Archaeology
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Extended Project
In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification provides to students for University study, we now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer. Eligible applicants would receive two offers, our usual offer plus an alternative offer of a B in the EPQ and one grade lower in their A level subjects
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths grade 4 (or C), GCSE English Language or English Literature grade 4 (or C).
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Higher
T Level
Minimum grade C in the Core Component.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Explore the material remains of past societies – from the first hominins millions of years ago to the modern day – with our accredited BA Archaeology degree.
**Exciting career opportunities**
Archaeology is more than studying the past: it’s a discipline that actively prepares you for the job market. You’ll develop an impressive range of practical and academic skills, whether you want to move into the archaeology or heritage sectors or enter a wide range of other industries and careers.
More than 40 major infrastructure projects are planned across the UK over the next 17 years, and archaeologists are required for exploratory excavations and analysis before construction begins. In 2021 David Connolly, Director of British Archaeological Jobs and Resources, said: "For all the infrastructure projects the government is pushing forward…the country is anywhere from 500 to 1,000 archaeologists short."
Many graduates from the Department of Archaeology use their breadth and depth of expertise across the humanities and sciences to enter careers such as teaching, policing, industry and commerce.
**Train as an archaeologist at the University of Reading**
- The University of Reading is in the top 100 in the world for Archaeology (QS World Rankings by Subject, 2023, Archaeology. The University of Reading is ranked 51-100 in the world and is the joint 9th highest placed UK university).
- The University of Reading scored 2nd best for teaching quality in Archaeology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024)
- The University of Reading is ranked 1st in the UK for research quality and research outputs in Archaeology (Times Higher Education Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest REF 2021).
- Overall, 97% of graduates from Archaeology are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2023, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21; includes all Archaeology responders)
Over three years, you’ll learn how to investigate, interpret and present our human past.
Archaeology at Reading also allows you to put your learning into practice, through excavations, surveying or GIS (geographic information systems), and make a direct contribution to new subject knowledge.
At Reading, you’ll examine archaeological issues that are critical to our shared global future, including:
- human diets and health
- climate and environmental change
- inequality
- migration
- identity.
By studying human development, you’ll understand how critical issues of today have roots in the past, and how previous cultures tackled comparable problems.
We’ll support you to develop a broad range of subject-specific and transferable skills that span the humanities and sciences. Your learning will encompass:
- the investigation of artefacts recovered through excavations and standing monuments
- the rise of organised religion through to the Crusades
- handling human remains to learn about burial archaeology
- examining how ideas of gender are reflected and imposed through the material world
- how climate and environmental change has impacted lives past and present
- how stories about the past are conveyed through museums and the media.
Our wide range of optional modules allows you to shape your learning, focusing on the topics and periods that most interest you.
Modules
The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2024/25. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.
Core modules for this course:
*Revolutions and Transitions: The Human Journey from 6 Million Years Ago to the Present Day
*Archaeology Today: Methods and Practice
*Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt & Rome
*Archaeology and Heritage: Past, Present and Future
*Ancient Objects: Materials and Meanings
*Archaeology Field School and Professional Practice
The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. We suggest that you regularly revisit this webpage during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Reading
School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science
What 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)
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
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.
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.
£19k
£23k
£28k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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?
Have a question about this info? Learn more here