Archaeology and History BA (Hons)

Program Overview

This program offers a comprehensive study of human history, from ancient civilizations to modern societies. Students will develop critical thinking, research, and communication skills through a variety of assessment methods. The program emphasizes employability by providing practical experiences, such as field trips, excavations, and internships. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in archaeology, history, and related fields.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Study the human past in all its diversity while learning the skills that will ensure future career success. Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the hunter-gatherers of Ice Age Europe to the inhabitants of early modern cities. Discover what life was like for these past societies and learn the techniques and approaches that we use to study them. You will have access to modern research facilities; our laboratory is equipped for the analysis of human remains and environmental samples, facilities for experimental archaeology and artefact recording, and state-of-the-art computer suites. Modules include field trips to sites, monuments and museums across North West England and Wales. Study a thousand years of local, national and international history. With themes ranging from identity, race and ethnicity to politics and justice, from leisure and the landscape to war, conflict and social change, encompassing a wide variety of embedded skills. From Medieval to Modern, from local to global, we embrace a range of approaches including social, cultural and political history but also the study of material culture, digital humanities and the application of history in a practical context to help develop your employability prospects. By challenging existing narratives about the past, you will be encouraged to think critically about how and why these narratives have developed. You will explore important themes and issues relating to race, diversity, gender, imperialism, conflict and climate change. Our exciting course offers not only an exploration of the past but also a gateway to your future.

Assessment:

Assessment for Archaeology is varied: written work in the form of essays, reports and portfolios, oral presentations, and examinations all feature. In all cases, our assessment develops and enhances your key employability skills. You will be assessed through a wide range of coursework methods for History, all of which are designed not only to test your understanding of history but also to allow you to develop and demonstrate skills that are essential for success after university. These include essays, source analyses, literature reviews and oral presentations, but also reflective exercises, digital assignments including video essays and other digital media, poster presentations and portfolios. There are no exams on our History course.

Teaching:

Our teaching comprises a mixture of lectures, seminars, site visits and practical workshops. Some modules will also involve a larger element of practical work, undertaken in either the field or the laboratory.

Careers:

The varied experiences gained over the degree course makes archaeology graduates desirable to recruiters because of the diversity of their transferrable skills. Graduates go on to work in a broad range of sectors including heritage; media; IT; journalism; advertising and marketing; law; finance; government/civil service; education; tourism; conservation and environment; and forensics. History graduates from Chester have pursued a wide range of careers reflecting the excellent transferable skills offered by a History degree, including - amongst many others - careers in teaching, law, the civil service, publishing, business, IT and research. The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance. Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work. We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Other:

You’ll have the opportunity to work as a professional historian and produce material for public consumption. During the second year of the degree, our students have worked directly with history and heritage organisations – ranging from BBC History Magazine to the National Trust – to produce walking tours, historic pamphlets, websites and apps, and public exhibitions, and enhance their CV and employability. On this course, you have the option of carrying out a four-week training excavation in the Easter term of Year 2, where you will learn the practical techniques of archaeological fieldwork. You may also have the opportunity to work on excavations carried out by members of staff in the summer. On this course, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake an Experiential Learning module, where you will gain first-hand experience. Illustrative examples of experiences that might be undertaken include excavation, finds recording and analysis, other fieldwork and placements within heritage or government archaeological bodies or museums. Our Experiential Overseas Learning module offers a unique opportunity to participate in a short-term placement (of at least 150 hours) around the world. This course offers the exciting opportunity to study abroad for a full academic year. Whilst abroad: Students will undertake study at one of our partner universities; it is expected that students will choose a series of modules at the university abroad, which accrue at least (100 credits; 50 ECTS). Additional subjects may be taken, but these can only be used for credit if the university abroad assigns ECTS credits to them (i.e., if students pass all the required assessments associated with the relevant module at the university abroad).

Tuition Fees and Payment Information:

Home Students

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2024/25 are £9,250 a year, or £1,540 per 20-credit module for part-time study. The University may increase these fees at the start of each subsequent year of your course in line with inflation at that time, as measured by the Retail Price Index. These fee levels and increases are subject to any necessary government, and other regulatory, approvals. Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

International/EU Students

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2024/25 are £13,950. This fee is set for each year of study. All undergraduate students are eligible for international and merit-based scholarships which are applicable to each year of study. For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section. Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.