Archaeology with Study Year Abroad BA (Hons)

University of Reading

Explore the material remains of past societies – from the first hominins millions of years ago to the modern day – and broaden your skills and experience by studying overseas with our accredited BA Archaeology with Study Year Abroad degree.

Exciting career opportunities

Archaeology is more than studying the past: it’s a discipline that actively prepares you for the job market. You’ll develop an impressive range of practical and academic skills, whether you want to move into the archaeology or heritage sectors or enter a wide range of other industries and careers.

More than 40 major infrastructure projects are planned across the UK over the next 17 years, and archaeologists are required for exploratory excavations and analysis before construction begins. In 2021 David Connolly, Director of British Archaeological Jobs and Resources, said: “For all the infrastructure projects the government is pushing forward…the country is anywhere from 500 to 1,000 archaeologists short.” 

Many graduates from the Department of Archaeology use their breadth and depth of expertise across the humanities and sciences to enter careers such as teaching, policing, industry and commerce.

Train as an archaeologist at the University of Reading

• The University of Reading is in the top 100 in the world for Archaeology (QS World Rankings by Subject, 2023, Archaeology. The University of Reading is ranked 51-100 in the world and is the joint 9th highest placed UK university).
• The University of Reading scored 2nd best for teaching quality in Archaeology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024).
• The University of Reading is ranked 1st in the UK for research quality and research outputs in Archaeology (Times Higher Education Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest REF 2021).
• Overall, 97% of graduates from Archaeology are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2023, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21; includes all Archaeology responders).

Over four years, you’ll learn how to investigate, interpret and present our human past.

Archaeology at Reading also allows you to put your learning into practice, through excavations, surveying or GIS (geographic information systems), and make a direct contribution to new subject knowledge.

At Reading, you’ll examine archaeological issues that are critical to our shared global future, including:

• human diets and health
• climate and environmental change
• inequality
• migration
• identity.

By studying human development, you’ll understand how critical issues of today have roots in the past, and how previous cultures tackled comparable problems.

We’ll support you to develop a broad range of subject-specific and transferable skills that span the humanities and sciences. Your learning will encompass:

• the investigation of artefacts recovered through excavations and standing monuments
• the rise of organised religion through to the Crusades
• handling human remains to learn about burial archaeology
• examining how ideas of gender are reflected and imposed through the material world
• how climate and environmental change has impacted lives past and present
• how stories about the past are conveyed through museums and the media.

Study Year Abroad

This degree includes an integrated year studying at a university overseas, between your second and final year. This year offers a fantastic opportunity to experience life in another country and broaden your horizons.

The Department of Archaeology has active links with universities in Europe and the USA, including Aarhus University (Denmark), the University of Florida (USA), the University of Malta, and the University of Torun (Poland).