Heritage Studies

While each branch of anthropology carries its own special techniques and required skill sets, certain attributes common to all will help a student succeed:

• open-mindedness and willingness to understand how other social and cultural systems work
• intellectual curiosity about human similarities and differences
• desire to find out how things actually are vs. how someone thinks they "oughta be"
• analytic ability and, for some branches, some quantitative and statistical skills
• verbal facility: ability to read carefully and write clearly and concisely
• desire to cultivate a disciplined imagination

Graduates of this major pursue many different careers. They are employed as:

• Archaeologists
• Anthropologists
• Librarians
• Educators
• Diplomats

Graduates may work in research, evaluation or administration, at private or public archaeological firms, or in such specialized fields as medicine, epidemiology, law enforcement and linguistics.

Contact the program director, whose name and information appear at the top of this screen.

Students in the UC College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) enjoy many benefits afforded through study at a research-intensive institution ranked among the nation's top 25 public research universities. UC's urban, Tristate location offers exciting opportunities for global education, research and service learning, while its student-centered focus includes an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, a nationally recognized Center for Exploratory Studies and a highly successful First Year Experience program that teaches critical skills for first-year students and provides connections with important campus resources.

Internships

Internships offer the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on, learn-by-doing experience in the practice of heritage studies. In consultation with the program advisor, students select a company, government agency, not-for-profit organization, museum or heritage foundation whose involvement in heritage studies best fits their interests and goals.

Internships require at least 90 hours of time that, ideally, is somewhat equally divided between instruction and practical application. In addition, the student is asked to submit a brief paper on the internship experience to the heritage studies program advisor, who may also seek an appraisal of the student's performance from the company, government agency, not-for-profit organization or museum.

There are three kinds of internships:

(1) Those with heritage studies or environmental engineering firms doing contract work.

(2) Those with museums, not-for-profit historic preservation organizations or local interest groups working on heritage studies issues (e.g., Archaeological Conservancy, Cincinnati Museum of Natural History).

(3) Those with federal, state, county or municipal government agencies engaged in heritage studies (e.g., National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, State Department of Highways, State Department of Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Offices, etc.)

Interns are expected to immerse themselves as thoroughly as time and circumstances permit in the practice and processes of heritage studies. Interns should seek opportunities to observe and participate in as broad a range of heritage studies. There may also be particular needs on the part of those who sponsor internships or specific requirements of the program advisor, such as learning how to prepare archaeological site forms, Phase I, II and III compliance reports, and National Register of Historic Places nominations.

Make sure that you have declared the certificate program online. Next, make sure that the certificate program director is aware of when you are finishing the program. If you are pursuing another bachelor's degree, then your certificate will be reviewed at the time that you submit your separate degree application.