University of Southampton

Course Details

BA Ancient History and Archaeology

Course Description

Are you interested in studying ancient artefacts to learn about the influence ancient cultures have on modern society? Apply for the BA in Ancient History and Archaeology degree at the University of Southampton and develop archaeological and anthropological thought of the past. Study the landscapes and seascapes of Britain’s past to understand how it has developed over decades and discover human origins to gain an insight into how we have evolved. You will be given the opportunity to use cutting edge technology through this combined bachelors degree to develop research and archival skills, preparing you for further study in a postgraduate degree or moving on to a subject related career. Graduates from the Ancient History and Archaeology BA degree have gained employment in heritage management, museums or archaeological research. This BA programme harnesses the complementary strengths of Archaeology and Ancient History to transform our understanding of the past. In choosing this degree you will gain the opportunity to study and research to a high level, equipping yourself with specialist knowledge in your chosen areas of study. Archaeology and Ancient History at Southampton offers you the opportunity to learn in an engaging, supportive and highly successful research environment. Southampton’s Faculty of Humanities contains leading experts in an enormous range of fields (Archaeology, History, Language, Literature and Film), related to archaeology and the ancient world. From ancient Egypt to Minoan civilisation, from the conquests of Alexander the Great to the Roman empire, from Roman Britain to the ancient Americas and the Middle East, from ancient philosophy and the biblical world to the rise of Islam, studying Archaeology and Ancient History at Southampton affords you the chance to engage with topics about which you are already passionate, or to try something entirely new. This might mean application of cutting edge technology to discover and map new sites, or develop complimentary archival research skills. Whatever you choose, Archaeology and Ancient History at Southampton will enable you to gain invaluable skills and study topics about which both you and our staff are passionate.

Course Duration

NumberDuration
3year

Career outcomes

An Archaeology and Ancient History degree is excellent preparation for future employment, offering a balance of sciences and arts and providing a range of both practical and intellectual components. These allow graduates to demonstrate many of the abilities that employers are known to look for such as working as part of a team, presentation skills, evidence-based reasoning, problem solving, project management, report writing and independent critical thinking. A high proportion of our graduates find full-time employment within six months of completing their degree (94% in 2012 compared with the national average for all graduates of 91%) and they follow a very wide range of career paths. Recently, our graduates have found jobs in such diverse areas as accountancy, administration, civil service, cartography and aerial photography, computer engineering and animation, geographic information systems, graphic design, life-guarding, nursing, the police, the armed services, environmental health, countryside management, engineering management, marketing, business, retailing and entertainment management. The BA (Hons) in Archaeology and Ancient History is also an ideal preparation for further study (for a Masters or research degree) or for a subject-related career in professional Archaeology, heritage management, digital heritage, museums, archaeological research , teaching (in subjects such as geography, history or archaeology), geophysical survey, or heritage tourism.

BA Ancient History and Archaeology University of Southampton