Archaeology (including a Foundation Year)

Foundation Year courses have been designed for students who do not have the necessary academic qualifications needed to enter directly into the first year of a degree but who have the ability and commitment to do so. Once the Foundation Year has been completed successfully, you can then go on to complete your degree.

A degree in Archaeology allows you to explore the richness and diversity of the human past, while developing the skills that will help you to succeed in your future career.

Archaeology is a multi-disciplinary subject that draws on methods used in both the arts and sciences. You will learn to collect, analyse and interpret data using a suite of analytical techniques, as well learning to think critically, evaluating different sources of evidence and drawing conclusions from them. You will have opportunities to work on excavations, carry out scientific studies of archaeological materials, visit heritage sites to reflect on the way the past is presented, and discuss and debate different interpretations of the past in seminars and tutorials.

Our Archaeology degree balances the practical aspects of archaeology, such as fieldwork and laboratory analysis with teaching that spans much of the human past, and with a geographic scope that includes Northwest Europe, the Baltic, Russia and Siberia, and continental North America. This allows you to explore those aspects of the subject that interest you most, while developing a suite of transferable skills that are relevant for whichever career path you choose.

Teaching is supported by our purpose-built archaeology laboratory and our artefact workroom, which along with the University’s computing facilities and lecture and seminar spaces, provide a high-quality teaching and learning environment. Careers advice is also embedded into our course, helping you to make the most of the wide range of skills you will develop throughout your degree.

For the latest example of curriculum availability on this degree programme please refer to the University of Chester's Website.

We see assessment as serving a dual role, acting both to assess the students learning and to help them develop their capacity to think creatively and critically, and develop qualitative and quantitative skills. For this reason, we use a wide range of assessment methods, including essays, review articles, technical reports, podcasts, audio-visual presentations, and museum displays. Many of our assessment methods replicate the sorts of tasks that a student would encounter in a professional environment, helping to prepare the student for graduate level employment.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) (formerly Institute of Field Archaeologists)