v400 - Archaeology BA
Archaeology BA Honours
UCAS Code: V400 (full time: 3 Years)
Course Overview
This degree inspires you to explore the human past and the ways in which archaeologists investigate and interpret material remains from past cultures.
At a Glance
UCAS Code
V400
UCAS Institution Name and Code
NEWC, N21
Degree Awarded
BA Honours
Course Duration
3 Years
Entry Requirements
A Level: ABB-BBB
IB: 32 points
Opportunities
You'll enjoy hands-on experience of human history, with many chances to work directly with artefacts and take part in fieldwork:
- minimum of four weeks' excavation fieldwork
- artefact handling at the University-led Great North Museum
- a wide range of field trips in our historically rich region
You can choose to study the periods of history that interest you the most, from prehistory right up to the present day.
In Stage 1 we place a strong emphasis on the archaeology of Britain, from the Stone Age to the recent past.
Later, we extend the geographical range of your studies to the rest of Europe and beyond.
Quality and ranking
- 8th in the UK - The Guardian University Guide 2020
- 9th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2020
- top 150 – Archaeology category – QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019
- top 200 – Arts and Humanities category – Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2018
Fieldwork and practical skills
Practical skills
Training in practical skills forms an important part of your degree, equipping you with the field skills required by professional archaeologists. You will receive training in:
- fieldwork methods
- artefact handling
- archaeological recording techniques
Fieldwork
You complete a minimum of four weeks’ field placement on an approved project in the summer vacations at the end of Stages 1 and 2.
Find out more about the fieldwork opportunities available at Newcastle on the School of History, Classics and Archaeology's website
Other opportunities
You'll have opportunities to develop work-related skills thanks to our very close links with local heritage organisations throughout the region, including:
- our unique Heritage City website, which helps you find opportunities to work alongside professional archaeologists in Newcastle
- volunteering opportunities with heritage organisations in the North East
- work experience in a museum or other heritage organisation, which may be possible in Stage 2
Boost your employability with a work placement
Apply to spend 9 to 12 months on an optional work placement between Stages 2 and 3. You can apply to spend your placement year with any organisation and will receive University support to do so.
You’ll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.
It will extend your degree by a year and is subject to availability, however it isn't available if you're spending a year studying abroad.
Find out more about Work Placements.
Study abroad
Studying abroad as part of your degree is a fun, challenging experience that will broaden your cultural horizons.
It will increase your employability and help you acquire a range of practical life skills. It's also a chance to improve your language skills and develop an international network of friends.
You have the opportunity to take part in a study abroad exchange in either Stage 2 or Stage 3.
You can study in a European country, including:
- France
- Italy
- Finland
- Slovenia
You can also choose to study in a non-European country, such as Australia, the USA or Hong Kong.
Historically rich location
There can be no better place to study history and archaeology than in the North East of England, home to one of the highest concentrations of World Heritage Sites.
Follow in Hadrian’s footsteps and retrace the Romans’ campaigns in Britain; venture into the past before history in prehistoric landscapes rich in rock art, burial cairns, hillforts and other monuments; or encounter the Golden Age of the Venerable Bede.
We organise regular one-day study visits and field trips across the archaeological landscape of northern England, including:
Facilities and support
Study at Newcastle and you will join a community of professionals, academics and students in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology.
Facilities
Facilities include a dedicated archaeology laboratory with petrology microscopes and stereo-microscopes for artefact analysis, and permanent collections including human remains, animal bones, Roman pottery and our Victorian household collection.
There's also the Cluster for Interdisciplinary Artefact Studies, delivering professional training in handling artefacts, and extensive collections in the University-led Great North Museum adjacent to campus.
Support
You'll be supported throughout the degree by a personal tutor – an academic member of staff who can help with academic and personal issues.
You'll also be offered a peer mentor in your first year – this is a fellow student who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have.
Social activities
We have a thriving Archaeology society running social events throughout the year.
Find out more
Visit the School's website to:
- find out more about our teaching and learning methods
- take a virtual tour of our archaeology and history facilities
Sophie, Archaeology BA HonoursOne of the things I like most about my course is that it is a small course. It means that everyone knows each other and it is a quite a close-knit, friendly group.
Free Online Short Course - Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier
Newcastle University is in partnership with FutureLearn to deliver free online courses on its social learning platform.
Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier led by Professor Ian Haynes.
This six week course offers a comprehensive introduction to Hadrian's Wall, the most heavily fortified frontier in the Roman Empire, its people and their lives.
It raises fascinating issues concerning colonisation, cultural transformation, immigration, integration and imperialism.
Modules for 2019 entry
Please note
The module and/or programme information below is for 2019 entry. Our teaching is informed by research and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, student feedback, or insufficient numbers of students interested (in an optional module). To find out more read our terms and conditions.
Module/programme information for 2020 entry will be published here as soon as it is available (end of May 2020).
Our degrees are divided into Stages. Each Stage lasts for an academic year and you need to complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each Stage. Further information, including the credit value of the module, is available in each of the module descriptions below.
