History and Archaeology BA Honours

Clearing - How to apply

What is Clearing?

Each year, universities may have spaces left on their courses after the application window has closed in June.

UCAS Clearing is your opportunity to snap up one of these places, even if you didn't apply to the university prior to the June deadline.

It also gives you a second chance to go to university if you didn't get the grades you needed for your firm and insurance offers.

How do I get in touch?

Our Clearing entry requirements may differ from those advertised; contacting our friendly advisers is the best way to find out if you’re eligible for a place.

You can get in touch through live chat or our hotlines. Call us on 0800 073 5050, or if you’re an international student calling from outside the UK, call: +44 191 222 5000.

Not available in Clearing

This course is not available in Clearing 2024.

This means there are no spaces available for Clearing 2024. If you can't find vacancies in your original course or subject area, try exploring other subjects in a related field.

Search our courses in Clearing

Course overview

Our History and Archaeology BA (Hons) degree is accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeology (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK).

This three-year degree focuses on developing your expertise and skills for your future career.

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

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, from Hadrian’s Wall through to post-industrial landscapes.

Download information about this course as a PDF

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 2024-25.

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 and history.

 In the module Evidence and Argument you will work closely with one of our academics to study a historical debate in detail to start building your skills as a historian. A range of optional modules include Public History, Slavery and pre-historic Britain. 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
Introduction to 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
From Lascaux to Knossos: Prehistoric Europe	20
Archaeologies of the Roman Empire: The Roman World from Augustus to Justinian	20
The Medieval World: AD 400-1500	20
Colonial Worlds: History and Archaeology	20
Artefacts	20
Africa: History of a Continent	20
Oral History and Memory	20
Greece, from ancient to modern	20
Communication in the Medieval World, from Europe to Asia: Prayer, Poetry, Pictures, and Travel	20
Crafting History: The Dissertation Proposal	20
Famines in History	20
History and Film: Representing the Past	20
East Asia: from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century	20
Violence in the American South: From the Colonial Era to Civil Rights	20
Researching History	20
The Aftermath of War in Europe and Asia, 1945-56	20
Revolutions of the Mind: European Thought, 1550–1750	20
The Supernatural: The Cultural History of Occult Forces	20
Destroying Nature: Disasters, Diseases and Environmental Injustice	20
Diversities of Sexuality and Gender in History	20
A History of Contemporary Britain	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):

 

Dissertation in Archaeology (40 credits)

OR

Dissertation in Archaeology and History (40 credits)

OR

Writing History (40 credits)

Modules

Optional Modules	Credits
Early Medieval Britain	20
Frontier Communities of Roman Britain	20
Neolithic & Early Bronze Age Britain in its European Context	20
The Archaeology of Animal Bones	20
Sex, bodies and identities in Classical Greece	20
Dissertation in Archaeology: Research as Professional Practice	40
Dissertation in History and Archaeology: Research as Professional Practice	40
Homeric Archaeology: Greece from Palaces to City States	20
Fundamentals of Digital Humanities: Computer literacy, data analysis and GIS	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
Public History In Practice	20
Dissertation in History (VV41 only): Research as Professional Practice	40
The British Revolutions, 1640-1660	20
The Irish Revolution, 1879-1923	20
Reconstruction and the New South, 1865-1900	20
British Foreign Policy since Suez	20
Birth Control in the 19th and 20th Centuries	20
Civil Rights and Armalites Northern Ireland since 1969	20
Civil Rights in America, 1948-1975	20
Women in Colonial South Asia: Tradition, Reform and Modernity	20
Europe and the Ottoman Empire, 1453-1798	20
Punishing the Criminal Dead: Crime, Culture, and Corpses in Modern Britain	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
Healthy Spaces for Healthy Bodies: Medicine, Humans, Places	20
Buddhism and Society in Medieval Japan	20
The Renaissance World of Florence, 1450-1550: Machiavelli, Mayhem, and Strife	20
The Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps - Origins, Experiences and Aftermaths	20
Nineteenth Century Aotearoa New Zealand: Maori, Pakeha & Tauiwi	20
War and Remembering: Recalling War in Oral Histories, c.1950-2022	20
British Colonialism in Sudan: Violence, Gender and Race, 1899-1956	20
Fictional Histories: from medieval to modern	20
Exhausted! The problem of sleep (and not sleeping) from 1750 to the present day	20
Career Development for final year students	20
Envious Show: Wealth, Power and Ambition in Narratives of the Country House, 1550-2000	20

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They are based on the modules chosen by our students in 2023-24.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present.
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

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.

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.

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 Philip Robinson University Library, which houses over 800,000 books and provides access to ca. 1.8m e-books
• Special Collections & Archives – a rich collection of archival material, historical medical texts and rare books
• The Great North Museum: Hancock, our on-campus museum which holds an extensive collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artefacts

Find out more about the School of History, Classics and Archaeology

 

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 a diverse range of careers, be that professional archaeology, careers in the heritage or charity sectors, journalism, policy and researcher roles or even finance and legal professions.

Make a difference

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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

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

The 2025 home fees have not yet been confirmed (see ‘Home Fee Students’ information below).

Qualification: BA Honours
Home students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) Not set
International students full time 3 years	Tuition fees (per year) 25000

Home Fee Students

Home students starting in 2024 entry
£9,250 is the maximum fee that we are currently permitted to charge for home fee-paying students. This is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Home students starting in 2025 entry

In November 2024 the government increased the maximum fee level to £9,535 for 2025/26. It is expected that Parliament will approve the Government’s proposed increase in January and we intend to confirm our Home fees at this higher level following this.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

 

Read more about fees and funding

International Fee Students

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our undergraduate scholarship page for more information.

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.

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

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