Modules

Year 1
Core modules:
Archaeology in Britain gives you a wide-ranging introduction to how archaeologists work, how sites are found and excavated, how archaeological information is generated, theorised and interpreted, and the issues facing archaeology today. It will give you the study skills needed for library work, essays, tutorials and computing. The module also gives a brief overview of British archaeology by period, from the Neolithic to the present day.

Archaeology Practicals* introduces field and laboratory techniques for the recording and analysis of primary materials, sites and monuments, using group work wherever possible.

Applied Archaeological Methods* provides you with a grounding in a range of scientific methods and techniques used in archaeology today, and will help you to develop a critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.

Examples of optional modules:
Discovering World Prehistory;
Cities in Antiquity;
Medieval to Modern: An Introduction to the Archaeology of the Medieval to Post-medieval World;
Ancient Civilisations of the East.

Year 2
Core modules:
Professional Training* (requires three weeks of fieldwork in the summer before starting Year 2) uses practical experience to give you an understanding of the objectives and operation of a fieldwork project and how data and material produced by archaeological projects is processed. You will learn more about the potential careers open to you as a graduate.

Developing Archaeological Research* uses practical experience to develop your understanding of research design for the final year dissertation and the practical skills necessary for archaeological research. You will develop skills in graphics, illustration and presentation techniques as well as learning the basic theory behind research design.

Advanced Skills in Archaeology* trains you in advanced technical and applied techniques for scientific, field and public archaeology. It gives an opportunity to understand the context and purpose of these applied methods and techniques and their correct application. The module also equips you with a range of transferable skills relevant to employment and training beyond archaeology, and makes you aware of the potential careers open to you as a graduate.

Examples of optional modules:
Advanced Skills in Archaeology;
Prehistoric Europe: From Foragers to State Formation;
Becoming Roman: From Iron Age to Empire in Italy and the West;
Archaeology of Medieval and Post-Medieval Britain in its European Context;
The East Mediterranean World in the Bronze Age;
Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations: East and West;
Scientific Methods in Archaeology.

Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking a placement or year abroad)
Core modules:
Archaeology Dissertation* will significantly develop your skills in independent research, the analysis and presentation of evidence and how to structure a persuasive argument. This will involve writing an extended dissertation in your chosen specialist area of archaeology.

Current Archaeology* is based around critical reflection on current issues and breaking stories in world archaeology, including current research in the Department of Archaeology.

Advanced Professional Training (requires three weeks of fieldwork in the summer before starting the final year). This module gives you an understanding of professional practice and ethics in the archaeology and heritage sector, including practical experience in archaeology working on an excavation, in a museum, a lab-based project or a similar appropriate placement. It will give you an understanding of project design and an opportunity to think about the way projects are managed and the ethics of archaeological practice.

Examples of optional modules:
Specialised Aspects in Archaeology;
Interpreting Heritage;
Museum Representation;
Scientific Methods in Archaeology;
Archaeology and Global Sustainable Development.

Assessment methods

You will be assessed through your coursework, traditional skills and presentations, as well as through hands-on practical exercises, including archaeological fieldwork.

In the final year you will write a dissertation, led by independent research and supported by one-on-one supervision, and this makes up one-third of your final-year marks.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay: