BA History and Archaeology with Year Abroad

at University of Leicester

Year 1

In your first year you will split your studies equally between archaeology and history, taking modules covering medieval, early modern and global history, providing you with a thorough grounding in historical methods and practice at university level. You will also study the archaeological past from the origins of the human species to the 21st century, along with the aims and methods of archaeology.

 

You will be able to take part in a local archaeological fieldschool. Recently we have run fabulous fieldschools at Bradgate Park with sites from the Mesolithic to the historic period, including the Tudor mansion of Lady Jane Grey (England's nine-day Queen), and the Iron Age hillfort of Burrough Hill.

 

 

Core modules

• An Introduction to World Archaeology BC
• Archaeology: The Essentials
• Thinking Through Things
• An Introduction to World Archaeology AD

Option modules
Choose one option module from:

• Barbarism and Civilisation: Medieval and Early Modern Europe
• The Shock of the Modern

Then choose three option modules from:

• Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present
• Great Britain: The State We're In
• US History since 1877
• Europe 1861-1991: Emancipation and Subjugation

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Year 2

In your second year you will continue to balance your studies equally between the two subjects. You will have more opportunity to shape the course of your degree this year as you will be able to choose option modules from the areas of history and archaeology that interest you the most. You will also have the opportunity to study a range of laboratory-based modules, covering subjects such as environmental archaeology and artefact analysis. At the end of your second year you will participate in a research excavation, which can take place anywhere in the world.

 

If you would like to write your third year dissertation on an area of history rather than archaeology then you must take the option module The Historian’s Craft.

 

Core modules

• Perceiving the Past
• Fieldwork 1
• Theory and Archaeology

Option modules
Choose one history option module from:

• Blood, Position and Power: The Nobility of Later Medieval England, 1066-1485
• Madness, Monarchy and Politics in Georgian Britain
• Jack-the-Ripper: Crime, Popular Culture and Policing in Victorian Times
• A World Connected: Welfare, Economy and Government since 1945
• Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

Then choose one archaeology option module from:

• Environmental Archaeology  
• Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age Britain and Ireland 
• Living in Towns: Medieval and Post-Medieval Archaeological Approaches
• Archaeology of the Roman Empire

Then choose one archaeology option module from:

• Heritage Skills
• Celts, Britons and Barbarians: Iron Age Europe in context
• Artefact Analysis
• Archaeological Survey and Geomatics
• The Medieval Mediterranean World

Plus either Becoming the Historical Researcher (you must choose this if you plan to write your third year dissertation on history)

 

Or two more history option modules: choose one option module from:

• Gender History
• Race and Ethnicity
• All Bourgeois Now? Class in History

And one option module from:

• The Latin World: Ancient, Medieval and Modern
• Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
• From Beer to Fraternity: Alcohol, Society, and Culture in North America
• History in the Classroom
• Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
• Holy Wars in Sacred Lands: Conflict and Coexistence during the Crusades
• Heritage Field Project

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Year Abroad (optional)

We’ll make sure you have everything you need for your future career: not just by awarding you a high quality degree, but also by helping you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your mark in the world as a Citizen of Change. One way you can do this is by opting to take a Year Abroad between Years 2 and 3 of your degree.

 

Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to a career in the private, public or third sector - or plough your own furrow as an entrepreneur – you will find the experience invaluable.

 

Final Year (History dissertation)

Core module

• Fieldwork 2

Option modules
Choose four option modules from the lists below, two from the lists marked A and two from the lists marked B. You can choose either one history module and three archaeology modules or two modules from each subject.

 

History modules list A

• The USA and the Vietnam War
• Fourteenth Century Crisis in England? Politics and Society 1297-1413
• Crime and Punishment in African American History
• When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century
• Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
• Gender, Crime and Deviance in Eighteenth Century Britain

 

Archaeology modules list A

• Households and Domesticity in the Ancient World
• Early Christian Europe
• Warfare, Conflict and Violence in the Human Past
• Archaeology of Islamic Societies
• South Asian Archaeology and Heritage

 

History modules list B

• What Difference Did the War Make? British Society and the Great War, 1900-1939
• The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
• Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, c1350-1650
• The Medieval Natural World
• From Empire to Nation: Modern South Asia, c. 1857-1947
• Women in American Society from the Civil War to First World War
• Clothing and Fashion in Historical Perspective. Case Studies of Modern European History in Transnational Context

 

Archaeology modules list B

• Greek and Roman Art
• Archaeology and Ancient History in Education
• Plants and People
• Power and Difference in the Past
• The Archaeology of Colonialism in the Americas

Plus your History dissertation

 

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

 

Final Year (Archaeology dissertation)

Core module

• Fieldwork 2

Option modules
Either choose four option modules from the lists below, two from the lists marked A and two from the lists marked B - you should choose one archaeology module and three history modules.

