Beginning in fall 1998, students who have a specific interest in archaeology and archaeological science may choose Course III-C. The department has been authorized to offer this degree on an experimental basis by the Committee on the Undergraduate Program, which will review it in three years. All students who enroll in this program will be able to complete the degree requirements and receive the degree.
The III-C program is designed to afford students broad exposure to fields that contribute fundamental theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of ancient and historic societies. The primary fields include anthropological archaeology, geology, and materials science and engineering. The program enriches knowledge of past and present-day non-industrial societies by making the natural and engineering sciences part of the archaeological tool kit.
The program's special focus is on understanding the prehistoric culture through study of the structure and properties of materials associated with human activities. Investigating peoples' interactions with materials, the objects that such interactions produced, and the related environmental settings, leads to a fuller analysis of the physical, social, cultural, and ideological world in which people function. These are the goals of anthropological archaeology, goals that are reached, in part, through science and engineering perspectives.
Participation in laboratory work by undergraduates is an integral part of the curriculum. The program requires that all students take 3.081 Materials Structure Laboratory. Many of the archaeology subjects are designed with a laboratory component; such subjects meet in the Undergraduate Archaeology and Materials Laboratory. Undergraduate students also have access to extensive CMRAE facilities for research in archaeological materials as part of UROP and thesis projects. Such projects may include archaeological fieldwork during IAP or the summer months.
The department does not seek formal ABET accreditation for the III-C program.
Bachelor of Science in Archaeology and Materials as recommended by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering/Course III-C
General Institute Requirements
(GIRs) Subjects Science Requirement 6 Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Requirement (can be
satisfied by 3.986, 3.987, 3.985J and 21A.100 in the
Departmental Program) 8 Restricted Electives in Science and Technology (REST)
Requirement [can be satisfied by 3.00 or 3.13 and 12.001
in the Departmental Program] 2 Laboratory Requirement [can be satisfied by 3.081 in
the Departmental Program] 1 Total GIR Subjects Required for
S.B. Degree 17 PLUS Departmental Program Units Subject names below are followed by credit units, and
by prerequisites if any (corequisites in italics) Required Subjects 150 3.00 Thermodynamics of Materials, 12, REST;
18.02 3.986 The Human Past: Introduction to Archaeology,
12, HASS-D 3.01 Physical Chemistry of Materials, 12; 3.00 3.987 Human Origins and Evolution, 9, HASS 3.081 Materials Structure Laboratory, 12, LAB;
3.13 3.985J Archaeological science, 0, HASS,;
3.091* 3.11 Mechanics of Materials, 12; 8.01, 18.03
or 3.185 Transport Phenomena in Materials
Engineering, 12; 3.01, 18.03 3.990 Seminar in Archaeological Method and Theory,
9; 3.986, 3.985J, 21A.100 3.13 Structure of Materials, 12, REST, 3.091*,
8.02, 18.02 12.001 Introduction to Geology, 12, REST 3.ThU Thesis (9 units)1 12.110 Sedimentary Geology, 12 or 12.119 Analytical Techniques for Studying
Environmental and Geologic Samples, 12, LAB 10.01 Introduction to Computer Methods, 6 21A.100 Introduction to Anthropology, 12,
HASS-D Restricted Electives2 21-24 Materials Science and Engineering One subject from the following list:** Archaeology One subject from the following list: 3.062 Polymer Chemistry, 12; 3.091* 3.982 The Ancient Andean World, 9, HASS 3.07 Introduction to Ceramics, 12; 3.01, 3.13
or 3.069 Ceramics Processing, 12; 3.185 3.983 Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization, 9,
HASS 3.984 Materials in Ancient Societies, 12 3.14 Physical Metallurgy, 12; 3.01, 3.11, 3.13
or 3.03 Chemical Metallurgy, 12; 3.185 3.988 Africa- Past and Present, 9, HASS 3.99 Crossroads of the Mediterranean: The
Archaeology of Ancient Greece, 9, HASS Departmental Program units that
also satisfy the GIRs (84) Unrestricted
Electives 90-93 Total Units Beyond the GIRs
Required for S.B. Degree 180 No subject can be counted both as
part of the 17-subject GIRs and as part of the 180
units required beyond the GIRs. Every subject in the
student's departmental program will count toward one or the
other, but not both.
Notes on Course III-C
1Students can elect up to 15 units.
2Substitutions of similar subjects may be permitted by petition.
*Alternate prerequisites are listed in the subject description.
**May be substituted by appropriate subjects in biomaterials as these are offered.
For an explanation of credit units, or hours, please refer to the Guide to the Subject Listings in the MIT Course Catalog.
HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) Concentration
The HASS Concentration in Archaeology and Archaeological Science provides concentrators with a basic knowledge of the field of archaeology, the systematic study of the human past. Students pursuing the S.B. in III-C may not also concentrate in this area. The Archaeology and Archaeological Science concentration consists of four subjects: 3.986; 3.985J; two other HASS electives, from among those currently offered in this subject area: 3.981, 3.982, 3.983, 3.987, 3.988, 3.99. For information on each subject please refer to the course listings located underneath the curriculum heading above.
Application Information
For further information about the undergraduate program in Archaeology and Materials contact:
For an application to the undergraduate program in Archaeology and Materials contact:
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