Skip to main content

University of Reading Cookie Policy

We use cookies on reading.ac.uk to improve your experience. Find out more about our cookie policy. By continuing to use our site you accept these terms, and are happy for us to use cookies to improve your browsing experience.

Continue using the University of Reading website

  • Schools and departments
  • Henley Business School
  • University of Reading Malaysia
  • Applicants
  • Student
  • Staff
  • Alumni
Show/Hide navigation
University of Reading University of Reading
Mobile search categories
  • Study and life
  • Research
  • About us
  • View courses
  • Home
  • Study and life
    • Study
    • Student life
    • Accommodation
    • Open Days and visiting
    • International students
  • Research
    • Themes
    • Impact
    • Innovation and partnerships
    • Research environment
    • Get involved
  • About us
    • Our global community
    • Business
    • Local community
    • Visit us
    • Strategy
    • Governance
    • Contact us
  • Applicants
  • Student
  • Staff
  • Alumni
  • Schools and departments
  • Henley Business School
  • University of Reading Malaysia
  • View courses
mask
CHOOSE A SUBJECT
2022/23
2023/24
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Undergraduates
Postgraduates

Subjects A-B

  • Agriculture
  • Archaeology

Subjects C-E

  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Economics

Subjects H-M

  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Marketing
  • Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

  • Politics and International Relations
  • Surveying and Construction

Subjects A-B

  • Business (Post-Experience)

Subjects H-P

  • Healthcare
  • Pharmacy
  • Physician Associate

Subjects A-B

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Science
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architectural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Bioveterinary Sciences
  • Building and Surveying
  • Business and Management

Subjects C-E

  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Classical Studies
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management
  • Consumer Behaviour and Marketing
  • Creative Writing
  • Criminology
  • Drama
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environment

Subjects F-G

  • Film & Television
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Foundation programmes
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Graphic Communication and Design

Subjects H-M

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • International Development
  • International Foundation Programme (IFP)
  • International Relations
  • Italian
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Sciences
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Museum Studies

Subjects N-T

  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate Studies
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Spanish
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Surveying and Construction
  • Teaching
  • Theatre & Performance

Subjects U-Z

  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Zoology

Subjects A-C

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Ancient History
  • Animal Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Business (Post-Experience)
  • Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
  • Chemistry
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Construction Management and Engineering
  • Consumer Behaviour
  • Creative Enterprise
  • Creative Writing

Subjects D-G

  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Energy and Environmental Engineering
  • Engineering
  • English Language and Applied Linguistics
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Film, Theatre and Television
  • Finance
  • Food and Nutritional Sciences
  • Geography and Environmental Science
  • Graphic Design

Subjects H-P

  • Healthcare
  • History
  • Information Management and Digital Business
  • Information Technology
  • International Development and Applied Economics
  • Languages and Cultures
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Meteorology and Climate
  • Microbiology
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacy
  • Philosophy
  • Physician Associate
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Project Management
  • Psychology
  • Public Policy

Subjects Q-Z

  • Real Estate and Planning
  • Social Policy
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Strategic Studies
  • Teacher training
  • Theatre
  • Typography and Graphic Communication
  • War and Peace Studies
  • Zoology

BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Study Year Abroad

  • UCAS code
    VV43
  • Typical offer
    BBB
  • Year of entry
    2023/24
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  4 Years
  • Year of entry
    2023/24
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  4 Years

Discover the ancient Greco-Roman world, spend a year in another country, and take the opportunity to join an archaeological dig and study abroad, with our BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Study Year Abroad degree.

At the University of Reading, our BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Study Year Abroad joint degree combines the study of ancient history – and its political, military, social and cultural contexts – with invaluable archaeological training. Through your study of ancient history, you’ll immerse yourself in the rich culture of Greece and Rome from around 2000BC to 600AD and discover how these ancient civilisations have influenced the modern world. Your archaeological studies will take you further back in time, broaden the geographical focus, and enable you to experience the excitement of genuine discovery.

Explore a new location with Study Abroad

A key component of this course is a fourth year so that you can further your studies at one of our partner universities abroad during your third year. Studying abroad is an opportunity to increase your cultural awareness and explore a new location. The Department enjoys active links with approved partner universities in Europe, Canada and the US, including:

  • Aarhus University, Denmark
  • University of Florida
  • University of Malta
  • University of Sydney.

