BA
Historical Archaeology BA (Hons)
Learn about the cultural and social history of the medieval and post-medieval periods from the Atlantic to East Asia, gaining expertise in using a wide array of evidence types, with optional modules in prehistory and antiquity.
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): per year
- Overseas (Full-time): per year
Overview
This exciting 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, 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): per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 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. Many of our modules form a Chartered Institute for Archaeology accredited pathway. Ask us if you'd like to know more.
Core modules
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Archaeology Practicals
introduces you to the practical side of archaeology, including assessing primary archaeological materials, sites and monuments through hands-on recording, analysis and scientific techniques.
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Historical Archaeology: Methods and Sources
provides a grounding in a range of investigative methods and techniques relevant to the archaeology of the historic era and contemporary archaeology, allowing you to develop a basic critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.
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Introduction to Archaeological Methods
provides an opening introduction to archaeological analysis, from stratigraphic excavation and artefact analysis to geographic information systems and scientific analysis.
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Medieval to Modern: An Introduction to the Archaeology of the Medieval to Post-Medieval World
introduces the archaeology of early medieval to post-medieval worlds from the end of the Roman Empire to the Modern World in Europe and beyond, through focusing on key case-study 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 PrehistoryUp to two modules available in HistoryUp to one module in any other department including a modern language module.
Core modules
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Debates in Archaeology of the Historic World
allows you to learn about key themes and engage debates in historical archaeology including the uses and abuses of different kinds of evidence, narratives about migration, identity and diversity, gender and the body, categorisations of social groups, the state and economic strategies.
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Developing Archaeological Research
develops your understanding of how to carry out research on different scales of materials, from sites to artefacts, how to present visual information and assess quantitative information, and develop an effective research plan.
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Professional Training
(incorporating 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.
Optional modules
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In recent years optional modules have included: Archaeology of Medieval and Post-Medieval BritainAdvanced Skills (Single or Double)East Mediterranean in the Bronze AgeBecoming RomanAncient Mediterranean Civilisations: East and WestScientific Methods in Archaeology 2Up to two modules available in HistoryUp to one module in any other department including a modern language module.
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 Training (incorporating placement)Interpreting HeritageMuseum RepresentationArchaeology and Global Sustainable DevelopmentScientific Methods in Archaeology 3Up to one module available in HistoryUp to one module in any other department including a modern language module.
Learning
Learning is supported by lectures, small group seminars, tutorials, and practical classes, as well as fieldtrips and fieldwork. Outside of class hours, you will engage in independent research, reading, and writing. All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Learn Ultra. This degree is designed to move to more independent research as you move from your first to your final year, when you will develop a dissertation on a topic of special interest to you, supported by one-to-one supervision. This transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life.Assessment
On this course you will be assessed through traditional coursework such as essays and exams, but also through presentations and hands-on practical exercises, including archaeological fieldwork, as well as other kinds of alternative assessments. Depending on the department running particular modules, coursework assessment tends to predominate in Years 2 and 3, and in the final year your dissertation makes up a third of your final year credits.Entry requirements
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
per year
International / EU Students
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 and informs our understanding of the present. It brings together multiple techniques and methods, and covers a wide range of themes and periods, from the earliest human development through classical civilisations to colonialism, the built environment and heritage in the modern world. We are an inclusive international scholarly community offering opportunities for you to get involved, from seminars and reading groups to field projects. Our research-led approach to learning means you will be taught by world specialists and explore archaeological sites and historic buildings, cutting-edge scientific methods, theories, debates and computing techniques. Fieldwork takes you around the world, with previous projects ranging from Iceland to Africa. Closer to home you will learn about the rich and varied past of the UK. Our location provides a great environment for studying archaeology and heritage, with UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep. We offer single and joint honour BA and BSc degrees to suit your interests and career goals. 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, the historic original science building on the Science Site, at University's main Mountjoy Campus. We are close to other departments, colleges, the Bill Bryson library and the Teaching and Learning Centre. Our building houses teaching rooms, and a suite of state-of-the-art laboratories for precision techniques including ancient DNA and isotope analysis, Geographic Information Systems and digital visualisation, as well as a common room for social activities of staff and students. Our teaching allows students hands on experience in labs, and our library holdings and digital resources are world-class.
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Commercial archaeological fieldwork
The Department is also home to a leading commercial archaeological fieldwork unit, enabling expert training in excavation and fieldwork techniques from working archaeologists.
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Fieldwork
Single honours students gain experience through summer placements on module-linked projects around the world, from County Durham to France, Spain, Egypt and Nepal.
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Extensive resources
We are one of the most comprehensively equipped archaeology departments in the UK in terms of staffing, laboratories, equipment and library resources.
Find out more -
Career Opportunities
Of those UK/EU students who graduated in 2022/23:
91%
91%
£25,083
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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