Archaeology and Ancient History
UCAS Code: VV1A
Master of Arts (with Honours) - MA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Required subjects: A Level: no specific A Level subjects required. GCSEs: English at grade C or 4.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Award of Diploma with 36 points (grades 665 at HL) - 34 points (grades 655 at HL). Required subjects: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at grade 5.
Scottish Higher
These grades must be achieved by end of S5. If you haven't achieved this by the end of S5 we may consider your application based on a strong performance in S6. A minimum of BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5: English at grade C.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
Combining the study of ancient history with the theory and practice of archaeology, this interdisciplinary programme offers the opportunity to explore the ancient civilisations of the Mediterranean with a particular emphasis on Greece and Rome.
There is the opportunity to gain the historiographic and archaeological skills required to understand past societies, including the analysis of literary sources, understanding of ancient buildings and forensic evidence, as well as learning ancient and modern languages.
The rich body of literary and documentary texts that survive from ancient Greece and Rome provide fascinating insights into the culture and society of these ancient civilisations. Analysis of these compelling documentary sources forms a key component of this programme. However, historical accounts are often fragmentary, and are sometimes biased towards major events or prominent individuals.
Archaeology, the study of the material remains of past peoples, offers an additional source of evidence for reconstructing and understanding the day-to-day lives of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Archaeology investigates the human past using material remains such as artefacts and excavated sites to reconstruct the economic, social and cultural life of early societies. At Edinburgh we have a rich tradition of archaeological teaching and research, specialising in European prehistory, the early civilisations of the Mediterranean and the Near East and Egypt.
You will be introduced to standard and innovative archaeological techniques and the practice and theory of archaeology. This will include the study of science-based archaeology, the study of animal and human bones and digital applications. We emphasise the importance of training in practical archaeological skills.
You can gain hands-on experience of artefact identification and analysis in practical sessions using artefacts from our own Vere Gordon Childe collection.
Our students will also normally complete three weeks of archaeological fieldwork at the end of Year 1 and have the option to undertake further fieldwork, as well as projects in heritage management and public engagement, and the lab-based analysis of archaeological remains, in later years of study.
Tuition fees
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Central area campus
School of History, Classics and Archaeology
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Explore EdinburghWhat 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.
Archaeology
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)
Classics
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.
Archaeology
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?Want to do a job in the arts - with lots of the great outdoors? Try archaeology! There don't tend to be many archaeology undergraduates out there (just under 700 graduated in 2015) - but it's quite a popular subject at postgraduate level. In fact, over a quarter of archaeology graduates take some kind of further study when they graduate - usually more study of archaeology. When you look at the stats, be aware that junior jobs in archaeology are not always well paid at the start of your career, and that temporary contracts are not uncommon. Thankfully, though, unpaid work, whilst not completely gone, is less common than it used to be. The archaeology graduates of 2015 found jobs in archaeology, of course, but also management and heritage and environment work, as well as more conventional graduate jobs in marketing and the finance industry.
Classics
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?This subject has been a mainstay of the UK university system for centuries and is still going strong! Over 1000 graduates received classics degrees in 2015 and a quarter of those went on to further study, usually a Masters, and although many stayed with Classics, or moved slightly to history or archaeology, some changed to topics like law and teaching. Half of those who did go into work found jobs in London or the South East. Common jobs included working in education, marketing and advertising, or the finance industry as advisors or even accountants. Personal contacts were particularly important for these graduates in finding their first job, so good networks may help your job search when the time comes.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Archaeology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£25k
£29k
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.
Classical studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£25k
£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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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
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:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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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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