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How to apply

Interested in joining the Register of Professional Archaeologists? Please refer to the following break down of the application process to understand which registrant category you should apply for based on your educational and professional experience.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST:

Accept the organization’s Code and Standards. The applicant must accept and agree to abide by the standards the Code of Conduct, Standards of Research Performance, and Grievance Procedures of the Register of Professional Archaeologists.

1. Do I register as an RPA, an RA, or a Student/Early Career?

The Register of Professional Archaeologists has two professional designations: the RPA (Registered Professional Archaeologist) and the RA (Registered Archaeologist), and one Student/Early Career designation. While RPA designation requires an advanced degree in addition to evidence of archaeological experience, the Register recognizes that not all career archaeologists have obtained an advanced degree and instead have terminated their education at the BA level.Archaeologists practicing full-time in our profession should have the opportunity to register and to demonstrate to employers, clients, and the broader profession that they adhere to the Code of Conduct and Standards for Research Performance, whether or not they have an advanced degree. The Registered Archaeologist (RA) Category is designed to make our professional standards inclusive of those who meet the requirements for registration, but who have not completed an advanced degree. The Student/Early Career Category is limited to those currently enrolled or graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Archaeology, Anthropology, Classics or another germane discipline within the last two years.

If you are an RA in good standing, and would like to apply for RPA status, follow the instructions for RPA below.

CATEGORY-SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS

Education	Advanced/graduate degree (e.g., MA, MS, MST, or PhD in the US) from an accredited institution or international equivalent, as verified by the Registrar.
Major	Anthropology, Archaeology, Classics, or another germane discipline with a specialization in archaeology from an accredited institution. Specializations, such as zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, human osteology, museum collections, and similar specializations are accepted as long as education and academic research included a focus on archaeological research topics.
Experience	24 months in a supervisory capacity performing the more complex duties of directing fieldwork or archaeological collections research and reporting with demonstrated experience bringing research to conclusion (for example, but not limited to, Principal Investigator in the US or international equivalent). Experience includes field survey, excavation, artifact cataloging and/or analysis, site recording to applicable government or ministry standards, reporting, and/or GIS/mapping. Field school as a participant (e.g., student) does not meet this requirement. Curation and conservation, without addressing archaeological research topics, does not meet this requirement.
Research Document	Thesis or dissertation addressing an explicit archaeological research problem as currently required, or if no thesis was required, two technical reports prepared as a sole or primary author that demonstrate substantive data analysis directed towards an explicit archaeological research problem. Archaeological sites and/or collections must have been identified and/or studied during the analysis.
Sponsor	None required.
Other	Accept Register's Code and Standards and Grievance Procedures.

Education	Undergraduate degree (e.g., BA or BS in the US) from an accredited institution, or certification program, or AA/AS, or international equivalent, as verified by the Registrar.
Major	Anthropology, Archaeology, Classics, or another germane discipline with a specialization in archaeology from an accredited institution. Specializations, such as zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, human osteology, museum collections, and similar specializations are accepted as long as education and academic research included a focus on archaeological research topics.
Experience	24 months of supervised experience (employment, internship, volunteer) for a professional entity under the direct supervision of someone meeting the qualifications of an RPA, as verified by the Registrar. If the supervisor is an active RPA in good standing, then qualifications for the supervisor need not be submitted for verification by the Registrar. Field schools may count for up to four weeks of supervised experience.
Research Document	Thesis-equivalent document that includes substantive data analysis by the applicant directed towards an explicit archaeological research problem or one technical report, for which the applicant is a sole or joint author with someone meeting the qualifications of an RPA, that demonstrates data documentation and interpretation of an archaeological research topic. Archaeological sites and/or collections must have been identified and/or studied during the analysis. If a joint author is identified and is an active RPA in good standing, then qualifications for the joint author need not be submitted for verification by the Registrar.
Sponsor	Two references, at least one of which shall be from an RPA member in good standing. The other may be a professor or other professional familiar with the applicant's skills and abilities.
Other	Accept Register's Code and Standards and Grievance Procedures.

