Students who pursue the Conservation Training Certificate will gain experience and knowledge conserving a wide variety of archaeological materials, including material from submerged cultural heritage sites. The certificate partially fulfills the professional conservator qualification standards used by many state and federal agencies.

The certificate is recorded on official TAMU transcripts and is available to any non-degree or degree-seeking student enrolled at TAMU. The certificate is awarded to students who take a minimum of 12 credit hours from the following list of conservation or conservation-related courses:

• ANTH 605 Conservation of Archaeological Resources I (3 credit hours)
• ANTH 606 Conservation of Archaeological Resources II (3 credit hours)
• ANTH 617 Conservation of Organic Materials (3 credit hours) or ANTH 663: Analytical Methods in Archaeology and Conservation.
• ANTH 685 Directed Studies (1-4 credit hours)

Independent research may be substituted for ANTH 685. There is no guarantee that the required 12 credit hours will be offered in a given academic year. Research may include an internship at the Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation’s (CMAC) Conservation Research Laboratory. Depending on a student’s previous training and experience, alternative courses can be substituted for ANTH 605 or 617. Admission to the Conservation Training Certificate Program does not guarantee subsequent acceptance to the Nautical Archaeology Program.