Why Study Archaeology? - Dr Oliver Creighton
BA Archaeology graduate Peggy Gilje
Students give a team presentation on a project about the Archaeology of Exeter. - Highly ranked for Archaeology in league tables: 6th in The Times Good University Guide 2013; 5th in The Complete University Guide 2014; 9th in The Sunday Times University Guide 2013
- 89% for Overall Satisfaction in the National Student Survey (2012)1
- 2nd in the UK for world leading and internationally excellent research in Archaeology2
- Top 10 for graduate level employment and postgraduate study rates3
- Substantial practical and field work experience
- Opportunities for professional placements and study abroad
Archaeology at Exeter is an exciting and varied subject area which will especially appeal to you if you are interested in arts, science and social science subjects. You can study a diverse range of topics from human evolution, or the emergence of classical civilisations, to the creation of today’s landscapes. You’ll find that our approach to archaeology has a vibrant interdisciplinary feel as we work with researchers in other subjects, including Ancient History, Anthropology, Biosciences, Geography, History and Earth Resources. As such, studying archaeology here will provide you with a range of skills, which will make you attractive to employers and provide you with a wide range of career options. You’ll be in the fairly unusual position of having studied a subject which brings together the arts and the sciences and which is practical as well as theoretical. We’ll teach you to look at evidence, to weigh it up, and to draw your own conclusions. You’ll be confident at expressing your ideas through presentations and on paper. In writing a dissertation and producing portfolios of coursework, you’ll have learnt to work independently and you’ll be computer-literate. All these are transferable skills that will be of value to you in any walk of life.
Our staff have a wide range of research interests that cover prehistory and the ancient, medieval and modern periods in Britain, Europe and worldwide. We have specialists in past environments, landscapes, settlements, burials and artefacts. As an undergraduate, you’ll benefit enormously from our research, being taught by high-quality academic staff, all of whom are internationally recognised in their fields. You’ll become part of our thriving research culture that feeds directly into your undergraduate teaching, to create exciting programmes and modules. Our active research has contributed to the Department’s international standing; we were ranked 2nd in the UK for world leading and internationally excellent research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
As well as offering Single Honours degrees in Archaeology, the Department allows you to combine the subject with Anthropology, Ancient History or History, while our Archaeology with Forensic Science degree caters for students who wish to specialise in this exciting field.
1 89% of Archaeology students agreed they were satisfied
2 RAE 2008 based on the percentage of research categorised as 4* or 3*
3 based on proportion of UK domiciled, full-time, first degree graduates in Archaeology with a known career or study destination (HESA 2009/10)