Education	Currently enrolled in an accredited higher educational institution (college or university) or graduated in the past two years.
Major	Anthropology, Archaeology, Classics, or another germane discipline with a specialization in archaeology from an accredited institution.
Experience	None required.
Research Document	None required.
Sponsor	One reference, either from an RPA member in good standing, a professor, or other professional familiar with the applicant's skills and abilities.
Other	Accept Register's Code and Standards and Grievance Procedures.

2. What documents do I need to submit with my application?

ALL RPA/RA APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING:

A completed online application;
An Official Transcript showing both coursework and degree(s) completed (Note: unofficial transcripts will NOT be accepted); and
A PDF of the thesis, dissertation , or equivalent report or series of reports that demonstrate the applicant’s design, execution of research, and substantive data analysis on an archaeological topic.

ADDITIONAL CATEGORY-SPECIFIC APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

A CV/Resume

Please note: Applicants who have an advanced degree but attended an Advanced Degree with No Thesis or Non-Qualifying Thesis program or completed a thesis/dissertation that does not include both archaeological research problem focus and substantive data analysis must also:

complete Section IV of the application (detailed documentation of 52 weeks of excavation, survey, and laboratory experience, including 20 weeks of supervisory research experience); and
submit up to two project reports they have authored that demonstrate problem focus and data analysis equivalent to that required for a thesis or dissertation. Descriptive reports, including standard survey reports, cannot be accepted as thesis equivalents.
RPAs in good standing list "RPA" after their name (e.g., First Last, RPA)

A CV or resume that documents at least two years of supervised work experience, including date(s), position(s), and duties.
Registered Archaeologist applicants are required to upload an RA Sponsorship Form with their application. The RA Sponsorship Form must be completed by an active RPA who sponsors the applicant and endorses their application.

Click to fill out the Sponsorship Form

RAs in good standing list “RA” after their name (e.g., First Last, RA)

Unofficial transcripts from an accredited institution which express both enrollment dates and a declared major of Archaeology, Anthropology, Classics, or another germane discipline.
Recommendation from an active RPA in good standing.
Members in this category are not credentialed and do not indicate a certification after their names.

3. What are the Application and Annual Fees?

FEE FOR ALL APPLICANTS:

There is a one time, non-refundable $55 fee due at the time of application. The application fee is waived for applicants who have received their degree within the six (6) months prior to application submission. Application fee is also waved for RAs in good standing who apply for RPA status.

ANNUAL FEES PER CATEGORY (USD):

$85 for members of our sponsoring organizations (AIA, AAA, SHA, SAA)
$105 for members of affiliated societies who are not otherwise members of a sponsoring organization
$145 for unaffiliated individuals

$60 for members of our sponsoring organizations (AIA, AAA, SHA, SAA)
$75 for members of affiliated societies who are not otherwise members of a sponsoring organization
$110 for unaffiliated individuals

$25 for currently enrolled students or early career individuals that have graduated with a Bachelor's degree within the last 2 years.
No Application Fee

4. APPLY NOW!

Files of ALL required documentation must be included at the time of application submission. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Click below to view .pdf samples of the applications.

You can expect to receive email notification regarding the status of your application within 60 days.

View Sample Applications:

RPA Sample Application (Short Form - MA with thesis)
RPA Sample Application (Long Form - MA without thesis)
RA Sample Application (BA with or without thesis)

Please note that ALL documentation must be submitted in PDF format and that the submitted transcript must be an OFFICIAL one that confirms both coursework in archaeology and degree(s) awarded. We suggest having those documents ready before starting the application.

START YOUR REGISTRATION

Student/Early Career Application

(Currently Enrolled or within 2 years of graduation with BA)

QUESTIONS?

Please refer to the Registration FAQ page.

Register of Professional Archaeologists
700 N Carr Rd, Box 86
Plainfield, IN 46168

Phone: (317) 798-3001

Grievance Hotline: (410) 246-2150

You do not have to be an RPA/RA to file a Grievance

Email: info@rpanet.org

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