Archaeology BA Honours

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Each year, universities may have spaces left on their courses after the application window has closed in June.

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Our Clearing entry requirements may differ from those advertised. Please contact our friendly advisers to find out if you’re eligible for a place. You can also follow the guidance below:

• if you’re an International student and you’ve received your results, apply online from 1 July by completing our direct application form.

• received your IB results? Call our International Baccalaureate Hotline on 0191 222 5106. The hotline is open from Monday 7 July – Friday 11 July between 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00

• received your SQA results? Speak to or email our advisers on 5 August: email ug-admissions@ncl.ac.uk or call 0191 208 3333 between 10:00-16:00 

• our main hotline and live chat open on 14 August at 08:00. Opening times vary after this

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This course is not available in Clearing 2025.

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Course overview

Explore the world of Archaeology at Newcastle University, on the doorstep of Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

We make full use of our unique location by providing a range of fieldwork and field trip opportunities.

Our Archaeology degrees are accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeology (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK)

On our programme you'll:

• gain a thorough understanding of archaeology, from prehistory to the recent past.
• explore how archaeology has changed our understanding of the past
• learn specialist analytical techniques
• focus on specific cultures or global regions

You’ll also have the freedom to shape your own Archaeology journey. You can choose to graduate with one of the following:

• BA in Archaeology
• BSc in Archaeology (subject to choosing Archaeological Science modules)

There is no need to select a particular route before you start. As you progress through your degree you’ll choose from a range of modules and tailor your options to suit your interests.

Based alongside Historians and Classicists, we also have interdisciplinary modules on offer that allow you to explore the intersections between archaeology and other fields of study.

With cutting edge laboratory facilities, an on-campus museum and plenty of fieldwork opportunities (in the UK and abroad) we ensure you develop essential practical skills as well as those of a researcher, preparing you for various careers, including those in the heritage sector and beyond.

 

Download information about this course as a PDF

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions

You’ll engage with a range of archaeological techniques used to understand the past, focusing on case studies from prehistory to the recent past.

This includes the unique interdisciplinary module 'Stuff: Living in a Material World.' On this module you'll think about the relationships formed between people and their things.

This is also your opportunity to explore Archaeological Science working in our Archaeology Lab to learn about techniques and processes that underpin the discipline.

Following your first year, you'll complete two weeks of funded fieldwork during the summer.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Introduction to Archaeological Science	20
Introduction to Archaeology	20
Prehistoric Britain	20
The Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century	20
Stuff: living in a material world	20

Optional Modules	Credits
Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology	20
Global Ancient Histories	20

You’ll study materials from a broad geographical range and expand your skillset to include specialist laboratory and computer analytical techniques.

You’ll also complete a further two weeks of funded fieldwork, choosing from one of our many projects in the UK or abroad.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Archaeological Theory and Interpretation	20
Fieldwork and Post-Excavation: Archaeology in the UK	20

Optional Modules	Credits
From Lascaux to Knossos: Prehistoric Europe	20
Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian	20
Colonial Worlds: History and Archaeology	20
Artefacts	20
Hellenistic Empires from Alexander to Cleopatra	20
The Roman World from Hadrian to Heraclius	20
Greek and Roman Religions	20
Slavery in Greco-Roman Antiquity	20
Sacred words and dirty deeds: Thriving in Late Antiquity	20
The Mediterranean: a connected past	20
Africa: History of a Continent	20
Oral History of Modern Britain	20
Culture and Communication in Medieval Eurasia	20
Diversities of Sexuality and Gender in History	20
Career Development for second year students	20

You’ll choose from a wide range of optional modules, enabling you to select the topics that fascinate you most, whether it’s Roman frontiers or Ancient Greek bodies.

You’ll also complete a dissertation on a topic of your choice while receiving guided supervision from an expert member of staff.

