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Archaeology & Palaeoecology and Geography

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Normally including Geography. Applicants not offering A-level Geography will be considered on an individual basis and will be required to have another appropriate subject at A-level. Please contact the Admissions and Access Service for further advice ([email protected]). A-level General Studies and Critical Thinking are normally excluded from offers. However, the grade achieved may be taken into account when results are published in August and may be used in a tie-break situation.

Access to HE Diploma

D:15,M:30

Access to HE course must contain sufficient relevant modules. Contact the Admissions and Access Service ([email protected]) for advice. Successful completion of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 60 credits is required, including 45 credits at Level 3 and 15 at Level 2.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

Successful completion of IB Diploma with 32 points overall including 6,5,5 at Higher Level normally including Geography. Applicants not offering Higher Level Geography will be considered on an individual basis and will be required to have another appropriate subject at Higher Level. Please contact the Admissions and Access Service for further advice ([email protected]).

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H4,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3


Normally including Higher Level grade H3 in Geography. Applicants not offering Higher Level Geography will be considered on an individual basis and will be required to have another appropriate subject at Higher Level. Please contact the Admissions and Access Service for further advice ([email protected]). If not offered at Higher Level then Ordinary Level grade O4 in English and Mathematics.

Successful completion of relevant QCF BTEC Extended Diploma (180 credits at Level 3) with overall grades DDD

Successful completion of relevant RQF BTEC National Extended Diploma (1080 GLH at Level 3) with overall grades DDD

Advanced/Higher Level Geography normally required. Applicants not offering Advanced/Higher Level Geography will be considered on an individual basis and will be required to have another appropriate subject at Advanced/Higher Level. Please contact the Admissions and Access Service for further advice ([email protected]). Offers are normally made on the basis of a combination of Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers.

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B,B

Higher Level Geography normally required. Applicants not offering Higher Level Geography will be considered on an individual basis and will be required to have another appropriate subject at Higher Level. Please contact the Admissions and Access Service for further advice ([email protected]).

UCAS Tariff

120-135

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Archaeology

Environmental sciences

Physical geography

This course offers a Joint Honours degree programme examining the human past and the diverse environments human societies inhabit. The combined disciplines of Archaeology-Palaeoecology and Geography progressively develop general and specific knowledge and skills, through the examination of a broad range of archaeological, environmental and geographical evidence, via excavation, overseas fieldtrips and practical work. The course will provide you with an opportunity to pursue your interests in any time period and across different environmental and geographical settings, including hands-on experience in working with archaeological material and undertaking fieldwork. This is a very versatile degree which opens the door to a wide range of career options, including careers in teaching, commercial archaeology, museums, heritage management and many more, both within and beyond the heritage and environmental sectors.

**World Class facilities**
Students benefit from access to the internationally renowned 14CHRONO Centre for Radiocarbon Dating, the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, departmental collections and laboratories for study of artefacts, human, animal and plant remains and other scientific materials and instruments, including access to GIS, laser scanning and specialist teaching laboratories. The University’s McClay Library holds one of the most comprehensive collections of resources on Irish, British, European and World Archaeology in Ireland and the UK, and provides state-of-the-art study facilities. The McClay Library also holds a wide collection of resources for the study of Palaeoecology, Physical and Human Geography.

**Professional accreditation**
This course includes a module pathway that is fully accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK). Students on that pathway can become student members of CIfA, providing you with access to their e-learning modules, specialist professional networks and details of jobs in the profession. All students on this degree programme also automatically gain student membership with the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, giving you access to further professional development resources and information of relevant job vacancies in the island of Ireland.

**Degree supplements and study-abroad**
Students enrolled on this course have the opportunity to undertake an optional additional year of study, which can either be spent studying abroad at one of Queen’s international partner institutions or on a UK or international work placement. Depending on the chosen option, students availing of the optional additional year will gain one of the following degree supplements: ‘BSc Archaeology-Palaeoecology and Geography with International Study’, ‘BSc Archaeology-Palaeoecology and Geography with Placement’, or ‘BSc Archaeology-Palaeoecology and Geography with International Placement’.

Modules

The modules available on this course focus on different periods of World, European and Irish/British archaeology, from human origins to modern times and heritage, as well as covering different contemporary approaches to geographical enquiry and allowing students to develop both their theoretical background knowledge and their practical skills in equal measure. The modules also cover archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and other earth-science techniques, cultural and political geography, population studies, environmental and climate change, and the use of Geographical Information Systems.

Assessment methods

The way in which students are assessed in this course is designed to support the learning outcomes of the programme and of each specific module. A broad range of formative and summative assessment methods is used. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework, including essays, reports, portfolios, presentations, reflective journals, and exams.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£25,300
per year
International
£25,300
per year
Northern Ireland
£4,750
per year
Republic of Ireland
£4,750
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Queen's University Belfast

Department:

School of Natural and Built Environment

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

80%
Archaeology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Archaeology

Teaching and learning

94%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
100%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

64%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
73%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
46%
Male students
54%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
19%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

Environmental sciences

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
49%
Male students
51%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
A

Physical geographical sciences

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
49%
Male students
51%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Archaeology

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Natural and social science professionals
16%
Architects, town planners and surveyors
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

Want to do a job in the arts - with lots of the great outdoors? Try archaeology! There don't tend to be many archaeology undergraduates out there (just under 700 graduated in 2015) - but it's quite a popular subject at postgraduate level. In fact, over a quarter of archaeology graduates take some kind of further study when they graduate - usually more study of archaeology. When you look at the stats, be aware that junior jobs in archaeology are not always well paid at the start of your career, and that temporary contracts are not uncommon. Thankfully, though, unpaid work, whilst not completely gone, is less common than it used to be. The archaeology graduates of 2015 found jobs in archaeology, of course, but also management and heritage and environment work, as well as more conventional graduate jobs in marketing and the finance industry.

Environmental sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£16,500
low
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

18%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
17%
Customer service occupations
13%
Architects, town planners and surveyors

Physical geographical sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£16,000
low
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education
39%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
15%
Customer service occupations
6%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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Higher entry requirements
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Nearby University
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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