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Cultural/Archaeological Protection

What Cultural/Archaeological Protection Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Cultural/Archaeological Protection emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Cultural/Archaeological Protection graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Cultural/Archaeological Protection emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Cultural/Archaeological Protection program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Cultural/Archaeological Protection careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Cultural/Archaeological Protection graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Cultural/Archaeological Protection professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Linux	Operating system software	—
DesignWare 3D EyeWitness	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
The CAD Zone The Crime Zone	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Cultural/Archaeological Protection graduates include:

• Investigator
• Criminalist
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Identification Officer
• Police Investigator
• Detective
• Special Investigator
• Fraud Investigator
• CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
• Law Enforcement Specialist
• Security Analyst
• Loss Prevention Officer
• Crime Scene Technician
• Forensic Science Technician (Forensic Science Tech)
• Community Service Officer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Cultural/Archaeological Protection graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	29.2%
Bachelor’s degree	29.0%
Some college courses	17.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	12.6%
Postsecondary certificate	5.9%
Master’s degree	2.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Doctoral degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

How Much Do Cultural/Archaeological Protection Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Cultural/Archaeological Protection graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,812
4 years	$44,073
5 years	$49,815

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,815 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Cultural/Archaeological Protection Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Cultural/Archaeological Protection graduates earn a median of $44,073 four years after completion — roughly 16% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.01
Corrections Administration	43.0113
Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other	43.0199
Corrections	43.0102
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.0100
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	43.0103
Criminal Justice/Police Science	43.0107
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies	43.0104
Criminalistics and Criminal Science	43.0111
Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations	43.0119
Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism	43.0116
Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation	43.0117

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.