Anthropology and Archaeology

The subjects of Anthropology and Archaeology are very closely linked and are an ideal combination for students who have a deep interest in the past, the way human cultures lived and developed, the way societies developed and grew and the way our land was inhabited. The scope of contemporary anthropology is reflected in the way the subject is taught at Aberdeen. To study the subject here is to join in an exciting new intellectual venture. We offer an innovatory programme, with the emphasis throughout on work at the cutting edge of the discipline and on problems of pressing concern for people the world over.

You will benefit from the close links with other programmes, such as those in History and Sociology, from the resources of the University's Marischal Museum and Elphinstone Institute, with their unique anthropological and ethnological collections and above all from the opportunity to study in an environment where staff and research students are actively engaged in top-class, internationally recognised research. While Aberdeen's contribution to the anthropology of the North is second to none, we are also developing exciting new research in the fields of art, visual perception, museums, material culture and religion.

A vibrant student anthropology society regularly organizes academic and social events bringing together undergraduate and postgraduate students with staff outside the classroom. Aberdeen is at the heart of a region that is among the richest in the UK in terms of sites of outstanding archaeological interest and is in close proximity to the World Heritage sites in Orkney.

Ranked 3rd in the UK for Anthropology and Archaeology, by the Guardian University Guide 2025
Ranked 1st in the UK for Overall Student Satisfaction in Anthropology
Ranked 2nd in the UK for Student Positivity in Forensic and Archaeological Sciences (National Student Survey 2024).