Start date:
Course information
Typical offer ABB
UK fee £9,250
UCAS code VV14
International fee £24,500
Institute code L34
Taught by Archaeology and Ancient History
Top 20 in the UK for Archaeology (Complete University Guide 2025
Ranked 13th in subjects aligned to History for ‘overall positivity’ in the NSS 2024 (according to Times Higher Education NSS 2023 methodology applied to the NSS 2024 data).
Course description
Course description
The History and Archaeology BA will give you the chance to combine two disciplines that enhance our understanding of human societies and cultures in the past. This degree has particular emphasis on the medieval and modern periods, although you will also have the opportunity to study the deep past. You will examine both historical texts and material remains and consider the relationship between the two.
You will have the opportunity to take part in fieldwork and to develop a wide range of practical skills. We have specialist facilities and an outstanding range of equipment for hands-on teaching and research in science-based analytical techniques. You’ll benefit from our excellent facilities and nine specialist laboratories, including our refitted Osteology, Zooarchaeology, and Materials labs.
You will have the opportunity to gain experience with local heritage organisations, schools and our professional archaeological unit through Year 2 and 3 module placements, and our accredited internship programme.
In the first two years of this degree you will split your time equally between the study of archaeology and history. In your third year your dissertation can be in either history or archaeology.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
- 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.
- T Levels: Merit. All T Levels considered.
Other official national and international qualifications considered from across the world. You can review some of the qualifications we accept on our countries page and English Language equivalencies.
If your qualification or country is not listed, please contact us for more information, including the name and result of the qualification you have studied.
Second year entry may be possible with suitable qualifications.
Contextual offers
The University of Leicester is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all applicants from all backgrounds. We make contextual offers to support students who may be impacted by the area they live in, their personal circumstances or who have completed one of our progression programmes. These offers are usually one or two grades lower than the standard entry requirements. To qualify for a contextual offer, you must apply for an eligible course and meet specific criteria – check if you’re eligible.
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.
Countries listFees and funding
Fees and funding
UK Students
Starting in 2025
- £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 £1,385 for that year
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
International Students
Starting in 2025
- £19,700 per year
- Year Abroad: £4,925, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee
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.
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).
Find out more about scholarships and funding.
Careers and employability
Careers and employability
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.
We also offer Archaeology and Classics in the Community internships.
Interns support the introduction of archaeology and classics in local state schools, providing a wide range of enrichment opportunities based on our research. A programme of school and campus-based activities, training and mentoring delivered in partnership with the University's School of Education, develops skills which are essential for careers in teaching, heritage and museums.
Graduate destinations
Graduates from this course have gone on to work for a wide range of employers including:
- Nissan
- Department of Education
- Troubador Publishing
- British Standards Institution
- Bahrain National Museum
- Royal Collection Trust
- Council for British Archaeology
- Civil Service
- University of Leicester Archaeological Services
Careers and Employability Service
Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service. We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we're here to help you reach your professional goals.
Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals
We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- Goal 10: Reduced inequalities
- Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- Goal 13: Climate action
- Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong institutions
Course structure
Year 1
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. 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
- Medieval and Early Modern Europe: People, Power, Faith, and Culture
- Making History
- Global History: Connections and Cultures in a Changing World, 1750 to the present
- Modern Britain: c1700-Present
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
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
Option modules
Choose one history option module from:
- Gender History
- The History of Alcohol in North America, 1650-1950
- Jack-the-Ripper: Crime, Popular Culture and Policing in Victorian Times
- A World Connected: Economy, Wellbeing and Sustainability since 1945
- Living with Dictatorship: European Societies, 1918-1941
- Fight the Power! Race, Rights and Protest in the USA
Then choose one archaeology option module from:
- Environmental Archaeology
- Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age Britain and Ireland
- Living in Towns: Archaeological Approaches to Medieval Urbanism
- 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 from:
- The Latin World: Ancient, Medieval and Modern
- Class Struggle and the Industrial Revolution
- Histories of Violence
- Madness, Monarchy and Politics from George III to Queen Victoria
- Domestic Revolutions: Women, Men, and the Family in American History
- Enter the Dragon: Modern Chinese History, 1839-1989
- History in the Classroom
- 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)
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.
For more information, including a list of destinations, please visit our Study Abroad website.
Please note
- A year spent abroad still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See the Fees and Funding tab of this page for details.
- You may be eligible for a travel grant from Student Finance England.
- Places are offered on a competitive basis, and eligibility is dependent on your academic performance in Years 1 and 2.
- Language courses, at beginners or advanced level, are available through our Languages at Leicester scheme.
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 (History dissertation)
Final Year (History dissertation)
Core module
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 Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968
- Abolitionists: Antislavery Activism in Britain and America, 1787-1865
- The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
- When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century
- Making Nazis: Propaganda and Persuasion In The Third Reich, 1933-1945
- Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
- Gender, Crime and Deviance in Eighteenth Century Britain
Archaeology modules list A
- Conflict, Heritage and Archaeology
- Warfare, Conflict and Violence in the Human Past
- Archaeology of Islamic Societies
History modules list B
- The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
- Crime and Punishment in African American History
- Apocalypse Then: The USA and the Vietnam War
Archaeology modules list B
- Greek and Roman Art: Ancient and modern contexts
- Archaeology and Ancient History in Education
- The Archaeology of Colonialism in the Americas
- Power and Difference in the Past
- The Archaeology of Human Evolution
- Bodies and Beings of Viking Worlds
- 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)
Final Year (Archaeology dissertation)
Core module
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 Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1968
- Abolitionists: Antislavery Activism in Britain and America, 1787-1865
- The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
- When Two Dragons Fight: China and Japan at War in the Twentieth Century
- Making Nazis: Propaganda and Persuasion In The Third Reich, 1933-1945
- Disasporas and Migrations in the Modern World
- Gender, Crime and Deviance in Eighteenth Century Britain
Archaeology modules list A
- Conflict, Heritage and Archaeology
- Warfare, Conflict and Violence in the Human Past
- Archaeology of Islamic Societies
History modules list B
- The Imperial Economy: Britain and the Wider World, 1815-1914
- Crime and Punishment in African American History
- Apocalypse Then: The USA and the Vietnam War
Archaeology modules list B
- Greek and Roman Art: Ancient and modern contexts
- Archaeology and Ancient History in Education
- The Archaeology of Colonialism in the Americas
- Power and Difference in the Past
- The Archaeology of Human Evolution
- Bodies and Beings of Viking Worlds
- 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:
- A Sea of Conflict? Christian Muslim Encounters c.1100-c.1300
- 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.
Why Leicester?
Between Years 1 and 2 you will work on our annual summer fieldschool. In the past, we have excavated Bradgate Park, home of Lady Jane Grey, and Burrough Hill Iron Age hillfort. In 2020 we will start excavating a brand new site for our fieldschool.
Our award-winning archaeological services company, ULAS, offers accredited internships and work experience opportunities every year.
You will be working with, maybe even taught by, the archaeologists who discovered King Richard III.
Reading list
See the types of texts you might read, over the summer, to get a feel for the course and arrive prepared and ready to go.
View reading lists for:
Teaching and learning
You will be taught by a variety of methods, ranging from large lectures to seminars to individual tutorials. Lectures are used to provide historical narrative and to raise key historical questions and areas of debate. Seminars are where you share your opinion about those debates and put forward your interpretation of history. In your first year you will normally have around ten contact hours per week, with more emphasis being placed on small group teaching and independent study as you progress through your degree. You will also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience of excavations throughout the course.
Assessment is through exams and coursework (both long and short essays), source analyses, group projects and presentations. Approximately two thirds of your final degree mark will be based on your coursework; one third on your exams.
Independent learning
When not attending lectures, seminars or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. To help with your independent learning, you can access the Library and our social study spaces in halls of residence.
Your contact hours will depend on the option modules you select. However, we have a range of clubs and volunteering opportunities which mean you can spend all the time you want involved in the subjects you love! You can see details of the contact hours on individual module pages.
Academic support
Our Centre for Academic Achievement provides help in the following areas:
- study and exam skills
- academic writing
- presentations
- dissertations
- numerical data skills
- referencing sources
Our AccessAbility Centre offers support and practical help for students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties, including physical, mental health or mobility difficulties, deafness, or visual impairment.
Teaching staff
You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. Our teaching is informed by the research we do. You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles for history and archaeology.
Apply now
Course | Qualification | Duration | UCAS Code | Availability |
---|---|---|---|---|
Course History and Archaeology | Qualification BA | Duration 3 years full-time | UCAS Code VV14 | Availability How to apply |
Course History and Archaeology with Year Abroad | Qualification BA | Duration 4 years full-time | UCAS Code VV14 | Availability How to apply |
Data about this course
Having that connection with the physical remains of the past really captures the imagination.