Stage 1
Compulsory modules
- ARA1001 Stuff: Living in a Material World
- ARA1026 Introduction to Archaeological Science
- ARA1027 Introduction to Archaeology
- ARA1028 Prehistoric Britain
- ARA1030 The Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century
You also take a fieldwork module over the summer.
Optional modules
You take one open elective module. The following are recommended choices:
- CAC1012 Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
- CAH1012 West meets East: Greek History and Society, 776-200 BC
Stage 2
Compulsory modules
You also take a fieldwork module over the summer.
Optional modules
You choose at least three modules from the following list, and may select four:
- ARA2004 Animals, Plants and People: an Introduction to Enviromental Archaeology
- ARA2011 Prehistoric Europe
- ARA2016 Aegean Prehistory
- ARA2091 Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian
- ARA2092 The Medieval World: AD 400-1500
- ARA2097 Historical Archaeology of the Modern World (post 1492)
- ARA2101 Artefacts
If only three modules are selected from the above list you take one further optional module. The following are recommended choices:
- CAH2006 Hellenistic Empires from Alexander to Cleopatra
- CAH2007 Caesar's Gift: Rome under the Emperors
- CAH2020 Greek and Roman Religions
- CAH2036 Greeks and Barbarians
- HIS2085 Pre-Columbian and Spanish America
- HIS2104 The Dark Ages: The Post-Roman World, 500-700
- HIS2114 Death, Dying and the Dead in Early Modern England, 1500-1832
- HIS2131 American Slavery, American Freedom: Black and White America in the Age of Revolutions
- HIS2240 Greece from the ancient times to the 21st century: Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the past
- NCL2100 Developing Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Employability
Work Placement (optional)
You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months on an optional work placement between Stages 2 and 3. You can apply to spend your placement year with any organisation and will receive University support to do so. It will extend your degree by a year and is subject to availability. It isn't available if you're spending a year studying abroad. Find out more on about Work Placements.
Stage 3
Compulsory module
Optional modules
You choose at least three modules from the following list, and may select four:
- ARA3004 Geoarchaeology
- ARA3013 Early Medieval Britain
- ARA3016 The Archaeology of Byzantium and its Neighbours
- ARA3021 Frontier Communities of Roman Britain
- ARA3031 Historical Archaeology of Britain 1500-Present
- ARA3036 Neolithic & Early Bronze Age Britain in its European Context
- ARA3100 Archaeologies of the Middle Sea: An Armchair Voyage Across the Prehistoric Mediterranean
- ARA3117 The Archaeology of Animal Bones
- ARA3118 Origins and Transformations:Early Prehistoric Europe
- ARA3121 Sex, bodies and identities in Classical Greece
If only three modules are selected from the above list you take one further optional module. The following are recommended choices:
All candidates are considered on an individual basis.
If your qualifications are not listed here, please see our additional entry requirements web pages to find out which other qualifications are considered.
The entrance requirements below apply to 2020 entry.
Careers
Archaeology careers
Archaeology students enter a wide range of careers. The graduate job market includes careers in finance, marketing, administration, the media, management and teaching and is as open to archaeologists as to any other graduates. Employers appreciate the combination of transferable skills which our degrees give you.
Some of our students continue as professional archaeologists or historians with organisations such as English Heritage, or within public and private museums and local authority planning offices.
Postgraduate courses cater for those wishing to specialise in various types of archaeological or historical work and these include opportunities for professional training and study in museum and heritage work.
In addition, many graduates volunteer in museums or on excavations in the UK or abroad to increase their practical experience before taking up permanent employment.
Other archaeology graduates use their skills and expertise as company archivists, information technologists and specialist librarians and researchers. Our graduates also enter industries such as publishing, broadcasting and public relations.
Find out more about the career options for Archaeology from Prospects: The UK's Official Careers Website.
What our graduates go on to do: employment and further study choices
See what our recent graduates went on to do and view graduate destinations statistics. These statistics are based on what graduates were doing on a specific date, approximately six months after graduation. Take a look at the most recent data available for our graduates.
The destination data is available in varying levels, beginning with the University and moving through Faculty and School down to individual course reports. This final level may give you some useful ideas about possible options after your course or a course you are considering.
Careers and employability at Newcastle
Newcastle University consistently has one of the best records for graduate employment in the UK.
96% of our 2017 UK-domiciled UG/PG graduates progressed to employment or further study within six months of graduating.
85.5% of our graduates are in graduate level employment or further study within six months of graduating.
We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through an initiative called ncl+. This enables you to develop personal, employability and enterprise skills and to give you the edge in the employment market after you graduate.
Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers.
Applying to Newcastle University through UCAS
To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
UCAS codes for Newcastle University
- institution name - NEWC
- institution code - N21
UCAS buzzword
Ask your teacher or adviser from your school or college for the UCAS buzzword. You need the buzzword when you register on the Apply system. This makes it clear which school or college you are applying from.
All UK schools and colleges and a small number of EU and international establishments are registered with UCAS.
If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.
Making your application
On the UCAS website you can also find out more about:
- application deadlines and other important dates
- offers and tracking your application
Application decisions and enquiries
Find out more about our admissions process and who to contact if you need help with your application.