This has been a very interesting thread. When I got out of undergrad with
a BA in Anthro focusing on archaeology, I got a job with a CRM company in
the Midwest. They advertised the job for a "field archaeologist", and I
fit the bill. I worked full time as an archaeologist for a year before
beginning my MA and PhD work. Does that mean that I wasn't really an
archaeologist before I got my MA, even though I was paid to be one, and
performed all the activities of a field archaeologist (not to mention had
met required class and field work from my undergraduate department and
been to 2 field schools)?
   To me, anyway, there are many different ways to be an archaeologist,
that fit many different requirements of the field. Maybe you need a MA to
be a PI on a CRM project, or a PhD to teach a class, get bit grant monies.
I think that saying you are not a "real" archaeologist if you don't have a
MA or are a member of ROPA excludes an awful lot of good, "real"
archaeologists in the field.

Just my thoughts,
Elizabeth Hoag