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Archaeology and History

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C-B,B,C

The Department requires one of the following subjects: Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, History, Politics, Sociology

Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Merit (including 15 in History)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

including 5 in HL History

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

H3,H3,H3,H3,H4

including H3 in History

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

The Department requires one of the following GCE A Level subjects: Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, History, Politics, Sociology

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B

including History

UCAS Tariff

112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Archaeology

History

A Combined Honours degree at Chester gives you the opportunity to study two subjects. You will spend a fairly even amount of time studying each subject area, with possible opportunities to declare a major – minor towards the end of your studies.
**Archaeology**
Explore the richness and diversity of the human past, from the hunter-gatherers of Ice Age Europe to the inhabitants of modern cities, developing the skills that will lead to success in your future career.
Work on excavations, carry out scientific studies of archaeological materials, visit heritage sites to reflect on the way the past is presented, and discuss and debate different interpretations of the past. Learn to collect, analyse and interpret data, and to think critically, evaluating different sources of evidence and drawing conclusions from them. Our course balances the practical aspects of archaeology, such as fieldwork and laboratory analysis, with teaching that spans much of the human past, with a geographic scope that includes Northwest Europe, the Baltic, Russia and Siberia, and continental North America, all supported by our purpose-built archaeology laboratory and our artefact workroom.

**History**
Explore the past with modules covering a thousand years of local, national and international history, with themes ranging from identity, race and ethnicity, politics and justice, to leisure and the landscape to war, conflict and social change.

In the historic city of Chester, you’ll be surrounded by connections to the Medieval, Early Modern and Modern periods, enriching your experience and providing opportunities for group field trips and individual exploration. We embrace a range of approaches including social, cultural and political history, but also the study of material culture, digital humanities and the application of history in a practical context to develop your employability prospects.
You will challenge existing narratives about the past and be encouraged to think critically about how, and why, these narratives have developed. You will also explore themes and issues relating to race, diversity, gender, imperialism, conflict and climate change.

**Tailor Your Degree**
You’ll be able to choose from our wide variety of option modules to tailor your degree to suit your own interests and you’ll have the opportunity to work as a professional historian and produce material for public consumption. During the second year of your degree, you will be able to work directly with history and heritage organisations such as BBC History Magazine and the National Trust; you will also work with local heritage organisations, museums and archives, as well as local schools to apply your degree in a professional context and enjoy unique opportunities that will enhance your enjoyment of the subject, as well as your CV.

Modules

For the latest example of curriculum availability on this degree programme please refer to the University of Chester's Website.

Assessment methods

For History you will be assessed through a wide range of coursework methods, all of which are designed not only to test your understanding of history but also to allow you to develop and demonstrate skills that are essential for success after university. These include essays, source analyses, literature reviews and oral presentations, but also reflective exercises, digital assignments including video essays and other digital media, poster presentations and portfolios. There are no exams on our History course.

For Archaeology our programme employs a range of different methods of assessment. These include essays, laboratory reports, portfolios, presentations, posters and podcasts. In all cases our assessments aim to develop your skills, and enhance your employability.

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
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Chester

Department:

History and Archaeology

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.

84%
History

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

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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
46%
Male students
54%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

History

Teaching and learning

84%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
68%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
75%
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

75%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
78%
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?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
46%
Male students
54%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

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.

£17,500
med
Average annual salary
83%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

33%
Natural and social science professionals
31%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
6%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

History

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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
91%
low
Employed or in further education
25%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
15%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
8%
Teaching and educational professionals

History is a very popular subject (although numbers have fallen of late) — in 2015, over 10,000 UK students graduated in a history-related course. Obviously, there aren't 11,000 jobs as historians available every year, but history is a good, flexible degree that allows graduates to go into a wide range of different jobs, and consequently history graduates have an unemployment rate comparable to the national graduate average. Many — probably most — jobs for graduates don't ask for a particular degree to go into them and history graduates are well set to take advantage. That's why so many go into jobs in the finance industry, human resources, marketing, PR and events management, as well as the more obvious roles in education, welfare and the arts. Around one in five history graduates went into further study last year. History and teaching were the most popular further study subjects for history graduates, but law, journalism, and politics were also popular postgraduate courses.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Archaeology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

History

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Cardiff University | Cardiff
Archaeology and History
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-128
Lower entry requirements
Bangor University | Bangor (Wales)
Heritage, Archaeology and History
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-128
Nearby University
University of Liverpool | Liverpool
History and Archaeology
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-152

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here