Entry requirements
A level
Excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking
Extended Project
For applicants taking the EPQ qualification, an A in the EPQ can be recognised to lower the entry requirements by a single grade. For example an AAB offer would be “AAB from 3 A levels or ABB from 3 A levels and a grade A in the EPQ”. Please note that any subject specific requirements must be met.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language Grade C or 4, IGCSE English First Language grade C, IGCSE English as a Second Language grade C
Achieve the IB Diploma with 665-655 in 3 HL subjects
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in Humanities, Social Science, Applied Science or Computing subjects. Any other BTEC subject are acceptable if combined with an A-Level excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking
Scottish Advanced Higher
Excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking
The Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in lieu of one A Level at the A Level grades specified, excluding any subject specific requirements.
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About this course
Archaeology provides a unique perspective as the only subject which deals with all the temporal and spatial dimensions of the human past. Defined as the study of the human past through its material remains, it studies a very broad range of evidence including landscapes, buildings and monuments; buried material such as artefacts, biological remains, and structures; and written sources.
Archaeology ranges chronologically from the earliest hominids circa five million years ago to the present day, and geographically across the entire inhabited world.
The BSc Archaeology honours degree programme will train you in the science of investigation. It addresses the 'big questions' about the human past over the huge periods of time for which there are no written records, so that the forensic skills of the archaeologist are to the fore.
The aims of the BSc Archaeology degree are to:
•familiarise you with the disciplined and critical study of the past through the work of archaeologists
•provide you with the expertise to assemble and critically analyse archaeological evidence.
•provide you with the understanding of how to assemble the varied types of archaeological evidence and, where appropriate, written source material available for the study of these fields,
•promote critical understanding of the political, social and cultural structures and achievements of past societies.
•cultivate your archaeological skills and transferable skills, including, the ability to recover, record and assess evidence of widely differing kinds, to make honest and informed judgements, and to express them cogently in speech and writing.
Distinctive features
The Archaeology degree schemes are noted for their geographical and chronological breadth and the range of choice they offer. As a student at one of the highly respected Russell group universities, you will learn with staff who undertake exciting research in archaeology and history as well as developing innovative techniques in forensics, dating, and osteology.
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
Cardiff University has many scholarships on offer to our prospective students. Please see our website at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/funding/scholarships for further information.
The Uni
Main Site - Cardiff
School of History, Archaeology and Religion
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Explore CardiffWhat 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.
Forensic and archaeological sciences
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.
Forensic and archaeological sciences
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
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?The statistics here primarily reflect the prospects for forensic science graduates - they make up over three quarters of the group. While there are not a lot of jobs available in forensics itself just at the moment, reflected in the overall unemployment rates for forensic science graduates, there are still jobs for graduates from these subjects as they learn useful analysis techniques that some employers can find in short supply. Last year's graduates went into analysis work in labs, technician roles and general research, and for those looking a little wider, business roles and management also employed forensics graduates. Some graduates join the police with this degree and that can be a good source of sponsorship and work experience.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Archaeological sciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£21k
£23k
£31k
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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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:
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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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