WHERE TO START
YOUR PLACE ON AN ARCHAEOLOGY DEGREE COURSE IS ONLY 5 MINUTES AWAY
Act to secure your place on the University of Plymouth's exciting new degree course in Archaeological Practice. Whatever your A Level grades, we are keen to hear from you.
Join a small enthusiastic group of students in the most hands-on course in Britain today. Learn the methods that professional archaeologists use in modern archaeology.
Call or text the course leader, Win Scutt, on 01752.305332 now and get accepted on this course today. Or email archaeologyplymouth@googlemail.com
Click here for more details of the course.
archaeology degree courses in the uk
Choosing a degree course in Archaeology is quite a daunting task - there are over 50 universities and colleges that offer it; and there are so many combinations to choose from.
You can be any age from 18 upwards. Depending on where you come from - United Kingdom, European Union or non-EU - there are different scales of fees. Typically, someone from the UK or EU will pay £2000 per year.
The starting place for UK degree courses is UCAS.
A search for archaeology degrees will take you to a list of 433 of them for 2008 in 50 locations.
how to choose
Many students choose the area of the UK first - you might not want to be too far from friends and family. Some will make a list of places they would like to stay for three years or more - a lively city perhaps, or somewhere by the seaside where you can surf, swim and sail.
You'll be looking for a good course - good modules and good staff. This isn't so easy to find out. Some universities are great at research - their lecturers and PhD students producing loads of quality books and articles in journals. But this does not always mean that the lecturers take a keen interest in their students, or that they are good communicators. The best trick is to go on some excavations in the summer and talk to students who are already studying at the universities on your shortlist. Ask them which modules they find most interesting, and who are the good lecturers.
There are 26 universities that offer archaeology as a subject on its own - as "Single Honours". The other 400 or so courses are just combinations with other subjects - "Combined Honours". It's up to you - but my personal opinion is that "Single Honours" is best - it's the fact that you've got a degree that will get you a job later, not so much the subject you studied. And sticking with one group of friends/students for all your lectures is much nicer.
If you want to know about British and European archaeology - Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Medieval - most courses cover it.
If you want to do something a little more exotic - like Egyptology or Classical Archaeology for example, then the choices are much more limited.
If you want practical skills, like excavation, "geophys" and surveying, most courses do some, but there are some that specialise in practical archaeology preparing students for one of over 5000 jobs in the UK archaeology 'industry'.
There's a great course-finder website at the British Archaeology Jobs Resource. You can view some of the university locations on Google Earth by following this link. You must have Google Earth downloaded to your computer to view this.
an innovative new degree in archaeology from the university of Plymouth
A groundbreaking new degree course has been launched in Plymouth, Devon. The new Foundation Degree in Archaeological Practice was validated with the University of Plymouth in May 2007. Based at City College Plymouth, students can gain the new Qualification in Archaeological Practice at the same time as gaining an FdSc over two years. Students will be able to gain a full degree in Archaeology by taking one further year at Truro College, another partner College of the University of Plymouth.
This new Foundation Degree is the first in the UK to embed the new professional qualification and is the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Field Archaeologists and the University of Plymouth.
Places are now available on the new Foundation Degree. You can be any age; you don't have to have A Levels if you have suitable experience in any field; enthusiasm and commitment are essential. Fees are £2000 per year (within the European Union), with £825 cashback each Spring - making it the lowest cost archaeology degree in the UK. Contact archaeologyplymouth atsymbol googlemail.com.
You can apply now at UCAS, where the course is coded V401 and the institution code P60, or contact Win Scutt at City College Plymouth (wscutt atsymbol cityplym.ac.uk) Further details can be found on this website.
studying archaeology at gce 'a' level
It will soon be possible for you to study Archaeology online through this website. Using "Moodle" a Virtual Learning Environment, you will be able to access online lessons, submit essays, enter quizzes and get feedback on your work. The course prepares you for the UK's GCE 'A' Level qualification.
