Heritage and Museum Studies (MA)
Career prospects
Open up a world of opportunities with your master's degree in Archaeology from Leiden University!
Lorna Dale Charles career
Alumna
'Currently, I work in the field of education, which allows me to transfer my knowledge of archaeology and the vital role archaeologist can play in preserving the history of any given society for future generations. As an instructor working in the department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the local university in my home country; I hope I can get more persons to study Archaeology and Cultural Heritage. Likewise, I plan on expanding my knowledge in the field at the next level by pursuing a PhD.'
Marian Leech
Master's student
'I am pursuing a PhD with the goal of working as an academic or curator. I am driven to confront intersectional colonial histories which continue to cling, disrupt, and confuse.'
Marthe Donders
Alumna
My current profession is that I am a project coordinator at a provincial museum (Limburgs Museum). The master’s programme allowed me to do two specializations, one of which was heritage management. Together with my other specialisation in Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology, it was the perfect way of learning how to present archaeological results to a broader audience. It taught me more about the difficulties and practicalities that come with presenting archaeological objects, that are usually considered quite boring by the main public.
Broad array of skills
The broad array of skills that you will acquire as an archaeologist will make you an attractive target for a wide range of employers. These skills will equip you for a variety of positions in the Netherlands or abroad, in government or in business. They will also make you an objective, critical and, above all, articulate and creative thinker.
Creative thinkers have the ability to draw logical and accurate conclusions from incomplete information, and to come up with practical and original solutions. This ability will make you a great fit with many different professions.
Stepping-stone to the job market
Your archaeology master’s can be a stepping-stone up to a career in almost every sector of the job market. It is the winning combination of practical knowledge and academic skills that fuels employers’ demand for Leiden University’s archaeology graduates.
Sectors in which graduates of Archaeology are employed
Our graduates find employment as:
- field archaeologists
- researchers
- PhD candidates at Leiden University or other universities
- policy advisors at governmental institutes or NGOs
- consultants with independent or commercial companies
- museum curators
- cultural resource managers (Heritage)
- university or secondary school teachers
- journalists
- publishers
- public relations officers
- project managers
- digital education officers at museums
- digital specialists