Master of Science in Industrial Archaeology

Industrial archaeologists record, interpret, and preserve industrial and engineering-related artifacts, sites, and systems in their cultural and historical contexts. Industrial archaeology generally applies to the study of industry since the Industrial Revolution, and it can include sites as old as seventeenth-century iron forges or as recent as twentieth-century steel mills. Our interdisciplinary approach fuses archaeology, historic preservation, the history of technology, material culture, the history of architecture, and anthropology. Hands-on fieldwork, archaeological surveys, and excavation—as well as architectural, historical, and archival research—reflect the emphasis upon the material remains of industry. The MS in Industrial Archaeology prepares students for careers in cultural resource management firms or for additional academic study. Most students complete the program in two years, including a summer of field work at the West Point Foundry site, in Cold Spring, New York. Michigan Tech’s Archaeology Laboratory supports the processing, documenting, and cataloging of artifacts from field excavations.