Is this the time to pursue a course in archaeology? The word from the field that reaches the Current Archaeology offices is that graduates are disillusioned with their prospects: jobs are scarce, competition is fierce and projects are poorly funded. What’s the point? Archaeology is a fascinating and diverse subject that is hugely enjoyable to [...]
Is there a future in studying the past?
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Studying archaeology
Into the Light – CASPAR at UCL
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
Don Henson, Director of CASPAR (Centre for Audio-Visual Study and Practice in Archaeology) explains how an innovative new centre at the Institute of Archaeology, University College, London, aims to move archaeology into the 21st century. Archaeology has long been a popular subject for television and radio. Although the relationship has been controversial at times, archaeology [...]
Distance Learning – Anytime Anywhere
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Getting started, Studying archaeology
Distance learning can offer a valuable route into archaeological study for those who are unable, or just don’t want to, commit to a traditional academic course. Whether you wish to gains recognised qualifications or just learn more about a topic that interests you, distance learning can be ideal. Here two experts in distance learning and [...]
Want to be a Digger? – entering the world of commerical archaeology
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Getting started, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, Head of Communications, Wessex Archaeology offers us his insight and tips on getting onto the earchaeology career ladder If you want to be an archaeologist, what do you need to do to get that first job? Most entry-level jobs are in professional practice, usually as fixed-term contracts doing fieldwork, so you [...]
Under the Microscope – Archaeological Conservation
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
From Chinese bronzes and Ango-Saxon burial goods, to children’s workshops and international conferences, a conservator’s life is never dull. Dana Goodburn-Brown takes us through a typical day. On a typical day, the morning starts with an e-mail session: picking up reminders for work to do, responding to queries, putting my own out, lobbying for financial [...]
Best Career Ever? – Sports Archaeology
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
Archaeology and football are not mutually exclusive: Archaeologist Jason Wood visits Liverpool’s Anfield stadium to show how sport, history and heritage interests work together. In my first year at secondary school I won an essay competition. The question read: ‘Imagine you are an archaeologist in the year 3000. Describe and interpret your discoveries resulting [...]
Academia – the Professor’s point of view
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
Ian Haynes, Professor of Archaeology at Newcastle University, discusses the challenges in providing students with a thorough archaeological education and discusses how new programmes at Newcastle are rising to the task. While universities are inevitably feeling the bite of this current recession, for students, graduates, and colleagues in higher education and the heritage sectors, many [...]
A Growing Field – Environmental Archaeology
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
Environmental archaeology provides a landscape context for the archaeological activities on sites. This may be reconstructing how whole regions looked in the past – what today is open grassland may once have been covered by a forest, or the sea; or unravelling the activities of the people who lived there in past centuries, what they [...]
Mastering the Past – Studying Archaeology
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
A look at what an education in archaeology involves for prospective students There is no denying archaeology is a topic that continues to grow in popularity; just turn on thetelevision and have a look at an evening’s schedule – there will be at least one programme (probably more!) on archaeology. Certainly, it is an increasingly [...]
Choosing a Field – Specialisms in Archaeology
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
The field of archaeology covers the full extent of human existence, through time and across the world. Small wonder it has spawned so many sub-disciplines, theoretical and practical. We look at some of the choices. There is more to archaeology than scraping away with a trowel or brushing dust from ancient hieroglyphs. The word ‘archaeology’ [...]
Ethnoarchaeology
May 11, 2012 By Filed Under: Advice, Careers in archaeology, Education Advice, Specialisms, Studying archaeology
Ethnoarchaeology is the study of past societies, focusing on material remains, rather than culture. Sometimes known as anthropological archaeology, it can provide insight into how people in the past may have lived, especially with regard to their social structures and religious beliefs. By looking at the way in which different social groups live and behave [...]
School of Oriental and African Studies, London
May 10, 2012 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: History of Art/Archaeology BA,
Ancient Near Eastern Studies BA,
With a focus on Africa and Asia, the department offers a multi disciplinary approach across the fields of Archaeology, Art History and Ancient Near Eastern Language study, at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Oxford Brookes University
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Anthropology BA, Anthropology Bsc
BA/BSc degrees in Anthropology with a selection of archaeology courses, especially in human evolution and osteology, as well as postgraduate degrees in Anthropology.
Plymouth University with Truro College
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Archaeology BSc
This course is delivered by Truro College, this one year programme is equivalent to the final year of a degree course. Students should have already completed a Foundation Degree or HND in a relevant subject. The programme contains extensive fieldwork, museum work and artefact care, providing the opportunity for students to undertake surveys and discover [...]
Reading University, Department of Archaeology
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Archaeology BA,
Archaeology Bsc,
Ancient History and Archaeology BA,
Archaeology and Classical Studies BA,
Archaeology and History BA,
Archaeology and Italian BA,
Chemistry with Archaeology BSc,
Reading has a friendly and energetic Department of Archaeology, with an international reputation in research and teaching. They have their own modern building and as part of the School of Human and Environmental Sciences, have access to a wide range of excellent scientific facilities, laboratories and expertise.
Sheffield University, Department of Archaeology
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Single Honours:
Archaeology BA,
Archaeology BSc,
Classical and Historical Archaeology BA
Joint Honours:
Archaeology and History BA,
Archaeology and Slavonic Studies BA,
Archaeology and Hispanic Studies BA,
Archaeology and French BA,
Archaeology and German BA,
Archaeology, Religion, Theology and the Bible BA,
A leading research and teaching Department housed in a custom-designed building with laboratories and spacious research school accommodation. The Department was founded in 1976 and has now grown to become the largest Department of Archaeology outside London.
Southampton University, Dept of Archaeology
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Archaeology BSc,
Archaeology BA,
Archaeology and Geography BA,
Archaeology and History BA,
Courses include single honours archaeology, both BA and BSc, and combined honours, combining archaeology with history or geography. Excavations and projects: over 20 projects covering the World , including Purbeck Landscape Project, Dorset; Maritime Project, S. England and Channel Islands and an Isle of Wight survey project.
Trinity St. David, University of Wales
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Archaeology BA,
Archaeology and Anthropology BA,
Ancient Civilisations BA,
Ancient History and Archaeology BA,
Ancient History and History BA,
Trinity St David is an Accredited Institution of the University of Wales and was formed from the merger of the University of Wales, Lampeter and Trinity University College. Trinity St. David offers a wide range of BA Degree and Diploma schemes which are designed to appeal to students with a broad range of backgrounds and [...]
Swansea, University of Wales
April 17, 2011 By Filed Under: Universities
Undergraduate courses: Egyptology BA,
Egyptology and Classical Civilisation BA,
Egyptology and Ancient History BA,
This is a department which, whilst it does not have a specific archaeology department has a wide-ranging Classics, Ancient History, and Egyptology department. Swansea is home to an Egyptology Museum entitled the Egypt Centre. A significant amount of fieldwork has been done in Greece and Turkey.
