What University is best for an archaeology degree

I'e in particular been looking at Edinburgh as they have my dream degree (Ancient History and Archaeology) but I've also considered York and Bradford with Bradford providing an extra year of work placement of which sounds appealing but i want to know out of these which is best for archaeology and or if there are any other universities better for it than these universities

Reply 1

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Have you applied and got offers?

You apply to 5 choices so there’s no need to choose between them until you have decisions.

Reply 2

University of Bradford

Official Rep

18

Original post by Gibster

I'e in particular been looking at Edinburgh as they have my dream degree (Ancient History and Archaeology) but I've also considered York and Bradford with Bradford providing an extra year of work placement of which sounds appealing but i want to know out of these which is best for archaeology and or if there are any other universities better for it than these universities

Morning @Gibster :smile:

How are you? It's great to hear you have some universities in mind, including us. I'd recommend booking onto some Open Days and getting a feel for the universities and whether you can see yourself being a student there. You can also then chat to the academics who'd be teaching you and meet current students who can share their experiences. If you don't want to wait for an open day you can also chat to some current students directly via UniBuddy, or check out the universities facilities from the comfort of your own home by using a virtual experience/tour on their website.

You could take into consideration course accreditations, work placements (which I know you've already looked at for Bradford), study abroad opportunities, whether you want to study at a city or campus based university, student support available, accommodation options (if you're planning on living away from home) and compare the different modules you'll be studying. It might be a good idea to create a pros and cons list to help :smile:

Another idea is to check out any student profiles, blogs or videos from students studying Archaeology to hear about their experience more in-depth - you should find them on the course webpages.

I wish you the very best of luck with your decision and hope you have a great university experience wherever you decide to study! :smile:

Any questions do just let me know, I'd be more than happy to help.

Becky

Reply 3

Gibster

OP

2

I have not applied to any yet as I'm still in y12 and so haven't quite reached the stage where I need to, I'm just at the stage where i'm giving it some thought and going to open days

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

What kind(s) of archaeology are you interested? Historical archaeology, and if so what periods/regions? Prehistoric archaeology? Archaeological science? Heritage and museology? Most unis will offer a range of modules in all areas but some may have more options or expertise in one or two areas. So depending on your exact interest, you may want to lean towards one uni or another.

If you're particularly interested in classical archaeology you may want to look at courses which allow you the option of doing some language work - although not essential for classical archaeology work, if your interested skewed more towards the ancient history side over the course of things you'd probably need/want some background in one or both classical languages to pursue further graduate study. Similarly for Egyptian or ancient Near Eastern archaeology you may want to look at unis offering language modules.

For prehistoric archaeology, especially if you're particularly interested in human evolution, you might want to also look into biological/evolutionary anthropology, human sciences, or joint archaeology and anthropology degrees.

If you're interested in doing an archaeological placement, UCLs course might be notable as it has what I gather is a guaranteed, integrated 1 year placement with Archaeology South-East. The IOA at UCL in general is pretty well regarded in archaeology generally.

Reply 5

Gibster

OP

2

I'm interested in ancient history, particulary Egypt and Mesopotamia and so as you said I would like for the degree to have a language module. Are there any universities that you know of that offer at if you don't mind me asking?

Reply 6

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by Gibster

I'm interested in ancient history, particulary Egypt and Mesopotamia and so as you said I would like for the degree to have a language module. Are there any universities that you know of that offer at if you don't mind me asking?

If you're interested in Egyptology then @Sandtrooper can likely steer you well :smile:

off the top of my head Oxbridge, Liverpool and UCL have options in this area regularly (albeit I think Liverpool has reduced their number of options in that area, and UCL only have 3x 15 credit modules in the more-ancient Egyptian languages, plus 1x 15 credit module in Coptic). I think Manchester may have some options in the area, Swansea I think used to but not sure if they still do. UWTSD might have Egyptian language options too?

For Assyriology your options are fairly narrow I think if you want to study the language(s), I'm not actually aware of any unis outside of UCL and Oxbridge offering Akkadian/Sumerian/Hittite (the latter only available regularly at UCL now and irregularly and as a not-for credit pursuit at Oxford as far as I'm aware). All three also offer Egyptian language options and allow you to combine them potentially.

In all cases I think Oxford is generally the most language focused, with Cambridge being a bit more archaeologically focused. UCL I think is a bit more archaeologically focused for the Egyptology stuff, and more language and history focused for the ancient Near Eastern studies content.

For ancient Greece and Rome (and hence, Greek or Latin) your options are much wider as many unis offer Greek and/or Latin at least at a beginner level for those taking degrees in classical archaeology and/or ancient history.

(edited 1 year ago)

Original post by Gibster

I'e in particular been looking at Edinburgh as they have my dream degree (Ancient History and Archaeology) but I've also considered York and Bradford with Bradford providing an extra year of work placement of which sounds appealing but i want to know out of these which is best for archaeology and or if there are any other universities better for it than these universities

Hello!

As an archaeology student, I may be able to offer some insight.

Durham University offers a range of different archaeology degrees (Ancient History and Archaeology included) and they also offer a year abroad program or a placement year program. If you are considering Durham, there are various Open Days you can attend(Virtual and In-Person) that can provide more information on what life is like at Durham University and insight on the different Archaeology courses at Durham.
https://www.durham.ac.uk/visit-us/open-days/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz9WgufD6gAMVC5NRCh3fTgN1EAAYASAAEgJmNPD_BwE

If you'd like to know more about studying at Durham, and specifically from a students point of view, have a look at some of the student blogs :smile:

https://studentblog.webspace.durham.ac.uk/

I wish you the best of luck and I hope this information helps!

-Ghala

What University is best for an archaeology degree

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