The Institute for Field Research (IFR) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

established in 2011 by a group of academic

archaeologists Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

. It operates as an independent, nonprofit

academic organization Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which grants academic degrees. See also academy and university. Types * Primary schools – (from French ''école primaire'') institutions where children ...

that offers

field research Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduct fie ...

courses (field schools) at various sites around the world. The IFR worked with different universities to provide students with academic credit units. At present, the IFR school of record is

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

. Through this agreement, students receive 8 semester credit units (equivalent to 12 quarter units) for attending any of the field schools offered by the IFR. These units are transferable to student's home institution through official Connecticut College transcripts. Students receive a

letter grade Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

for attending a field school. All field schools provide a minimum of 160 direct instructional hours. The IFR has conducted field schools at numerous sites around the world, including

Cahokia The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site ( 11 MS 2) is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city (which existed 1050–1350 CE) directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri. This historic park lies in south-w ...

, Spike Island and

Ribchester Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston. The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze ...

. The institute has also collaborated with forensic anthropologists from the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department to excavate and identify human remains.

References

Organizations established in 2011 Archaeological organizations {{Archaeology-stub