecting cultural resources. That balance is the whole job.”

For students like Rafael Pere, that blend of classroom and real-world experience is what makes the program stand out. Originally from Ecuador and raised in Miami, Pere will begin UF’s master’s track in the fall.

Currently working with AtkinsRéalis, a global engineering services company headquartered in Montreal, Pere sees the graduate program as a natural next step. Pere points to the value of learning fundamentals in an academic setting before entering the fast-paced cultural resource management environment.

“In the field, you’re expected to move quickly,” Pere said. “But here, you actually learn how to do things correctly first. That makes you better and faster when you go into the workforce.”

But what resonates most, he said, is the role archaeology plays in preservation, not by stopping development but by documenting what might otherwise be lost. Every road, pipeline or construction project has the potential to uncover pieces of history. Most sites are not significant, but some reshape understanding of entire regions or cultures. When they do, archaeologists step in to document, preserve or mitigate the impact.

“You’re protecting information that would be destroyed,” Pere said.

That information contributes to a broader understanding of how people lived and adapted over time, ensuring that growth does not come at the expense of history.

And as UF expands its applied archaeology training, Sassaman said the goal is to serve as a model for other universities navigating similar pressures in the field.

“We are retooling for a different future,” Sassaman said. “The demand is there. The question is whether training programs will meet it.”