Graduate Programs

Archaeology and the Ancient World

Graduate students receive a broad overview of the archaeology and art of the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt and the Near East, allowing them to develop particular research interests revolving around one or more of these complex cultures.

Graduate students receive a broad overview of the archaeology and art of the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt and the Near East, allowing them to develop particular research interests revolving around one or more of these complex cultures.

Graduate study of Archaeology and Ancient World focuses on the ancient Mediterranean, Egypt and Near East (the latter broadly construed as extending from Anatolia and the Levant to the Caucasus), and is based in the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology. The program combines a flexible interdisciplinary atmosphere with a curricular structure that prepares students for professional careers in teaching, museum studies or other relevant occupations. Students receive a broad overview of the archaeology and art of this complex region, allowing them to develop particular research interests revolving around one or more of its ancient cultures.

Joukowsky Institute faculty and students are from a wide range of countries and backgrounds –– and archaeological fieldwork and research at Brown reflects and builds on that multiplicity of perspectives. The institute seeks graduate students who will help to increase the program's diversity and who will further contribute to making this a more inclusive environment. Graduate students are encouraged to explore the numerous strong cognate departments at Brown (such as Anthropology, Classics, Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Egyptology and Assyriology, Engineering, History of Art and Architecture, and Religious Studies), as well as other resources in the area, such as the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, or academic exchange opportunities with nearby universities.

Additional Resources

Excellent library resources; graduate student research space and computing facilities in a dedicated building on Brown's College Green; active program of seminars, lectures and visiting scholars; facilitation of student fieldwork and travel interests; study collection of antiquities and coins; access to the holdings of the RISD Museum, adjacent to the Brown campus; proximity to other major museums on the East Coast.

Application Information

Application Requirements

GRE Subject:

Not required

GRE General:

Not required

Writing Sample:

Required (A substantial sample of written work totalling 20-30 pages, which may be from one or two essays, articles or other work; they should be single-authored and combined count 20-30 pages. Coursework is perfectly fine.)

Dates/Deadlines

Application Deadline

Completion Requirements

Eight courses, including at least four graduate-level seminars; proficiency in four languages (typically two ancient and two modern); a minimum of two semesters as Teaching Assistant or Proctor; archaeological fieldwork; field examinations (by end of second year); preliminary examinations (by end of third year); dissertation; and oral defense.

Alumni Careers

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Leadership

Department Chair
Andrew Scherer
Director of Graduate Studies
Felipe Rojas

Contact and Location

Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

Mailing Address

Brown University
Box 1837
Visit the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World

Resources