All classes are conducted in English and bursaries are available to help with travel and accommodation costs.

BA Ancient History and Archaeology students sometimes choose to apply to visit Malta and study Phoenician and Punic archaeology. The Department of Classics also has strong links to the British School in Athens and the British School in Rome.

Your learning environment

You will benefit from the joint expertise provided by both our Department of Classics and Department of Archaeology.

In the Department of Classics, our academics are at the forefront of their disciplines. Their research feeds directly into your studies, exposing you to the latest developments in the field. We achieved a 91% satisfaction score for the teaching on our courses (National Student Survey, 2022). In the same survey we achieved a 92% satisfaction score for BA Ancient History. 

The Department of Archaeology has an outstanding track record for student satisfaction, with scores consistently between 90-100% for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2010-2022, with Archaeology achieving the highest score for overall student satisfaction in the UK in 2022. Core modules will provide you with a solid historical and archaeological grounding, and optional modules will allow you to explore the different periods, cultures and countries that interest you. Popular modules taken by students on this degree include: History and Culture of New Kingdom Egypt and Rome's Mediterranean Empire.

  • Read about our Head of Department of Archaeology Professor Hella Eckardt’s research.

Enhance your knowledge through varied learning opportunities

Through your studies, you will address important questions relevant to our global future – human diets and health, environmental change, and inequality, migration and identity – and trace them back to their roots, exploring different periods of ancient history through both literary and material sources.

You can also enhance your knowledge and understanding of the ancient world through varied learning opportunities, such as:

  • optional Latin and Greek language modules
  • hands-on experience with artefacts from the University’s Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, which features one of the largest collections of Greek and Egyptian antiquities in Britain
  • archaeological excavations in the UK and Europe, including prehistoric monuments, Roman cities and medieval castles.

Read about Marcie Weeks’s experience as an alumnus of our BA Archaeology and History degree.

Archaeology field school

During your studies, you will have the opportunity to participate in our Archaeology field school. The field school enables you to gain direct, hands-on experience in all aspects of an archaeological excavation, including:

  • excavation
  • surveying
  • GIS (Geographical Information Systems) mapping
  • planning
  • finds processing.

You will be able to put your skills into practice and contribute to new archaeological knowledge through our discoveries. Many recent students have opted to conduct their field school placement at the Roman town of Silchester, helping to uncover the details of this unusually well-preserved site.

Placements

You will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into the professional workplace, both through specialist modules and placements. These include:

  • our five-day Work Placement for Classicists and Ancient Historians module
  • our Academic Work Placement module offers insight into the world of professional academia, while working with an academic on their research
  • work experience opportunities at the Ure Museum, for students aspiring to careers in the museum or heritage sector
  • paid summer placement in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP), working with an academic on their research.

Previous placement students have:

  • conducted collections-based research
  • drawn archaeological finds
  • helped to design experimental archaeology
  • supported marketing and public engagement activities within our museums.

Opportunities to gain field work experience are also encouraged, through external organisations and placement providers such as Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd, and Thames Valley Archaeological Services.

Prospective teachers can gain experience through volunteering in a local school via the University’s Students in Schools scheme, or work with the Ure Museum to host workshops for local primary schools.

Alternatively, you could opt for a different four-year programme featuring an integrated professional placement year, allowing you to gain valuable experience and put your skills and knowledge into practice.

Overview

Discover the ancient Greco-Roman world, spend a year in another country, and take the opportunity to join an archaeological dig and study abroad, with our BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Study Year Abroad degree.

At the University of Reading, our BA Ancient History and Archaeology with Study Year Abroad joint degree combines the study of ancient history – and its political, military, social and cultural contexts – with invaluable archaeological training. Through your study of ancient history, you’ll immerse yourself in the rich culture of Greece and Rome from around 2000BC to 600AD and discover how these ancient civilisations have influenced the modern world. Your archaeological studies will take you further back in time, broaden the geographical focus, and enable you to experience the excitement of genuine discovery.

Explore a new location with Study Abroad

A key component of this course is a fourth year so that you can further your studies at one of our partner universities abroad during your third year. Studying abroad is an opportunity to increase your cultural awareness and explore a new location. The Department enjoys active links with approved partner universities in Europe, Canada and the US, including:

  • Aarhus University, Denmark
  • University of Florida
  • University of Malta
  • University of Sydney.

