Program Overview

History and Archaeology BA Honours

Overview

The History and Archaeology BA Honours degree provides a unique insight into the human past, studying material culture alongside written history. This three-year degree focuses on developing expertise and skills for future careers.

Quality and Ranking

• 10th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2026 (Archaeology category)
• 13th in the UK – The Guardian University Guide 2026 (Anthropology and Archaeology category)
• Global Top 140 University – QS World University Rankings 2026
• Top 100 for Archaeology - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025
• Top 75 for Arts and Humanities - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025
• Top 200 for History - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025
• 65% increase in research power since 2014 – Research Excellence Framework 2021
• 42% of research is classified as 4* world-leading research – Research Excellence Framework 2021
• 13th in the UK – Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 (Archaeology and Forensic Science category)
• Top 25 in the UK and Top 100 in the world for sustainable development – Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024
• Top 125 for Arts and Humanities – Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2025
• Global Top 160 University - Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025

Professional Accreditation and Recognition

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

Modules and Learning

The degree is divided into stages, each lasting one academic year. You'll complete modules totaling 120 credits by the end of each stage.

Stage 1

• Compulsory Modules:
  • Introduction to Archaeology
  • The Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century
  • Evidence and Argument
• Optional Modules:
  • Introduction to Archaeological Science
  • Prehistoric Britain
  • Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
  • Global Middle Ages
  • Stuff: living in a material world
  • Global Ancient Histories
  • Historical Sources and Methods
  • History Lab I
  • History Lab II
  • Introduction to Public History
  • What is History For?

Stage 2

• Compulsory Modules:
  • Fieldwork and Post-Excavation: Archaeology in the UK
• Optional Modules:
  • Archaeological Theory and Interpretation
  • From Lascaux to Knossos: Prehistoric Europe
  • Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian
  • Colonial Worlds: History and Archaeology
  • Artefacts
  • Sacred words and dirty deeds: Thriving in Late Antiquity
  • The Mediterranean: a connected past
  • Africa: History of a Continent
  • Social Histories of Alcohol: Britain and Ireland, 1700 - Present
  • Oral History of Modern Britain
  • 1968: A Global Moment?
  • Culture and Communication in Medieval Eurasia
  • Crafting History: Developing a Research Proposal
  • Famines in History
  • Researching History
  • The Aftermath of War in Europe and Asia,
  • Revolutions of the Mind: European Thought, 1550–1750
  • Destroying Nature: Disasters, Diseases and Environmental Injustice
  • Diversities of Sexuality and Gender in History
  • Career Development for second year students

Stage 3

• Compulsory Modules:
  • Dissertation in Archaeology: Research as Professional Practice
  • Dissertation in History and Archaeology: Research as Professional Practice
  • Dissertation in History (VV41 only): Research as Professional Practice
• Optional Modules:
  • Survival and turmoil in Byzantium and beyond: Byzantine archaeology, art and text
  • Neolithic & Early Bronze Age Britain in its European Context
  • Regionality and the Fall of Rome
  • Fundamentals of Digital Humanities: Computer literacy, data analysis and GIS
  • The Sharp Edge of Empire? The Armies and Frontiers of Imperial Rome
  • Reading History
  • Public History In Practice
  • The Irish Revolution,
  • Reconstruction and the New South,
  • British Foreign Policy since Suez
  • Birth Control in the 19th and 20th Centuries
  • Civil Rights in America,
  • Gender and the British Empire: Violence towards Men and Women in the Making of Modern South Asia
  • The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall,
  • The Rising Generation: Youth, Age and Protest in Cold War Britain
  • Buddhism and Society in Medieval Japan
  • May 1968: All Power to the Imagination
  • British Colonialism in Sudan: Violence, Gender and Race,
  • Fictional Histories: from medieval to modern
  • Exhausted! The problem of sleep (and not sleeping) from 1500 to the present day
  • Insiders and Outsiders: Migrants, Refugees, and the Making of Modern Europe
  • Beyond Brexit: The UK and European Integration since 1945
  • Riot, Reform and Revolution: Britain c.
  • Read All About It! The News Revolution in Georgian Britain,
  • Career Development for final year students

Teaching and Assessment

You'll learn from lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, practical activities, site visits, and fieldwork training. Assessment methods include coursework, essays, examinations, presentations, and reports.

Skills and Experience

You'll develop practical skills through excavation fieldwork and handling historical artefacts. You'll also gain research skills through your dissertation in your final year.

Opportunities

• Study abroad: Spend up to a year studying at a partner institution overseas.
• Work placement: Apply to spend 9 to 12 months working in any organisation in the world.

Facilities and Environment

You'll be based in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, in the historic Armstrong Building at our city-centre campus. You'll have access to the Philip Robinson University Library, Special Collections & Archives, and The Great North Museum: Hancock.

Your Future

This degree will set you up to pursue a future in a diverse range of careers, including professional archaeology, heritage or charity sectors, journalism, policy, and researcher roles.

Entry Requirements

• A-Level: ABB including History. General Studies accepted.
• International Baccalaureate: A minimum of 32 points. History required at Higher Level grade 6 or above.

Tuition Fees and Scholarships

• Home students: Tuition fees for the academic year have not yet been confirmed.
• International students: £25,000 for the first year.
• Scholarships: We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships.