Jessica DeMaso
Jess graduated with an MA in Archaeology and currently works as an Archaeologist for an engineering consultancy in Colorado, USA.
About Jess
Current occupation: Archaeologist - Colorado, USA
Degree studied: Archaeology MA
About Jess's career
What is your current role?
I currently work for an engineering consultancy called Tetra Tech as a staff archaeologist. My work takes me all over the US but focuses on Southwest archaeology in Arizona and New Mexico.
What was your work/study experience before joining this course?
Before coming to Newcastle as a MA student, I completed my undergraduate degree in Classical Studies and Geology at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. I was fortunate to attend several archaeology field schools in high school and college which helped me learn about the many different aspects of archaeology
You can immediately tell the professors want the students to succeed as they are very engaged and spend extra one-on-one time with them
Studying MA Archaeology at Newcastle University
What was the best thing about studying at Newcastle?
There are so many wonderful things about studying at Newcastle but the first thing that comes to mind is the people I met and still have great relationships with! Other incredible things about the university includes the research opportunities, great studying environment, and the professors who truly care about you. Newcastle is also such a great town to explore and live in.
What did you enjoy most about the course?
The MA Archaeology course was very thoughtfully instructed as there are plenty of modules that serve a wide variety of interests. You can immediately tell the professors want the students to succeed as they are very engaged and spend extra one-on-one time with them. I found the course to be extremely engaging, fun, and challenging, and I learned a lot from each of my professors.
How did you settle into Newcastle as an international student – and what is your biggest tip for anyone travelling overseas to study a Masters?
Overall, I settled well into living in a new country. The first few months when living in a new place can be challenging. For me, it makes all the difference to find people and activities you connect with which makes the university feel a bit smaller. Anyone who has moved before knows that community makes all the difference! I think it also helps to find environments that are consistently quiet and enjoyable to be in as the coursework takes a majority of your time.
How did studying Archaeology at Newcastle University prepare you for your current role?
The MA Archaeology program specifically grew my writing skills which has greatly helped me in my current job as I write a lot of reports and other documents for clients. I also know that having a degree in Roman Archaeology will be helpful for the future when I can hopefully get back into it.
What advice would you give to a student interested in studying MA Archaeology?
I would recommend that the student first think about weather they would like to go into research, field, or commercial archaeology as some schools are better equipped to help launch you into a certain career path. Next, I would determine weather you would like to specialize within a certain time period as again, some schools are a better fit for studying certain specialties.
Then once that student is in a program, I would recommend that they take advantage of the resources available to them – whether that is your professors, an opportunity to attend an archaeology trip, or the fact that Newcastle is a great city to explore! I would also recommend making your dissertation interesting and fun and seeing if you can get a publication out of it!