Past academic performance is perhaps the most important consideration when we are reviewing applicants’ files -- with your transcript(s) and letters of recommendation being the best way of determining that. We of course look at GPA and grades, but we also look at the progression of courses that shows that students have developed and explored an interest in Mediterranean archaeology over time, as well as professors’ comments that students have been particularly engaged in a class or a project. Completing an undergraduate or master’s thesis is by no means required, but it is very common for admitted students to have written theses on topics relevant to our doctoral program’s focus, or even on topics related to our faculty members’ research interests.
The majority of our applicants have completed their undergraduate degrees one to three years prior to applying to our doctoral program, though a significant percentage of applicants are completing their undergraduate or graduate degrees at the time they are applying. Often, applicants have chosen to work for several years following graduation, usually in a field related to their academic interests, such as CRM, museums, K-12 teaching, nonprofits, etc.
Applicants, and accepted students, have attended schools all over the country and around the world. We have admitted students with degrees from community colleges, from state and public universities, and from private universities.
Is there a minimum GPA or minimum GRE score required for application?
No.
Transcripts from all previous universities are required, and we look at these very closely. But we look for overall trends in both course selection and grades rather than a specific GPA. Admitted students do tend to have earned mostly A’s in their past schooling, but there are numerous exceptions to this rule -- including most international students, where grading systems are typically much less inflated than grades at US schools.
The Joukowsky Institute no longer accepts GRE scores. Applicants to the doctoral program in Archaeology and the Ancient World are not required or permitted to provide GRE scores, including both official submissions and self-reporting.
All international applicants whose native language is not English must submit an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. The Brown University Graduate School has set a recommended minimum score 577 on the paper-based TOEFL test and 90 on the Internet-based test. For IELTS, the recommended minimum overall band score is 7. In Archaeology and the Ancient World, we find these minimum scores to be slightly lower than we prefer, based on the need for our admitted students to be truly proficient and comfortable with writing, reading, and speaking English immediately upon beginning the program. We have seen that students who are even slightly less fluent -- or less confident -- in English have struggled to keep up with the demands of the program.
Do you need to have a Master’s degree already?
No. Between a third and two thirds of the students we admit to the program have completed or are working on Master’s degrees at the time of application. Many students have been out of school for one to three years, working at a job that has helped them develop their interests or skills in archaeology. Approximately a third of the students we accept are in the process of completing an undergraduate degree at the time they are applying.
Do you need to have an undergraduate degree in Archaeology?
No. We realize that many schools do not award degrees specifically in archaeology. Our applicants have a wide range of majors, from Near East Studies, to Art History, to Anthropology, to Classics, and there are many other possibilities. We expect students to be academically prepared for a graduate program in Mediterranean archaeology, but this has many different academic homes in different universities.