BA
Historical Archaeology BA (Hons)
Study the material remains of the ancient, medieval and modern worlds, with an emphasis on the last 600 years.
How to apply Apply via UCAS
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
F411
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
AAB
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): 9,535 per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 28,000 per year
Overview
This exciting BA Single Honours degree enables you to develop your passion for studying history in combination with archaeological training in historic-period material and visual culture, museum collections, buildings and landscapes and world heritage. With a particular focus on the archaeology of the last 600 years, this course offers a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and skills providing an opportunity across all three years to study a combination of modules in the Departments of Archaeology and History and complement this with modules from other subject areas. Classroom-led teaching and small-group seminar work are combined with practical, lab and collections-based training, field visits and participation in the annual field school. You can choose from a range of specialist modules on the archaeology of historic period societies in Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, East and South East Asia, the Indian Ocean and Middle East as well as thematic modules covering aspects of the early modern and modern world, such as colonialization, transatlantic connections, slavery, trade and industrialisation. Students studying this course can also follow a route accredited by CIfA, the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Choosing an accredited undergraduate degree is widely recognised as the first step on a career pathway leading to professional status. To obtain a CIfA accredited degree, you can study modules that equip you with the requisite theoretical and practical knowledge to act as a foundation for a career in the UK commercial archaeology sector.
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
F411
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
AAB
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): 9,535 per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 28,000 per year
What you'll study
In the first year, you will acquire the basic range of intellectual and practical archaeological skills. In the second and third years you will move to more in-depth study of particular topics and methods working closely with staff and developing your own independent research project in the third year.
Core modules
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Archaeology Practicals
examines field and laboratory techniques for the recording and analysis of primary materials, sites and monuments, using group work wherever possible.
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Historical Archaeology: Methods and Sources
provides a grounding in a range of scientific and historical methods and techniques relevant to the archaeology of the historic era and contemporary archaeology and develops a basic critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.
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Introduction to Archaeological Methods
provide you with a grounding in a range of scientific methods and techniques used in contemporary archaeology
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Medieval to Modern World Archaeology
introduces the archaeology of early medieval to post medieval western and northern Europe via a focus on key artefacts and sites.
Optional modules
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In recent years, optional modules have included: Archaeology in BritainCities in AntiquityAncient Civilizations of the EastDiscovering World Prehistory.
Core modules
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Developing Archaeological Research
develops your understanding of research design 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.
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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.
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Themes in Historical Archaeology
analyse and discuss key themes, including: medieval to modern transitions, religious change and beliefs; migration and diasporas; knowledge and technological change; diversity, identity, materiality and gender; the body, social class; poverty; tensions of materiality and text; technologies; networks; industrialisation; colonialisation; the rise of capitalism; consumption and consumerism.
Optional modules
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In recent years, optional modules have included: Archaeology of Medieval and Post-Medieval BritainBecoming RomanAncient Mediterranean Civilisations: East and WestAdvanced Skills (Single or Double)Up to TWO modules from HistoryEast Mediterranean in the Bronze Age
Core modules
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Archaeology Dissertation
significantly develops 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.
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Specialised Aspects in Archaeology
will help you develop an understanding of specialised aspects of archaeology, chosen from a list of topics representing the main areas of research in the Department.
Optional modules
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In recent years, optional modules have included: Current ArchaeologyAdvanced Professional TrainingInterpreting HeritageMuseum RepresentationArchaeology and Global Sustainable Development.Up to ONE module in HistoryPlus: Up to ONE module in any other department or a language module.
Learning
On this course you will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes, fieldwork, excavation, informal but scheduled one-to-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing. All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Learn Ultra. Seminars, tutorials, and practical classes are much smaller groups than lectures, with tutorials often involving no more than eight students working with a professor or lecturer; seminars and practicals can be larger but are still small enough to allow one-on-one interaction with tutors. Practicals allow hands-on experience of the work professional archaeologists do. The same is true of fieldwork, which at Durham is fully funded, and consists of engaging in archaeological work in the field with members of academic staff. This emphasis on small-group and practical teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of your learning experience rather than the number of formal sessions. In fact, this degree is designed to feature fewer formal sessions and more independent research as you move from your first to your final year. Small-group teaching and one-to-one attention from your personal academic advisor (provided to all students when they enter the course) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by your final year classroom time gives way to independent research, including a dissertation, you will be supported by one-to-one supervision and this will make up a third of your final year credits. This degree will transform you from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These teaching arrangements are supported by “drop-in” surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin the week before you start and continue at key times throughout each year of the course. You can also attend an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting-edge research.et involved in group discussions.Assessment
On this course 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 a third of your final year credits.Entry requirements
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
9,535 per year
International / EU Students
28,000 per year
Home / Island students
Part Time - per year
International / EU Students
Part Time - per year
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Find out moreDepartment Information
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Archaeology at Durham is an exciting and diverse discipline that delves into the past to inform our understanding of the modern world. Covering a wide range of topics from early human development and ancient civilisations to colonialism and slavery in the early modern world, this broad-based discipline can take you into many different careers. We are an inclusive and vibrant international teaching and research community that offers plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, from research seminars and reading groups to field-based projects. Our research-led approach to learning means you will be taught by subject specialists whose wide-ranging interests span World, European and British archaeology from the last ice age to the post-medieval period. Combining practical work with traditional academic study, you will explore archaeological sites and historic buildings, study scientific methods, archaeological theories and computer techniques. Fieldwork takes you around the world, with previous projects ranging from Africa to the Lebanon. Closer to home you will learn about the rich and varied heritage of the UK. Our location in Durham is ideal for the study of archaeology with UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep. We offer a range of single and joint honours BA and BSc degrees with flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, and most courses include the possibility of a work placement or year abroad. For more information see our department pages.
Read moreFacilities
We are based in the Dawson Building at the heart of the Durham city campus. We are one of the most comprehensively equipped archaeology departments in the UK with research laboratories in DNA, conservation, isotope analysis, environmental archaeology, luminescence dating, paleopathology and bone chemistry. The Department is also home to a leading commercial archaeological fieldwork unit. This enables us to provide expert training in excavation and fieldwork techniques from working archaeologists. In addition, we have a number of dedicated library collections and a gallery which hosts our extensive collection of archaeological artefacts. Fieldtrips are an important part of the student experience at Durham. First year students undertake a two-week placement, with most working on our internationally significant excavations at Auckland Castle. Second- and third-year undergraduates join us on digs around the world to gain international experience, with recent projects in France, Spain, Kuwait, Nepal and Egypt.
Find out more -
Career Opportunities
Of those students who graduated in 2021-22
94%
HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. This survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. We here highlight destinations of specifically first-degree graduates. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk
Employability
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