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Membership in the BC Association of Professional Archaeologists is restricted to archaeologists, archaeological managers, and related professionals practicing archaeology in British Columbia, as well as students studying archaeology. Individuals interested in applying for membership should review the Constitution and Current Bylaws of the Association prior to submitting a membership application.

Several classes of membership are available, including Student , Affiliate, Intern (new in 2010), Associate and Professional. A Leave-of-Absence category is also available. Criteria for each type of membership are outlined below. Additional application details, including submission instructions, are explained on the application forms. An application for Professional membership must be supported by at least two members in good standing of the Association, and you must secure the permission of members to use their names for this purpose. An application for an Associate, Intern or Affiliate membership requires a single sponsor. Your curriculum vitae will be kept confidential and used only for membership eligibility assessment purposes. The fee schedule is provided at the bottom of this page.

If you are interested in BC archaeology, and want more information on how to become involved in the discipline as a lay person, please contact the Archaeological Society of British Columbia.

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Student Member

A person who meets the following criteria is eligible for membership in the society as a Student Member:

• Is currently enrolled in a degree-granting institute in a course program leading to a degree in archaeology or an archaeology-related field, or has graduated from such a program within the last 24 months.
• Provides a photocopy of their current student ID, or a letter from a recognized official at the institution that can confirm their status as a student in good standing.

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Affiliate Member

This membership category is intended for non-archaeologists working full- or part-time in archaeological/heritage management work, or in a related discipline, in B.C.  A person who meets the following criterion is eligible for membership in the society as an Affiliate Member:

• Is engaged either part-time or full-time as an archaeologist or archaeological resource manager or planner or engaged in a related field that supports the discipline of archaeology.
• Has a Bachelors degree in a discipline other than archaeology or anthropology with a specialty in archaeology, or has successfully completed at least one Resource Information Standards Committee course in archaeology, or an equivalent combination of training and experience which meets the qualities and standards of the society.
• Has 12 months (240 working days) of archaeological and/or archaeological management/planning experience, including 10 months (200 working days) of experience in British Columbia.
• Can provide the name, address and telephone number of one Professional Member of the association, who is knowledgeable about the applicant's general qualifications and experience and will provide a letter of support for the applicant.

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Intern Member

This membership category is intended for archaeologists working full- or part-time in B.C., but without enough experience for the Associate category. A person who meets the following criteria is eligible for membership in the society as an Intern Member:

• Is engaged either part-time or full-time as an archaeologist.
• Has a Bachelors degree in archaeology, or anthropology with a specialty in archaeology.
• Has 12 months (240 working days) of archaeological experience, including 10 months (200 working days) of experience in British Columbia.
• Can provide the name, address and telephone number of one Professional Member of the association who is knowledgeable about the applicant's general qualifications and experience and will provide a reference for the applicant.

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Associate Member

This membership category is intended for archaeologists working full- or part-time in B.C., but without enough experience for the Professional category. A person who meets the following criteria is eligible for membership in the society as an Associate Member (previously known as "Qualifying" Member):

• Is engaged either part-time or full-time as an archaeologist.
• Has a Bachelors degree in archaeology, or anthropology with a specialty in archaeology, or an equivalent combination of training, research and writing experience which meets the qualities and standards of the society.
• Has 18 months (360 working days) of archaeological experience, including one year (240 working days) of archaeological experience in British Columbia. Days of experience include not only field work, but also lab work, data analysis, site forms, reporting, and other archaeological research activities. Up to 15% of the time needed to meet this criterion (54 days of total experience and 36 days of B.C. experience) can be volunteer time.
• Has made a contribution to an archaeological overview or impact assessment report which meets the qualities and standards of the society
• Has a demonstrable understanding of all relevant legislation.
• Can provide the name, address and telephone number of one Professional Member of the association, who is knowledgeable about the applicant's general qualifications and experience and will provide a reference for the applicant.

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Professional Member (RPCA)

This membership category is intended for archaeologists working full- or part-time in B.C.  A person who meets the following criteria is eligible for membership in the society as a Professional Member:

• Is engaged either part-time or full-time as an archaeologist.
• Has a Masters degree in archaeology, or anthropology with a specialty in archaeology, or a Bachelors degree with an equivalent combination of post-graduate training and research and writing experience.
• Has three years (720 working days) of archaeological experience, including two years (480 working days) of archaeological experience in British Columbia. Days of experience include not only field work, but also lab work, data analysis, site forms, reporting, and other archaeological research activities. Up to 15% of the time needed to meet this criterion (108 days of total experience and 72 days of B.C. experience) can be volunteer time.
• Is the senior author of an archaeological overview or impact assessment report which meets the qualities and standards of the society.
• Has a demonstrable understanding of all relevant legislation.
• Has held in his/her own name and successfully completed the requirements of a permit issued pursuant to the Heritage Conservation Act. The completion of a jointly held permit is not sufficient to meet this criterion.
• Has a demonstrable ability to direct and supervise in the field an archaeological survey or excavation.
• Has a demonstrable ability to meet and liaise with clients, First Nations, and government agencies.
• Has participated in at least 20 days of archaeological excavation, excluding experience as a field school student. Experience as a teaching assistant at an accredited field school can be used to satisfy this criterion.
• Can provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two Professional Members of the association, who are knowledgeable about the applicant's general qualifications and experience and will provide references for the applicant.

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Leave-Of-Absence

Current voting members (Professional or Associate) may apply for a Leave-Of-Absence:

• A voting member in good standing who wishes to withdraw temporarily from the Association must make a written application to the Membership Committee, giving reasons satisfactory to the Committee and Directors. Notification of the Leave-of-Absence must be accepted by the Directors before it becomes effective.
• Within a period of five years from the granting of the Leave-of-Absence, any member in good standing will be reinstated upon written notice to the Membership Committee and payment of applicable membership dues.
• If five or more years have passed without the member applying for reinstatement, the person shall no longer be a member in good standing and must make a new membership application to the association.
• An annual fee of $25.00 is required.
• Please note that a member on Leave-of-Absence may attend the AGM, may remain on the members list, and may receive any general member correspondence.
• Please note that a member taking a Leave-of-Absence does not have voting privileges and may not use the designation "RPCA".

BCAPA Bylaws state that only the Directors of the Association can accept new members. The Membership Committee receives and reviews applications, checks references, obtains any additional information that may be required in order to review an application, and then forwards a recommendation for acceptance or rejection of an application to the Directors. The Directors then review the recommendation of the Committee at one of their meetings, and informs the Committee of their decision. The Committee then informs the applicant of the Directors' decision. A person becomes a member as of the date the Directors accept an application. If you have any questions regarding the membership application process, please contact the Chair of the Membership Committee.

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Fee Schedule

	Student	Affiliate & Intern	Associate	Professional	Leave of Absence
Renewal Fees 2013	$25	$50	$85	$200	$25
New Members who apply between January 1 & June 30	$25	$50	$85	$200	n/a
New Members who apply between July 1 and September 30	$25	$37	$64	$150	n/a
New Members who apply between Oct 1 and December 31	$25	$25	$42	$100	n/a

 

Membership Options

Student : $25.00 CAD - yearly Affiliate : $50.00 CAD - yearly Intern : $50.00 CAD - yearly Associate : $85.00 CAD - yearly Professional : $200.00 CAD - yearly Leave of Absence : $25.00 CAD - yearly