All classes are conducted in English and bursaries are available to help with travel and accommodation costs.

BA Ancient History and Archaeology students sometimes choose to apply to visit Malta and study Phoenician and Punic archaeology. The Department of Classics also has strong links to the British School in Athens and the British School in Rome.

Learning

Your learning environment

You will benefit from the joint expertise provided by both our Department of Classics and Department of Archaeology.

In the Department of Classics, our academics are at the forefront of their disciplines. Their research feeds directly into your studies, exposing you to the latest developments in the field. We achieved a 91% satisfaction score for the teaching on our courses (National Student Survey, 2022). In the same survey we achieved a 92% satisfaction score for BA Ancient History. 

The Department of Archaeology has an outstanding track record for student satisfaction, with scores consistently between 90-100% for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2010-2022, with Archaeology achieving the highest score for overall student satisfaction in the UK in 2022. Core modules will provide you with a solid historical and archaeological grounding, and optional modules will allow you to explore the different periods, cultures and countries that interest you. Popular modules taken by students on this degree include: History and Culture of New Kingdom Egypt and Rome's Mediterranean Empire.

  • Read about our Head of Department of Archaeology Professor Hella Eckardt’s research.

Enhance your knowledge through varied learning opportunities

Through your studies, you will address important questions relevant to our global future – human diets and health, environmental change, and inequality, migration and identity – and trace them back to their roots, exploring different periods of ancient history through both literary and material sources.

You can also enhance your knowledge and understanding of the ancient world through varied learning opportunities, such as:

  • optional Latin and Greek language modules
  • hands-on experience with artefacts from the University’s Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, which features one of the largest collections of Greek and Egyptian antiquities in Britain
  • archaeological excavations in the UK and Europe, including prehistoric monuments, Roman cities and medieval castles.

Read about Marcie Weeks’s experience as an alumnus of our BA Archaeology and History degree.

Archaeology field school

During your studies, you will have the opportunity to participate in our Archaeology field school. The field school enables you to gain direct, hands-on experience in all aspects of an archaeological excavation, including:

  • excavation
  • surveying
  • GIS (Geographical Information Systems) mapping
  • planning
  • finds processing.

You will be able to put your skills into practice and contribute to new archaeological knowledge through our discoveries. Many recent students have opted to conduct their field school placement at the Roman town of Silchester, helping to uncover the details of this unusually well-preserved site.

Placements

You will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and insight into the professional workplace, both through specialist modules and placements. These include:

  • our five-day Work Placement for Classicists and Ancient Historians module
  • our Academic Work Placement module offers insight into the world of professional academia, while working with an academic on their research
  • work experience opportunities at the Ure Museum, for students aspiring to careers in the museum or heritage sector
  • paid summer placement in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP), working with an academic on their research.

Previous placement students have:

  • conducted collections-based research
  • drawn archaeological finds
  • helped to design experimental archaeology
  • supported marketing and public engagement activities within our museums.

Opportunities to gain field work experience are also encouraged, through external organisations and placement providers such as Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd, and Thames Valley Archaeological Services.

Prospective teachers can gain experience through volunteering in a local school via the University’s Students in Schools scheme, or work with the Ure Museum to host workshops for local primary schools.

Alternatively, you could opt for a different four-year programme featuring an integrated professional placement year, allowing you to gain valuable experience and put your skills and knowledge into practice.

Entry requirements A Level BBB

Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.

Typical offer

BBB

International Baccalaureate

30 points overall

Extended Project Qualification

In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, we can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDM

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with no component below 5.5

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the University of Reading’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.

  • Learn more about our International Foundation programme

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3
  • Year 4
  • Year 5

Core modules include:

  • Archaeology today: methods and practice
  • Ancient empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome
  • Greek history: war, society, and change in the Archaic Age
  • Roman history: the rise and fall of the Republic

    Optional modules include:

    • Revolutions in human behaviour: 4 million years BC to the present
    • Forensic anthropology and the archaeology of death
    • Contemporary world cultures: an introduction to social anthropology
    • Ancient Song
    • Texts, Readers, and Writers
    • Economy, politics and culture in the Roman world
    • Introduction to Quaternary science
    • Museum history, policy and ethics
    • Presenting the past

    Please note that all modules are subject to change.

