All students will live in a field camp and must provide their own basic camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, etc.; the field school provides all kitchen and excavation gear). Participants will assist in regular camp chores (cooking, cleaning up, etc.). The work is physically demanding and takes place regardless of Wyoming's fickle weather (which can include rain, snow and/or freezing temperatures even in summer). Students should be in good physical shape, ready to hike steep mountains under arid conditions at elevations over 5280 feet and prepared to eat and live in remote locations away from town, Internet access and cell phone connections.
We teach the field school in three 10-day sessions, separated by two, four-day intervals. Students are responsible for themselves during those four days. A 6-credit, 30-day field school is the minimal accepted standard to qualify for entry-level employment on research or Cultural Resource Management projects. Credit from the University of Wyoming field school should be transferable to any academic institution and fulfill the field school requirement of any CRM company.
We accept 15 students for the field school and welcome applications from students at any educational level or from any background. We do, however, give preference to those students majoring in anthropology, who seek a career in archaeology, and who have taken at least one archaeology course. The field school is a good place to discover if a career in archaeology is the right place for you.
The Anthropology Department offers multiple archaeological field schools to students with different levels of archaeological expertise so please explore our other offerings as well.
Session 1 (May 27--June 5): Colby Mammoth Site
Near Worland, WY, students will excavate at the Colby Mammoth site where archaeologists have discovered stone-tool artifacts in possible association with at least seven mammoths that died over 12,000 years ago.
Session 2 (June 10--19): Willow Springs Stage Stop
Willow Springs is a rich spring site and trading nexus near Laramie, WY. The spring appears to have been an important node in trade networks that traversed the Rocky Mountains for some 12,000 years. This year's effort will focus on finding a lost stage stop along the historic Overland Trail. Students will be staying at the University dorm rooms during this session. This effort is being conducted in collaboration with Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist. Students will stay at the University dorms during this session.
Session 3 (June 24--July 3): Grand Teton Survey
Conduct archaeological survey in one of the nation's most scenic landscapes--Grand Teton National Park. Students will gain training in archaeological discovery and documentation, collaborative community research, and high-altitude anthropology.
Course Instructors:
Dr. Randy Haas, UW Faculty Archaeologist
Dr. Haas investigates forager (aka, hunter-gatherer) behavior of the past to better understand human behavior in the present. He leads archaeological excavations and survey projects in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Rocky Mountain Grand Tetons. His research explores topics of cooperation, diet, inequality, technology, and social organization in high-altitude environments.
Dr. Bree Doering, UW Faculty Archaeologist
Dr. Doering conducts her field research primarily in central Alaska and Wyoming but has also worked in Australia, Egypt, Georgia, Michigan, Madagascar, and Kodiak, Alaska. She undertakes multiscalar research projects with mixed methods that draw on traditional knowledge, zooarchaeology, isotopic dietary reconstruction, and geospatial modeling to reconstruct past adaptations to social and natural environments.
Tuition and Fees
We offer In-State Resident Tuition rates to out-of-state students.
Undergraduate
Tuition: $173 * 6 credit hours = $1038
Advising Fee: $10*6 credit hours = $60
Program Fee: $20*6 credit hours = $120
Graduate
Tuition: $336 * 6 credit hours = $2016
Computing Fee: $3.95*6 credit hours = $23.70
All Students
Materials (equipment, food, transportation): $350*6 credit hours=$2100
Flat rate summer fee: $209.39
Per-credit-hour fee: $32 *6 credit hours=$192
Undergraduate total: $3719.39
Graduate total: $4540.89
*non-UW Admissions Fee: $40
**Cost estimates from University of Wyoming Student Fee Book FY2025.
Financial Support Opportunities
Frison Institute: https://www.uwyo.edu/anthropology/frison-institute/grants-awards.html
WAPA & WAS: http://www.wyomingarchaeology.org/david-reiss-memorial-scholarship.html
WyoScholarships: https://uwyo.academicworks.com/opportunities/47327
WyoScholarships: https://uwyo.academicworks.com/opportunities/47301
