Choosing a Course

There are a variety of undergraduate courses available providing a wide range of specialist study, so, as ever, check the modules available and see if they cover the areas you are interested in. Check too that the bias between classroom theory and actual digging is the way you like it.

While this country's rich heritage makes it an excellent place to study archaeology, many are keen - for understandable reasons - to travel abroad: many digs are in remote and fascinating places, so ask about the possibilities of joining an excavation or research programme abroad if you're interested in this.

But for most of your degree, you'll be, more than likely, in the UK, so check out the city you'll be studying in as well as the institution. See what libraries and museums are around to help broaden your study, and even what local sites of importance there are if you want to go that extra yard.

If you're sure you want to be a field archaeologist, the BSc (Hons) archaeology meets the national professional requirements for membership of the Institute of Field Archaeology, and provides the background knowledge for such work. As an alternative, the broader BSc (lions) history, heritage and conservation allows the study of archaeology to be developed alongside a sound understanding of relevant aspects of history in combination with museums and collections management skills.

Also check out whether the institution has a field unit or centre for applied archaeology. Not only is this good for facilitating field trips, it's also handy for consultancy work, from which students might make contacts for a future career.

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