Hi there!
I'm currently starting an MA in Ancient History (In Switzerland). I jumped into these studies for two reasons: (1) being passionate about ancient Egypt and (2) being assured by the university representative that it could lead me to working in research studying that field.
Unfortunately, after approaching two of my teachers (An egyptologist and a historian specialising on the ancient eastern Mediterranean) I was told I was in the wrong program. A counsellor echoed this feeling as well.
I've gotten in touch with three other universities for advice and potential internships / volunteering / dissertation applications, only for the answer to be negative. I can't change or abandon my current degree because due to my academic past I'm on my last attempt at a degree.
What steps can I take to study Egyptology in this situation? Alternatively: how can I get into research on ancient Egypt with my current degree?
Thank you for answers :)
Finish your current MA degree in Ancient History. In the meantime, try to pick up some classes on Egyptian language, probably starting with Middle Egyptian (ca 2100 BCE to 300 CE) to boost your resume. If you have to go to a nearby University to find it, do that. Ancient Greek might be useful, too, at least a little bit, if available. You are in Switzerland so I assume your French and German are already pretty good, but if not, brush up on those (as these, along with English, will be the primary languages of scholarship in Egyptology; I would not bother with Arabic but some might disagree). Do as much work on the ancient Near East as possible during your MA, and if you are doing a writing option, write on a topic in the Near East (i.e., don't write on Roman Britain or Athenian economic history or something). In short: do everything you can to immerse yourself in Near Easter/Egyptian studies while still finishing your MA.
Now apply to Egyptology doctorate programs. In America: Brown, Harvard (general Near Eastern), Johns Hopkins (Egyptology and Art History I think?), Berkeley (Near Eastern program), UCLA (Egyptology), Chicago (general Near Eastern?), Cincinnati (if Bronze Age focus?), University of Pennsylvania (multiple track options), Yale (multiple tracks). Outside the USA: Oxford, Cambridge, Toronto. In your application, you will emphasize your command of French, German, and English; you will emphasize your work already completed on Middle Egyptian and all the other studies you have done in the ancient Near Eastern world; you will submit a writing sample from your thesis (if you did one) on a Near Eastern topic.
If you would like to further buff your resume before applying to phd, you could consider the American University in Cairo, especially their MA focusing on Egyptian language, lit, and religion (where you will get some/more language training, I believe; you'd also probably pick up some Arabic).
Could you perhaps focus your MA thesis on something Egyptian? Maybe get a supervisor that's an Egyptologist, if you're motivated to do it yourself?
For the UK, you're pretty much locked out of most Egyptology PhD programmes as you don't have either a strong language or archaeology background. You can perhaps do something on Ptolemaic Egypt or something based in ancient history, but the UK basically means you have to write up straight away, which is going to be challenging for you. North America is an option, if you have strong grades, because they often don't need a background in the subject, as the course is so much longer.