 

History modules list A

• The USA and the Vietnam War
• Fourteenth Century Crisis in England? Politics and Society 1297-1413
• Crime and Punishment in African American History
• When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century
• Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
• Gender, Crime and Deviance in Eighteenth Century Britain

Archaeology modules list A

• Households and Domesticity in the Ancient World
• Early Christian Europe
• Warfare, Conflict and Violence in the Human Past
• Archaeology of Islamic Societies
• South Asian Archaeology and Heritage

History modules list B

• What Difference Did the War Make? British Society and the Great War, 1900-1939
• The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
• Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, c1350-1650
• The Medieval Natural World
• From Empire to Nation: Modern South Asia, c. 1857-1947
• Women in American Society from the Civil War to First World War
• Clothing and Fashion in Historical Perspective. Case Studies of Modern European History in Transnational Context

Archaeology modules list B

• Greek and Roman Art
• Archaeology and Ancient History in Education
• Plants and People
• Power and Difference in the Past
• The Archaeology of Colonialism in the Americas

Or choose one archaeology module from either of the Archaeology lists above and one history special subject module from this list:

• The British Antislavery Movement, 1787-1833
• The Holocaust: Genocide in Europe
• After Hitler: Society, Culture and The Politics of The Nazi Past in The Two Germanies, 1945-1990
• The Age of Bede and Alcuin: Anglo-Saxon Northumbria and Mercia in the 7th and 8th Centuries
• Beauty, Sex & Science: Whose Body is it Anyway c.1550-2015?
• The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Church, State and Belief in Soviet Russia, 1941-1991

Plus your Archaeology Dissertation

 

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

• A/AS-levels: ABB. Two AS-levels can be considered in place of one A-level. General Studies or Critical Thinking accepted. History A-level is preferred but not essential. 
• EPQ with A-levels: BBB + EPQ at grade B.
• Access to HE Diploma: Pass relevant Diploma with 45 credits, 30 of which must be at Distinction. 
• International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 30 points.
• BTEC Nationals: Pass Diploma with DDM 

 

Selection Process
When considering your application, we will look for evidence that you will be able to fulfil the objectives of the course and achieve the standards required. We will take into account a range of factors including previous exam results.

 

Applicants are not normally interviewed. If you receive an offer you will be invited to visit the University.

 

English Language Requirements
IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. If you do not yet meet our requirements, our English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) offers a range of courses to help you to improve your English to the necessary standard.

 

International Qualifications
Find your country in this list to check equivalent qualifications, scholarships and additional requirements.

UK Students

Starting in 2022

• £9,250 in your first year. Tuition fees are subject to government regulations and may change in future years
• Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,250 for that year
• Year in Industry: your fee will be 15% of the full-time tuition fee that applies in that year

 

If you are resident outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland, you will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.

 

International Students

Starting in 2022

• £17,500 per year
• Year Abroad: £4,375, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee
• Year in Industry: £2,625, which is 15% of the full-time tuition fee

You will need to pay a deposit of £3,000 to secure your place. This will be subtracted from your total tuition fee.

 

From 2022 onwards, EU nationals will pay the International fee. If you are an EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme, you may qualify for the UK fee (subject to criteria).

We are proud to host an on-site, professional archaeological unit, the award-winning University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) - the team that found King Richard III. ULAS offer HEAR and CIFA accredited internships and provide valuable training and professional experience alongside your academic studies.

 

All our degrees provide transferable skills in communication, presentation, critical analysis and teamwork. This will be critical for your future career, whether it is in archaeological studies or in one of the wide range of professions that attract our graduates. It doesn't matter if you have little or no previous experience in archaeology or ancient history; we have designed our courses for maximum flexibility. This allows you to choose how you want to specialise or diversify as your knowledge and understanding develop.

 

For single and joint archaeology degrees, practical experience is a key element of our courses. You will participate in excavations and learn various fieldwork techniques throughout your degree to equip you with the skills and knowledge to interpret archaeological material.

 

Our dedicated work experience and outreach staff will organise placements for you in schools, heritage organisations, museums, field archaeology units, archives, laboratories and on external projects – complementing the volunteering provision within the University.

 

As part of our year 2 Heritage Skills and year 3 Archaeology and Ancient History in Education modules, you can do a placement/project in a school or heritage setting where you work with a teacher/heritage mentor to gain a range of experience and to design and deliver a lesson plan or outreach activity. These modules provide an excellent foundation for a PGCE or a career in heritage management.