    For more information about this course, visit the Department's website.

    The second year is made up of a number of compulsory modules that will give you a strong background in the subject, as well as optional modules that let you explore your own interests.

    Modules include:

    • Prospects for classicists and ancient historians
    • Work placement for classicists and ancient historians
    • Ice and fire: the European palaeolithic
    • Medieval Europe: power, religion and death
    • Rome's Mediterranean empire
    • Archaeology fieldschool joint honours
    • Artefacts in archaeology
    • Museum learning and engagement
    • Curatorship and collections management
    • Archaeologies: past, present and future
    • Forensic archaeology and crime scene analysis
    • Archaeological science
    • Bioarchaeology
    • Summer micro-placement
    • Summer placement
    • Late Quaternary environmental change and human activities

      Please note that all modules are subject to change.

      For more information about this course, visit the Department's website.

      Study year abroad

      In your third academic year, the course is made up of a number of compulsory modules that will give you a strong background in the subject, as well as optional modules that let you explore your own interests.

      Core modules include:

      • Dissertation

       Optional modules include:

      • Preparation for dissertation in Classics
      • Independent third year project
      • The archaeology of crusading
      • The Neanderthals
      • Emergence of civilisation in Mesopotamia
      • Archaeology of the city of Rome
      • Human activities in settlements and landscapes
      • Biological anthropology
      • Coastal and maritime archaeology
      • Vikings in the west
      • Summer placement
      • Tropical rainforests, climate and lost civilisations
      • Hidden heritage: investigating and interpreting historic buildings and landscapes
      • Ancient Greek 1
      • Latin 1 (C)
      • Anatolia and the Aegean
      • Archaeology and topography of ancient Greece
      • British school at Rome undergraduate summer school
      • Gender in classical antiquity
      • Late antique Egypt
      • Saints and holy men
      • Hidden histories: investigating and interpreting historic buildings and landscapes
      • Urban life: the archaeology and anthropology of Roman cities
      • Pioneers of classical archaeology
      • Transformations of Helen
      • History, culture and society in the time of Nero

      Please note that all modules are subject to change.

      For more information about this course, visit the Department's website.

      In your fourth academic year, core modules include:

      • Urban life: the archaeology and anthropology of Roman cities
      • Pioneers of classical archaeology
      • Technology in the ancient world
      • Transformations of Helen

      Please note that all modules are subject to change.

      For more information about this course, visit the Department's website.

      Fees

      New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250

      New international students: £20,300

      UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

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

      EU student fees

      With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

      Year abroad fees

      If you spend a full year abroad, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact studyabroad@reading.ac.uk.

      Additional costs

      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 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.

      Careers

      You'll gain a broad range of subject-specific and transferable skills and experiences spanning the sciences and humanities, such as the ability to analyse and understand complex information and to research, document and present findings in a coherent manner, as well as the ability to empathise with others from diverse cultures, backgrounds and beliefs.

      This can lead you to a variety of careers in different sectors, including:

      • archaeology and heritage (including commercial archaeology, museum, archive)
      • business, consulting and management
      • marketing, advertising, PR and media
      • public sector (including central government, charities, intelligence services)
      • teaching and education
      • publishing
      • insurance and the law.

      Past graduates have gone on to work with organisations including:

      • the Museum of London Archaeology
      • the Daily Telegraph
      • Infonetica
      • Harman Build
      • the Zoological Society of London
      • Christie's Auction House.

      Read how Rebecca MacRae landed roles at the British Museum and Bipolar UK thanks to the transferable skills she acquired during her time at Reading.

      The fieldwork experience has been invaluable in my career development since I left university. I learnt how to excavate and record features of differing periods to a high standard and was able to prove this to employers on my CV.

      Ross Baker
      BA Ancient History and Archaeology

      Contextual offers


      We make contextual offers for all our courses.

      Take the next step


      How to apply for 2023 entry

      Come to an Open Day

      Get a prospectus

      Ask us a question

      Chat to our students

      Related Subjects


      • Ancient History
      • Archaeology

      Ready for more?

      How to apply
      Visit an Open Day
      Get a prospectus
      View courses
      • Charitable Status
      • Accessibility
      • Privacy Policy
      • Cookies
      • Terms of use
      • Sitemap

      © University of Reading