Modules

You must take one of the following compulsory modules (these modules are also shown in the optional list below):

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Dissertation in Archaeological Science	40
Dissertation in Archaeology: Research as Professional Practice	40

Optional Modules	Credits
Survival and turmoil in Byzantium and beyond: Byzantine archaeology, art and text	20
Neolithic & Early Bronze Age Britain in its European Context	20
Regionality and the Fall of Rome	20
Dissertation in Archaeological Science	40
Dissertation in Archaeology: Research as Professional Practice	40
Fundamentals of Digital Humanities: Computer literacy, data analysis and GIS	20
The Sharp Edge of Empire? The Armies and Frontiers of Imperial Rome	20
City of Athens: Power, Society and Culture	20
Gods in the Material World: Religion and Material Culture in Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia 2000BC-338BC	20
Businesswomen in the ancient world: Challenging Prejudices and Inequality	20
Career Development for final year students	20

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2024-25.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present.
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You will learn from a dynamic range of methods and activities, including:

• lectures
• seminars
• tutorials
• workshops
• practical activities
• site visits
• fieldwork training
• independent study

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assessments

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Presentations

• 

  Projects

• 

  Reports

Skills and experience

Practical skills

During your studies you’ll undertake hands-on archaeological work and object-handling sessions, putting the knowledge you learn in the classroom into practice.

Each summer you’ll complete a minimum of two weeks of funded fieldwork in the region, in locations across the UK, or abroad. These opportunities enable you to hone your practical skills while also making connections with associated heritage organisations.

Research skills

You’ll have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to spend the summer following your second year working alongside academic staff on your own research project.

In your final year, using the skills developed during your degree, you’ll write a dissertation on a topic of your own choosing. During this, you’ll hone your investigative skills as you undertake independent research with access to extensive print and electronic resources, as well as archives and special collections.

Opportunities

Study abroad

Experience life in another country by choosing to study abroad as part of your degree. You’ll be encouraged to embrace fun and challenging experiences, make connections with new communities and graduate as a globally aware professional, ready for your future.

You have the opportunity to study abroad in between Stage 2 and 3. You can study in an EU country as part of a study abroad exchange or further afield.

Find out more about study abroad.

Work placement

Get career ready with a work placement and leave as a confident professional in your field. You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months working in any organisation in the world, and receive University support from our dedicated team to secure your dream placement. Work placements take place between stages 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year, and your degree title will show you have achieved the placement year. A work placement is not available if you're spending a year studying abroad. Placements are subject to availability.

Find out more about work placements

Facilities and environment

Facilities

Our archaeology degree courses are taught in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at our city-centre campus.

You’ll have access to excellent study resources including:

• the Philip Robinson University Library, which houses over 800,000 books and provides access to ca. 1.8m e-books
• Special Collections & Archives – a rich collection of archival material, historical medical texts and rare books
• The Great North Museum: Hancock, our on-campus museum which holds an extensive collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artefacts
• The Wolfson Archaeology Laboratory - with facilities for use-wear analysis of bone, stone, metal and glass, and furnaces for research in material culture or experimental archaeology.
• a Material Culture Analytical Suite kitted out with microscopes, 2D and 3D scanning equipment

Find out more about the School of History, Classics and Archaeology

 

Support

You'll have the support of a lecturer as a personal tutor throughout your degree, and a student mentor will help you settle in.

This is a subject for everyone: we teach you all you need to know, and support your progress through to the end of the degree.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

Your future

Some of our graduates opt for careers in the heritage sector working for government, museums and private consultancies, such as:

• English Heritage
• National Trust
• British Museum
• National Parks
• Headland Archaeology
• Wardell Armstrong Archaeology Services
• MOLA Headland Infrastructure
• Northern Archaeological Associates
• Pre-Construct Archaeology Limited

As an archaeology student at Newcastle University, you'll develop a wide range of transferable skills, due to the interdisciplinary and investigative nature of the subject, which are highly sought by employers.

Graduates use their team-working, project management and analytical skills to work in fields such as:

• archivists
• information technologists
• specialist librarians
• researchers

These skills are especially valued in industries such as publishing, broadcasting and public relations. Some students also become teachers, lawyers, or start their own businesses.

Read more about our graduate career paths

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Careers support

Our unique Heritage City website connects you with heritage projects and employers in the region.

Work placements are available as part of your degree, and there are many volunteering opportunities to enhance your CV.

Students in their second year can apply for funding to support their own research projects over the summer break.

Our Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for academic year 2025-2026

See our ‘Home Fee Students’ and ‘International Fee Students’ information below for more information on tuition fee levels, fee status and inflationary fee increases.

Qualification: BA Honours
Home students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (Year 1) £9,535
International students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (Year 1) 25000

Home Fee Students

Home students starting in 2025 entry

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course. £9,535 is the maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students for the academic year 2025-26. This is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

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.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages