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History and Archaeology BA Honours

  • UCAS code: VV41
  • Full time
  • 3 years

This History and Archaeology degree will give you a unique insight into the human past, studying material culture alongside written history.

You are currently viewing course information for entry year: 2024-25


Next start date:

  • September 2024

Fees (per year)

  • Home: £9250
  • International: £22200

Entry requirements and offers

  • A-Level: ABB
  • IB: 32 points

UCAS Institution name and code:

  • NEWC / N21

Course overview

This History and Archaeology BA Honours course is accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeology (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK).

This three-year degree focuses on developing your expertise as a historian, while equipping you with the skills you need to become a professional archaeologist.

You're introduced to new peoples, places and periods from across the globe. You'll explore how archaeology has changed our understanding of the past.

Our flexible degree allows you to tailor your course to suit your interests. You can explore the periods and regions that excite you through a wide range of modules.

You'll also be able to explore North East England, a region that's steeped in history while on field trips. There's a rich past to discover here.

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2023-24.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

You'll learn the essential theories, methods and practical skills used in archaeology.

You will take the History module ‘Evidence and Argument’ and select options in, Public History, or Historical Sources and Methods. At the end of Year 1 you complete at least two weeks’ excavation fieldwork.

Modules

Compulsory Modules Credits
Introduction to Archaeology 20
The Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century 20
Evidence and Argument 20
Optional Modules Credits
Introduction to Archaeological Science 20
Prehistoric Britain 20
Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology 20
Slavery 20
Global Middle Ages 20
Stuff: living in a material world 20
Global Ancient Histories 20
Historical Sources and Methods 20
History Lab I 20
History Lab II 20
Public History 20
What is History For? 20

You continue to explore archaeological methods, and choose from options in both history and archaeology. Many of these complement each other: you can choose to study the medieval world, through modules in both disciplines.

You will also complete two weeks of fieldwork at the end of Year 2.

Modules

Compulsory Modules Credits
Fieldwork and Post-Excavation: Archaeology in the UK 20
Optional Modules Credits
Archaeological Theory and Interpretation 20
Animals, Plants and People: an Introduction to Environmental Archaeology 20
Prehistoric Europe 20
Aegean Prehistory 20
Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian 20
The Medieval World: AD 400-1500 20
Colonial Worlds: History & Archaeology 20
Artefacts 20
Africa: History of a Continent 20
Social Histories of Alcohol: Britain and Ireland, 1700 - Present 20
Oral History and Memory 20
Greece from ancient times to the 21st century: Interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the past 20
1968: A Global Moment? 20
Communication in the Medieval World, from Europe to Asia: Prayer, Poetry, Pictures, and Travel 20
Crafting History: The Dissertation Proposal 20
War, Wounds, and Disabilities in Global Perspectives 20
Famines in History 20
Germany and Central Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries 20
History and Film: Representing the Past 20
Ideas and Belief in premodern East Asia 20
Violence in the American South: From the Colonial Era to Reconstruction 20
Researching History 20
The Aftermath of War in Europe and Asia, 1945-56 20
Revolutions of the Mind: European Thought, 1550–1750 20
Reformation and Revolution: Tudors to the Georgians 20
The Supernatural: The Cultural History of Occult Forces 20
Diversities of Sexuality and Gender in History 20
Britain since the 60s 20
The Mediterranean: a connected past 20
Career Development for second year students 20

In Stage 3, you'll complete a dissertation in archaeology, history or a combination of both, conducting in-depth research.

You will have a choice of optional modules, which complement each other. You can choose to study the Archaeology of Britain after 1500, alongside history options on Elizabeth I, and the Georgian period.

Modules

Compulsory modules
You must take one of the following compulsory modules (shown in the optional list below):
 
OR
OR
Writing History (40 credits)

