Archaeology and anthropology are two closely linked subjects and a combined honours degree gives you the opportunity to study the considerable common ground between them. Exploring people and society in the past as well as the present, you will engage with ethnographic studies of cultures around the world and have the chance to study human remains. Through the archaeological side of the programme, you will be taught how to understand the human experience and life through the study of physical evidence and how such evidence is identified, gathered, analysed and interpreted. This includes such subjects as material culture, environmental reconstruction, landscapes, technologies and human-animal interactions. Introductory modules will quickly bring you up to speed with the key topics and principles that underpin all archaeological research and allow you to explore the history and prehistory of the world. Themes covered in years two and three include Egyptology, medieval, Neolithic, Roman or Bronze Age archaeology; and hands-on techniques such as analysing artefacts, animal bones, human and plant remains or understanding the landscape through methods such as aerial survey. The physical anthropology aspect of the programme is taught in the Department of Archaeology where the focus is on human remains and the means by which we understand for example, our evolution, health, mortality and mortuary practices. Anthropological modules with a focus on social and cultural anthropology are taught within the Department of Sociology and Philosophy. Here you will learn fundamental questions about society and culture, while investigating the rich diversity of human life across the globe. Modules cover classic anthropological ideas concerning, for example, ritual, kinship, witchcraft, and ethnicity, along with how anthropologists have contributed to debates on important current issues such as health, war and violence, science and technology, consumption and the environment. You will be able to examine witchcraft beliefs in Africa as a commentary on globalisation and economic change; Egyptian TV series as expressions of gender relations, power and nation building; and the work of gold miners in West Africa as a specific way of people relating to their environment.

Our Archaeology graduates have an excellent reputation with graduate recruiters and our students and graduates compete very successfully in the employment market. Six months after graduation 91.4%* of our Archaeology graduates are employed or in further study. The broad-based nature of Archaeology and the skills it provides give a strong grounding for a wide range of careers, not only those directly related to archaeology but also in fields such as education, heritage and business. Archaeology combines humanities and scientific disciplines providing good opportunities to develop the skills that are attractive to employers. Team work; problem solving; analysis; research; presentation and organisational skills are developed through a programme that is both practical and theoretical.