Archaeology of the Historic World

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.

A level - AAB.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD.

International Baccalaureate score - 36 to include 665 in higher level subjects.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study. Please contact our Admissions Selectors.

• If you do not satisfy our general entry requirements, the Foundation Programme offers multidisciplinary degrees to prepare you for a range of specified degree courses.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

Full Time Fees

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time 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).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 75% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 75% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £22,000

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

From the Palaeolithic to the post-medieval, from Iceland to India, from architecture to ancient DNA – broad and dynamic, archaeology changes constantly with new discoveries and innovative research. Combine hands-on work with traditional academic study. Learn from expert staff; take part in fieldwork, real excavations and finds; study historic buildings, scientific methods, archaeological theory and computer techniques; and learn how they all help us to understand the past.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 8th in the QS World University Subject Rankings for Archaeology 2022
• 3rd in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022
• 3rd in The Guardian University Guide 2022.

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our Archaeology pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 97% of our research outputs graded world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)

Facilities

We are one of the most comprehensively equipped archaeology departments in the UK. Our facilities include project rooms with state-of-the-art interactive technology, teaching laboratories, a computer suite, a photographic studio, internationally renowned scientific research laboratories in DNA, conservation, isotopes, environmental archaeology, luminescence dating, palaeopathology, soil and bone chemistry, and collections that support research in biometrics, informatics, and Anglo Saxon stone sculpture.

More information on our facilities and equipment.

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