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BA ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY WITH PROFESSIONAL PLACEMENT VL47

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Full Time: 4 Years

Explore humanity from its earliest origins to the cultures and societies of today with our BA Archaeology and Anthropology with Professional Placement degree.

This four-year, joint honours course combines archaeology’s examination of material evidence from our past and present with anthropology’s focus on human development and contemporary cultures and societies. Studying these two disciplines together allows you insight and understanding of what it means to be human.

This understanding will be crucial in addressing issues critical to our shared global future, including:

  • the relationship between humans and environmental change
  • inequality, migration and identity
  • population growth and development
  • human diets and health
  • politics, economics and sustainability.

By examining human development, behaviour and different cultures, you will better understand the roots of these issues, and learn how other societies have tackled comparable problems – and how contemporary societies are addressing them now.

Using methodological approaches from the sciences, social sciences and humanities, you will examine the diversity of human experience. You will learn about the biological evolution of our earliest ancestors, the pre-historical and historical development of different cultures, and present-day ways of life and social issues.

During your studies you will analyse:

  • material culture
  • biological evidence
  • ethnographic evidence
  • theoretical and empirical perspectives from the past and present.

Professional Placement

A key component of this course is a fourth year so that you can complete a placement during your third year of study.

A professional placement allows you to apply – and increase – your academic knowledge while enhancing your employability.

Previous placement students have analysed samples in labs, processed human remains, worked on hominin skeletal morphology, drawn archaeological finds, conducted collections-based research, studied the ecology of the Crusades through isotope analysis and faunal remains, investigated paleoclimate records, and participated in castle excavations in Spain.

You can complete your placement with an employer in the UK or abroad, and take advantage of our connections with a range of organisations in the archaeological, heritage, planning and museum sectors, including:

  • research institutions
  • government organisations
  • local planning authorities
  • archaeological consultancies
  • field units
  • archivists.

Alternatively, you may choose to complete a placement in a non-related business or industry to explore different career options.

Recent placement employers have included:

  • Oxford Archaeology
  • Mediterranean Paleoclimate Project
  • Ure Museum
  • Cole Museum of Zoology
  • the Museum of English Rural Life
  • QUEST, the University of Reading’s scientific consultancy company.

In addition to your formal professional placement, you will also be encouraged to undertake short placements with local and regional employers during your studies.

For more information about securing and completing a placement for your placement year, please visit our Important Information page.

Studying at Reading

During your studies, you will work with academics from our Department of Archaeology – and other experts from our School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science – who are passionate about reconstructing our past to influence our future. For example,

  • Dr Mary Lewis analyses skeletal remains to uncover the health of past peoples
  • Professor Hella Eckardt is proving Britain’s long history of diversity
  • Dr Aleks Pluskowski is using environmental archaeology to provide a different perspective on the impact of religious change
  • Dr Alanna Cant studies how people make use of culture and the past in today’s world.

Our research directly informs what you learn at Reading, and it is highly regarded in the field: 97% of our research overall was judged to be world leading, internationally excellent, or internationally recognised, according the latest Research Excellence Framework, 2014.

We provide a welcoming, friendly community. Our staff are approachable and aim to create a supportive learning environment, and lively student-led societies like RUined (Reading University Archaeology Society) offer a variety of social events and activities.

Reading is ranked in the top 10 UK universities for Archaeology (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2019), and we have an outstanding track record for student satisfaction, with scores consistently between 90-100% for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2010-2018.

Your learning environment

On this course you will learn through a combination of:

  • field classes and fieldwork projects
  • lectures and seminars
  • laboratory and other practical work
  • placements.

Depending on your module choices, methods of assessment can range from fieldwork diaries and laboratory-based practical tests to article critiques and presentations.

Your studies will encompass ethnographic approaches and case studies, and the study of social and scientific archaeology, including:

  • the investigation of artefacts recovered through excavation
  • the study of human bones (including osteology and palaeopathology)
  • the study of plant and animal remains
  • human-environment interaction
  • how climate and environmental change have affected lives past and present
  • religious, social, economic and political diversity around the world.

You will gain direct, hands-on experience in all aspects of an archaeological excavation through your time with the Archaeology Field School (currently run at Silchester Roman Town and Dunyvaig Castle on Islay). You will also be encouraged to get involved in other archaeological excavations in the UK and abroad, such as at prehistoric monuments, Roman cities, and medieval castles.

In addition to excavation skills, you will also learn about surveying, GIS (geographical information systems) mapping, planning, and finds processing. 

Specialist fieldwork equipment will enrich and support your learning, as will access to our extensive collections of artefacts, biological and geological specimens, analytical IT software facilities, and diverse suite of laboratories. You will also have access to our three on-site museums and the University’s special collections.

Through practical work you will be able to experience the excitement of discovery and have the chance to make a direct contribution through the creation of new archaeological and anthropological knowledge. 

Flexible study options

Tailor your degree to your interests with our range of optional modules and flexible pathway structure. For example, you can pursue pathways in:

  • cultural diversity
  • global development, inequality and sustainable living
  • biological and evolutionary anthropology
  • environmental and climatic change
  • material culture and heritage.

You can also choose to study this course over three years with our BA Archaeology and Anthropology. Other four year options include:

New UK/EU students: £9,250* per year

New international students: £20,830 per year

* UK and EU fee changes

UK undergraduate fees are regulated by the government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK and EU** students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

From 2020, the UK government may link tuition fees to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

**EU students

For more information on fees, loans and grants for EU students, see fees and funding for home/EU students.

Additional costs

These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Placement Year fees

If you spend a full year on placement – including professional and research placements and industrial experience – you’ll pay a discounted tuition fee for that year.

For Home/EU students, the discounted fee is subject to parliamentary approval and is currently capped at £1,385.

For International students, the discount is 15% of your normal tuition fee.

For more information, please contact placements@reading.ac.uk.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Flexible courses (price per 10 credit module)

Home/EU students: £750

International students: £1275

* UK and EU Fee Changes

Subject to the Government passing legislation to raise the minimum fee cap, we will raise undergraduate tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 for new UK/EU students applying to start courses in the 2017/18 academic year. You will not be affected by this rise if you have deferred entry to the 2017/18 academic year. The Government will confirm future arrangements for EU students in due course.

The tuition fee will remain £9,000 per year for the full duration of this course if you start in the 2016/17 academic year or have accepted an offer but deferred your entry until the 2017/18 academic year. This is unlike other institutions who are planning to raise fees midway through courses.

For further information, please see our webpage on the Teaching Excellence Framework and future tuition fees.

Additional costs

These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Studying a joint honours degree in archaeology and anthropology means you will develop a broad range of subject-specific and transferable skills in the humanities and the sciences, preparing you for a diverse range of career opportunities.

The archaeology, heritage, education, public and not-for-profit sectors are popular choices for graduates of the archaeology and anthropology disciplines.

Roles within marketing, advertising, PR and the media require the communication and analytical skills you will develop during your studies. A career in insurance or the law is also possible, requiring the ability to formulate and articulate arguments based on facts – an ability that will be nurtured during your time at Reading.

Anthropology can be a path into international development (with governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations), agriculture, health, and social research, and social policy.

Archaeology, meanwhile, can lead to a career in commercial archaeology or the heritage sector, perhaps in a museum or archive, or you could take advantage of development-led archaeology opportunities in planning departments and commercial companies. We have long-established, excellent relationships with employers within the archaeology and related sectors, including Oxford Archaeology and Cotswold Archaeology, both of which regularly consider our graduates for vacancies.