BA (Hons) Archaeology (including a Foundation Year)

Archaeology is a multi-disciplinary subject that draws on methods used in both the arts and sciences. You will learn to collect, analyse and interpret data using a suite of analytical techniques, as well learning to think critically, evaluating different sources of evidence and drawing conclusions from them. You will have opportunities to 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 in seminars and tutorials.

The skills you will learn are highly regarded by employers, and will provide you with a strong foundation upon which to build a successful career. Many of our graduates go on to work in the archaeology and heritage sectors. Others use their skills to embark on careers in teaching, the civil service, the armed forces, or in the private sector.

As a subject that draws on the physical and natural sciences, as well as the humanities, an archaeology degree is well suited for students taking A-levels in subjects such as Biology, Chemistry and Geography, as well as those studying History, Classics and other arts subjects. Our Archaeology degree can also be combined with History or Forensic Biology, allowing you to blend the complementary elements of these subjects into a distinctive degree programme.

Professional accreditation

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Our Single Honours programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK). This recognises that it provides skills relevant to a career in the historic environment. It also underlines the strong practical, and range of applied training in Archaeology we provide, how we prepare our students for future success, and our commitment to developing the professional and transferable skills of all of our students. Combined Honours students have full access to the accredited programme.

Further accreditation Information

The University of Chester is among the youngest and most energetic centres for archaeological teaching and research in the UK. We have a reputation as a friendly, inclusive, and supportive department, and are consistently rated highly in student satisfaction for teaching.

Our Archaeology degree programme balances the practical aspects of archaeology, such as fieldwork and laboratory analysis, with teaching that spans much of the human past, and with a geographic scope that includes Northwest Europe, the Baltic, Russia and Siberia, and continental North America. This allows you to explore those aspects of the subject that interest you most, while developing a suite of transferable skills that are relevant whatever the career path you choose to follow. Teaching is supported by our purpose-built archaeology laboratory, and our artefact workroom, which along with the University’s computing facilities, and lecture and seminar spaces, provides a high-quality teaching and learning environment. Careers advice is also embedded into our programme, helping you to make the most of the wide-range of skills you will develop through the course of your degree.

Our Personal Academic Tutor system provides one-to-one mentoring by a member of the Archaeology team throughout the course of your degree, which along with the University’s Student Support and Wellbeing programme, ensures that you will always receive the help and support you need during your time at Chester.