Modules

Optional Modules Credits
Dissertation in Archaeology 40
Dissertation in Archaeology & History 40
Archaeologies of the Middle Sea: An Armchair Voyage Across the Prehistoric Mediterranean 20
Regionality and the Fall of Rome 20
Early Prehistoric Europe: Origins and transformations 20
Sex, bodies and identities in Classical Greece 20
How To Survive The Apocalypse: Recreating Ancient Technology from Scratch 20
Semester One Substitute for Stage 3 HIS Capped Special Subject 20
Semester Two Substitute for Stage 3 HIS Capped Special Subject 20
Reading History 20
Writing History 40
Why History Matters 20
Violence and social transformation in China and Taiwan, 1940s-1980s 20
The British Revolutions, 1640-1660 20
The Irish Revolution, 1879-1923 20
Reconstruction and the New South, 1865-1900 20
Living Together: Christians, Muslims and Jews in Medieval Iberia 20
British Foreign Policy since Suez 20
Birth Control in the 19th & 20th Centuries 20
Civil Rights and Armalites Northern Ireland since 1969 20
Civil Rights in America, 1948-1975 20
Viking-Age Scandinavia 20
Women in Colonial South Asia: Tradition, Reform and Modernity 20
Lunatic to Citizen? Madness and Society since 1900 20
The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1961 - 1990 20
The Rising Generation: Youth, Age and Protest in Cold War Britain 20
Haitian Revolution 20
Buddhism and Society in Medieval Japan 20
Unfree Nation: Enslavement in the United States from the Colonial Era to Reconstruction 20
The Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps - Origins, Experiences and Aftermaths 20
Nineteenth Century Aotearoa New Zealand: Maori, Pakeha & Tauiwi 20
May 1968: all power to the imagination 20
British Colonialism in Sudan: Violence, Gender and Race, 1899-1956 20
Career Development for final year students 20

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You'll learn from:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • workshops
  • practical activities
  • site visits and fieldwork training
  • independent study

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

  • Dissertation or research project

  • Essays

  • Examinations – practical or online

  • Presentations

  • Reports

Skills and experience

Practical skills 

You will analyse documentary sources and take part in practical sessions using the Robinson Library’s Special Collections, and have opportunities to handle historical artefacts from the nearby Great North Museum's collections.

You'll also undertake excavation fieldwork, giving you the chance to study and implement the methods and practices used in the profession.

In the summer after first year, archaeology students have the opportunity to undertake two weeks of fully funded fieldwork at Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site.

Research skills

In your final year, you'll write your dissertation in an area of your choice. You can choose to specialise more closely in archaeology or history, or can combine the two.

You'll make use of the skills you've gained throughout your degree, and conduct your own research project in your final year. This gives you the chance to dig deeper into a subject you're interested in.

You'll also have the opportunity to apply for summer vacation scholarships in your second year, and receive funding to conduct a research project.

Chat with a History student

I chose to study at Newcastle because it's a vibrant city, full of friendly people. The History and Politics course really interested me, it has a variety of really fascinating modules.

Charlotte Stobart, History and Politics

Opportunities

Study abroad

Experience life in another country by choosing to study abroad as part of your degree. You’ll be encouraged to embrace fun and challenging experiences, make connections with new communities and graduate as a globally aware professional, ready for your future.

You can choose to spend up to a year studying at a partner institution overseas.

If you choose to study abroad, it will extend your degree by a year. 

Find out more about study abroad

Work placement

Get career ready with a work placement and leave as a confident professional in your field. You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months working in any organisation in the world, and receive University support from our dedicated team to secure your dream placement. Work placements take place between stages 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year, and your degree title will show you have achieved the placement year. A work placement is not available if you're spending a year studying abroad. Placements are subject to availability.

Find out more about work placements

Facilities and environment

Facilities

You'll be based in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, in the historic Armstrong Building at our city-centre campus. 

You'll have access to a range of on-campus facilities, including:

  • the Great North Museum: Hancock, with its Antiquarian Library and range of artefacts
  • the Special Collections in the Robinson Library 

Find out more about the Special Collections

Support

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

Your future

Our History and Archaeology degree will set you up to pursue a future in the museums, archives and heritage sector or to start a career as a professional archaeologist.

Many of our graduates choose to pursue a career in the heritage sector or become professional archaeologists.

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Careers support

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements and offers below apply to 2024 entry.

A-Level
International Baccalaureate

Other UK and the Republic of Ireland qualifications

Contextual Offers

Through one of our contextual routes, you could receive an offer of up to three grades lower than the typical requirements.

What is a contextual offer? Find out more and if you’re eligible for this or our PARTNERS Programme supported entry route.

Qualifications from outside the UK

English Language requirements

Entrance courses (INTO)

International Pathway Courses are specialist programmes designed for international students who want to study in the UK. We provide a range of study options for international students in partnership with INTO. 

Find out more about International Pathway Courses

Admissions policy

This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at Newcastle University. It is intended to provide information about our admissions policies and procedures to applicants and potential applicants, to their advisors and family members, and to staff of the University.

Credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can allow you to convert existing relevant university-level knowledge, skills and experience into credits towards a qualification. Find out more about the RPL policy which may apply to this course.

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2024 entry (per year)

Qualification: BA Honours

Home students

full time 3 years

Tuition fees (per year)

9250

International students

full time 3 years

Tuition fees (per year)

22200

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

Scholarships

Find out more about:

Open days and events

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

  • the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
  • the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
  • the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages

Get in touch

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