Archaeology and History
Entry requirements
A level
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
including 5 in HL History
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
including H3 in History
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
The Department requires one of the following GCE A Level subjects: Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, History, Politics, Sociology
Scottish Higher
including History
UCAS Tariff
About this course
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
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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.
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?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
History
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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
£20k
£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
£20k
£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.
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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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