Archaeology and Ancient Civilisations

You will learn through a combination of lectures and small-group seminars, tutorials and practical classes, as well as fieldtrips and fieldwork, alongside self-directed research and reading.

We also offer an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting-edge research.

Fieldwork allows you to get stuck into real archaeological work, which alongside practical classes gives you great hands-on archaeological experience. As you progress in the degree there is increasing focus on independent research. As such, the course transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in a classroom to a generator of knowledge in the field, ready for professional or postgraduate life.

Assessment

On this course you will be assessed through traditional coursework essays and exams, but also through presentations and hands-on practical exercises, including archaeological fieldwork, as well as other alternative assessment forms.

In the final year you will write a dissertation on a special interest topic of your choice, supported by one-on-one supervision, and this will form one third of your final year assessment.

A level offer – AAB

Contextual offer – BBC

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD

IB Diploma score – 36 with 665 in higher level subjects.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We also consider other level 3 qualifications, including T-levels.
• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study. Please contact our Admissions Selectors.
• If you do not satisfy our general entry requirements, the Foundation Programme offers multidisciplinary degrees to prepare you for a range of specified degree courses.
• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.
  

Science A levels: Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications 

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

The fees for this academic year have not been confirmed yet.

Full-Time Study

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full-time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full-time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and will be subject to an annual inflationary increase expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only; fees for subsequent years will be confirmed not less than 3 months before the start of the academic year to which the increase is intended to apply and will be published on the Finance webpages.

In deciding the annual level of increase, the University will take into account inflationary pressures on the costs of delivery. Tuition fees will rise annually by up to the higher of:

• 6%, or
• the latest annual percentage increase in the Consumer Prices Index.

Part-Time Study

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of part-time study and are charged proportionately to the Full-Time fee. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Archaeology embraces a wide range of skills, which means excellent transferable skills, including in traditional areas of literacy, communication, research and critical thinking, but also in professional visual presentation and close analysis, numeracy and statistics, and uses of computing applications and scientific techniques. These skills are valued in numerous fields.

For those interested in pursuing careers in archaeology and heritage, links with industry specialists coupled with in-house facilities give you a great introduction to the sector. Subject-specific skills training includes excavation, survey, remote-sensing techniques, Geographic Informations Systems and mapping, small finds analysis, osteology, geochemistry, conservation and practical project planning. 

Our alumni work in various sectors after graduation: law, civil service, publishing, teaching, commercial archaeology, heritage institutions and academia.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

• 88% first-degree graduates in work or further study.

Of those in employment:

• 75% first-degree graduates in high and medium skilled employment.
• £27,750 average salary of first-degree graduates in full-time employment.
• 50% of first-degree graduates achieve marks enabling them to go on to higher study.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. This survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. We here highlight destinations of specifically first-degree graduates. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Unlock the past to understand the present. At this world-leading Department at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we will help you to gain an array of intellectual and practical skills that archaeology combines in an interdisciplinary subject like no other.

Archaeology at Durham is an exciting and diverse discipline that delves into the past and informs our understanding of the present. It brings together multiple techniques and methods, and covers a wide range of themes and periods, from the earliest human development through classical civilisations to colonialism, the built environment and heritage in the modern world. 

We are an inclusive international scholarly community offering opportunities for you to get involved, from seminars and reading groups to field projects. Our research-led approach to learning means you will be taught by world specialists and explore archaeological sites and historic buildings, cutting-edge scientific methods, theories, debates and computing techniques.

Fieldwork takes you around the world, with previous projects ranging from Iceland to Africa. Closer to home you will learn about the rich and varied past of the UK. Our location provides a great environment for studying archaeology and heritage, with UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep. 

We offer single and joint honour BA and BSc degrees to suit your interests and career goals. Most courses include the possibility of a work placement or year abroad.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 6th in the world QS World University Rankings by subject 2025

• 3rd in the UK The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

• 4th in the UK The Complete University Guide 2025

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our department web pages.

Facilities

We are based in the Dawson Building, the historic original science building on the Science Site, at University's main Mountjoy Campus. We are close to other departments, colleges, the Bill Bryson library and the Teaching and Learning Centre. Our building houses teaching rooms, and a suite of state-of-the-art laboratories for precision techniques including ancient DNA and isotope analysis, Geographic Information Systems and digital visualisation, as well as a common room for social activities of staff and students. Our teaching allows students hands on experience in labs, and our library holdings and digital resources are world-class.

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