Member Benefits

Why Join the SAA?

Join the Society for American Archaeology and lend your voice and your numbers to our efforts to ensure the archaeological record will exist for future generations. Member dues support our advocacy efforts to protect archaeological sites like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, ongoing enforcement of the National Historic Preservation Act, and our letter writing campaign to defend the work of archaeologists.

Members of the SAA enjoy anytime online access to learn new skills and information with...

Continuing Education These free and fee-based online learning opportunities are available to students and archaeologists seeking to enhance their skill sets or knowledge base. Trainings certified by RPA are eligible for RPA Continuing Professional Education credits. Many events are recorded and available to SAA members for free in the Online Learning Archive for those who cannot join live.

The SAA Press Archive Members now have digital access to select out-of-print titles from The SAA Press. To access the Archive, sign in to the Member Center and click "The SAA Press Archives" link.

The SAA Archaeological Record A four-color magazine issued five times a year encompassing SAA business, commentary, news, regular columns, software reviews, job listings, opinions, and articles.

Government Affairs and International Government Affairs eNewsletter Interested in receiving the latest archaeopolitical news from Washington, D.C. and the world? Members can sign up to receive SAA's monthly Government Affairs and International Government Affairs Update by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Society members join a community and meet new colleagues through…

SAA Online Member Directory Current members can access the online membership directory. Search for up-to-date contact information about any member and stay connected with others in your field.

Access to presenting at the Annual Meeting Presenting grants you with the opportunity to share your knowledge and receive feedback from your colleagues. It also strengthens your connection with the archaeological community which in turn, can aide in transforming your career.

e-Communities Many interest groups have established online communities that foster discussions and the exchange of ideas with colleagues from around the globe.

Open Call for Committee Volunteers Share your expertise and gain valuable experience by volunteering for a committee or task force during SAA’s Open Call for Committee Service each November. Volunteering is a great way to expand your network and participate in the Society.

Our members benefit from best practices, including…

35 Awards and Scholarships SAA promotes excellence in archaeology. The SAA annual awards program recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of professional and avocational archaeologists in numerous areas of achievement, including cultural resource management, lithic studies, public service, and interdisciplinary research.

preservation and collections support The Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR) Retired and Student members, International members, and members from Tribal Historic Preservation Offices can receive a voucher to upload ten files (totaling 100 MB) to tDAR.

…participation in crafting the Principles of Archaeological Ethics. Adopted in April 1996, the Principles of Archaeological Ethics are an interconnected set of values consulted by archaeologists to assist in fulfilling the complex and ethical responsibilities of the discipline.

SAA members save money with discounted prices…

…to the SAA Annual Meeting registration The SAA is the largest meeting of archaeologists in North America and our annual meeting brings together 4,000 thought-leaders to share knowledge and network.

…on the latest publications of The SAA Press, the publishing arm of the Society for American Archaeology.

...on an annual registration with the Register of Professional Archaeologists. SAA members pay $75 annually while unaffiliated individuals pay $135 annually.

…25 percent off books published by Cambridge University Press, and a discount of up to 50 percent on subscriptions to certain archaeological journals published by Cambridge.

...on an Author Publishing Charge (APC) An APC is required by Cambridge University Press (our journal publishing partner), in order to publish material on a Gold Open Access basis. The current Non-Member price is $2,835 and the Member price is $1,000.

…on a JPASS journals package through JSTOR Members can save 50% on a yearly JPASS plan, for personal access to a selection from the JSTOR archive collections.

SAA Members also benefit from…

SAA Public Outreach efforts to make sure the public understands archaeology.

SAA Career Center Job seekers can post their resumes, browse jobs, and create automatic email notifications for new jobs that match their criteria. Employers can post job openings to the Career Center jobs board.

SAA Advocacy to mobilize attention on preservation of the archaeological record, prevent looting, and protect the future of our field.

Members* stay current with…

American Antiquity A peer-reviewed, quarterly journal devoted to the archaeology of the New World, method and theory pertinent to the study of New World archaeology, and closely related subjects.

Latin American Antiquity A peer-reviewed, quarterly journal devoted to special reports on archaeology, prehistory, and ethnohistory in Mesoamerica, Central America, and South America, and culturally related areas.

Advances in Archaeological Practice A peer-reviewed digital journal that seeks to share solutions in the broad practice of archaeology.
Memoirs of the Society for American Archaeology The Memoirs were published between 1941 and 1976 and constituted monographs on subjects that required greater depth than could be obtained in a single article published within American Antiquity.

*Professional, Professional International, Retired, Student, Student International and Life members receive online access to American AntiquityLatin American Antiquity, and Advances in Archaeological Practice

Join Now!

Download the SAA Membership Brochure

Download the SAA Membership Brochure (Spanish)

Membership Application Fillable PDF

Archaeologists Share What they Do

The Archiving the Archaeologists series is an oral history project of video interviews of archaeologists near retirement or already retired. Listen to real archaeologists reflect on their careers, how and why they became archaeologists, and their contributions to the discipline on the SAA YouTube channel.

Is the Past in Your Future?

Aimed at high school students, the Is the Past in Your Future?  [PDF 1.1 MB] brochure from the SAA provides brief information about a career in archaeology.

The National Historic Preservation Act

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 is a federal law that protects archaeological resources in the United States. The What is the NPHA? [PDF 1.3 MB] fact-sheet from SAA helps explain the NHPA. It includes common misconceptions about the law and explains the Section 106 review process, which is particularly important to historic preservation.

Be an Archaeology Education Coordinator

If you are an SAA member interested in serving as your area's Archaeology Education Coordinator, please contact [email protected].

SAA Education and Outreach Awards

SAA gives out several archaeology education and outreach-related awards each year: the Distinguished Achievement in Public Archaeology Award, the Excellence in Public Archaeology Programming Award, the Outstanding Public Archaeology Initiative Award, the Binford Family Award for Teaching Scientific Reasoning in Archaeology, the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology Award for Archaeology And Education. Learn more about these awards, nominate a worthy individual or project, and view the past honorees!


Archaeology Education Newsletter Archive
1990-Present

SAA's archaeology education newsletter started as the Public Education Committee's print newsletter Archaeology & Public Education (A&PE). Running from 1990 to 1998, it featured news, events, and K-12 lesson plans aimed at expanding awareness of archaeology and heritage issues. It switched to a web format from 2000 to 2004. After a hiatus, it returned as Public Archaeology Notes (PAN) in 2016, managed by SAA's Archaeology Education Coordinators as a way to share news across regions.

Educational Videos

Looking for video content for your classroom? The SAA YouTube channel has short informational videos on a wide variety of topics, long-form interviews with archaeologists, and publicly-available online seminars.

State Archaeology Celebration Poster Contest

Does your state have an annual archaeology celebration? Submit a poster to the SAA State Archaeology Celebration Poster Contest! Learn more about the award and the submissions process.

SAA Committee on Repatriation

The Committee on Repatriation tracks national legislation, testifies at hearings when necessary, and represents SAA in discussions and negotiations on repatriation issues.

JOIN TODAY!

Join to lend your voice and your numbers to our efforts to ensure the archaeological record will exist for future generations.


Race, Inequality, and Decolonization

Please visit a selection of items on topics of race, inequality, and decolonization from The SAA Archaeological Record, Advances in Archaeological Practice, American Antiquity, and Latin American Antiquity.


Online Learning Archive

SAA members, log into the Member Center to access 30+ hours of free continuing education recordings. This is an exclusive member benefit.

Publicly-Available Recordings

Everyone can enjoy and learn from these events. See SAA's Continuing Education playlist on YouTube for publicly-available recordings of past lectures.

Have a Request?

The seminars we offer on-demand will change over time. If there is a past online seminar recording you'd like to view, please let us know at [email protected]. We can't guarantee that we can meet your request, but your input will help us make decisions about what to offer next.

Download the SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics

In 1996, the SAA Executive Board adopted its Principles of Archaeological Ethics, and in 2016, membership voted to add a Principle No. 9. In 2018, the SAA Board created a series of task forces which culminated in a 2024 update to the Principles, which were adopted overwhelmingly by members on the January 2024 ballot. Download the most current SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics [PDF 183 KB] to print or use for classrooms or training.