BECOMING AN EGYPTOLOGIST

Most professional Egyptologists have a PhD in Egyptology. Doctoral students in Egyptology study both Egyptian material culture and Egyptian language, and many have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork during their studies. A number of US universities offer a PhD in Egyptology, including the University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Berkeley; University of Chicago; University of Michigan; Brown University; Yale University; New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts; University of Pennsylvania; Johns Hopkins University; Emory University; and University of Memphis.

Studying to become an Egyptologist requires training in not just Egyptian history, culture, language, religion, and art, but also in French and German, the primary languages (in addition to English) for academic publications since the 19th century. Egyptology students planning to work in Egypt may also wish to learn Arabic, either Modern Standard Arabic or Egyptian Arabic.