Full Time: 4 Years | including a placement and study abroad
Explore one of the top scientific archaeology courses in the UK through our outstanding teaching collections and laboratory facilities – with dedicated spaces for the analysis of human remains, artefacts, plant pollen, and archaeological soils and sediments.
Study at the eighth-highest ranking UK university for archaeology, also ranked 31st in the world (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2018).
We have an outstanding track record for student satisfaction, with satisfaction scores of 90-100% for the quality of our courses in every National Student Survey between 2010 and 2017.
BSc Archaeological Science differs from our BA Archaeology course as it concentrates much more on the scientific and forensic aspects of archaeology. On this course, you will gain a wide range of skills to assist you in the study of human bones (including osteology and palaeopathology), enabling you to learn more about past societies, diets and diseases.
You will have the opportunity to participate in a dedicated Field School during your course, providing you with direct hands-on experience in all aspects of an archaeological excavation. Put your skills into practice, including excavation, surveying, GIS (geographical information systems) mapping, planning, and finds processing, and contribute to archaeological knowledge through our discoveries.
The course also has a strong focus on environmental archaeology and geoarchaeology, through which you will make fascinating discoveries about ancient human societies, as well as the evolution of landscapes and climate change.
This diverse approach presents you with many areas to explore and specialise in, providing you with plenty of options for your final-year dissertation.
If you are interested in studying abroad, you have the opportunity to spend a term at Aarhus University in Denmark or the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland in your second year, getting to know a new academic and cultural environment.
Placement year or year abroad
This four-year degree course includes study at a university abroad, and a placement in your third year, giving you the opportunity to develop valuable professional and international experience. You will spend one semester studying abroad and then undertake a half-year professional placement abroad or back in the UK.
We provide opportunities for you to undertake placements in a variety of contexts. Placements are an excellent way to enhance your work-related skills and develop a network of contacts, as well as strengthen your employability prospects.
Opportunities are available working across the Archaeological, Heritage, Planning and Museum sectors including: research institutions, government organisations, local planning authorities, archaeological consultancies, field units, specialists and archivists. Alternatively you can choose a placement in a non-related business or industry, exploring different career options and enhancing your employability by drawing on the many non-vocational, transferable skills you obtain from an Archaeology degree.
Recent examples include:
- Traineeship with Oxford Archaeology
- Traineeship at the Field School
- Archaeological science placement at QUEST, the University of Reading’s scientific consultancy company
- Volunteering at the Ure Museum, Cole Museum of Zoology and the Museum of English Rural Life
- Human remains placement
- Mediterranean Palaeoclimate Project placement
- Hominin Skeletal Morphology placement
- Archaeological Graphics placement
- Lithics Reference Collection placement
- “Developing Experimental Archaeology for Research and Training” placement
- “The Ecology of Crusading: Isotope Analysis and Faunal Remains” placement
- Summer Enterprise Experience and Discovery internship scheme
Our department has a dedicated member of staff in charge of placements, who can provide you with advice and support.
More information on the placement and study abroad selection process.
Students opting to undertake a standard three-year degree course will also have the opportunity to take a fully-credited placement or to spend a single term at one of our partner Universities abroad. Current options include the Universities of Malta, Aarhus (Denmark), Torún (Poland) and the University of Florida in Gainesville (U.S.A.).
Quick look entry requirements A Level ABB-BBB | IB 30-32 pts overall
What will you study?
How much will it cost?
How much will it cost?
New UK/EU students: £9250* per year
New international students: £19330 per year
* 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.
Information on this page is based on 2018/19 figures and is likely to change slightly for 2019/20 entry. We will publish up-to-date information about 2019/20 entry as soon as it becomes available.
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.
* 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.
What career can you have?
What career can you have?
The University of Reading is 5th in the UK for percentage of graduates in employment or further study six months after graduation (The Guardian University Guide 2016; Forensic Science and Archaeology subject table) and we have long-established, excellent relationships with employers within archaeology and related sectors.
You will gain a broad range of subject-specific and transferable skills spanning the humanities and sciences. The majority of employers consider your attitude and abilities to be even more important than the subject you choose to study (CBI Skills Survey 2014). Our curriculum is designed with this in mind, giving you not just knowledge in subjects you are passionate about, but also the qualities that employers really care about – qualities that are transferable to a diverse range of careers.
As a world-class department with internationally-renowned teaching staff, a degree in Archaeology at the University of Reading is the best possible foundation to begin your career in commercial archaeology, planning, heritage management and archaeological research, as well as disciplines such as teaching, business and marketing.
Our recent graduates are represented among the staff of major employers such as Oxford Archaeology, Wessex Archaeology, the Museum of London Archaeology and the Natural History Museum. Some of our graduates have progressed into roles in the police force and in teaching at both primary and secondary levels. Each year a number of graduates pursue further, higher study following graduation.