Archaeology BA (Hons)

Student rating

This is the overall rating calculated by averaging all live reviews for this uni on Whatuni.

( 4.2)

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Different course options

DATA SOURCE: UNISTATS / UCAS / HESA

Qualification

Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Location

Gonville & Caius

Study mode

Full Time

Start date

OCT-25

Duration

3 Years

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Course info

Archaeology at Cambridge is a dynamic course. You can study archaeology, Assyriology, biological anthropology and Egyptology.Explore human evolution and biology, ancient cultures and languages, early societies and how heritage affects identity and politics today. You can also choose a subject or 2 to specialise in.Archaeology at CambridgeThis flexible course gives you the opportunity to study a broad range of subjects. Or you can choose to specialise from your first year.You will also go on ...Read more

Archaeology at Cambridge is a dynamic course. You can study archaeology, Assyriology, biological anthropology and Egyptology.

Explore human evolution and biology, ancient cultures and languages, early societies and how heritage affects identity and politics today. You can also choose a subject or 2 to specialise in.

Archaeology at Cambridge

This flexible course gives you the opportunity to study a broad range of subjects. Or you can choose to specialise from your first year.

You will also go on exciting digs, field trips and study tours in various parts of Europe and beyond.

There are 4 main subjects you can study:

Archaeology – use material evidence, from molecules to monumental structures, to explore the human past and understand past societies
Assyriology – study languages, cultures, history and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria)
Biological Anthropology – investigate human evolution and diversity, biology and behaviour, and the interaction between biology and culture
Egyptology – study history, languages, society, archaeology and religion of ancient Egypt

Over the course of your degree you could:

study the behaviour of chimpanzees
learn about our oldest human ancestors
translate Egyptian hieroglyphs
learn about how climate change affected past societies
examine imagery in a Babylonian poem

Teaching, facilities and resources

Teaching

Our staff are at the forefront of research, involving students through fieldwork and research projects.

The research we do ranges widely across time and locations, including:

discovering where the gold from Tutankhamen’s mask came from
studying the population genetics of south-east Asian islands
uncovering the impact of plague on medieval Cambridge

Your future career

You’ll graduate with a wide-ranging portfolio of versatile and transferable skills that are valued by employers, opening the way to many careers.

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

the commercial archaeology sector in the UK and internationally
heritage organisations, such as the National Trust and Historic England

Recent graduates have also gone into:

law
advertising
media
conservation
health
further academic study

Teaching

You will usually have 6 to 8 lectures and one or two small-group supervisions each week. You may also have language classes, seminars and/or practicals.

Key stats

DATA SOURCE: UNISTATS / UCAS / HESA

CUG Subject Ranking

CUG Subject Ranking
Source: Complete University Guide 2025

1st

CUG Ranking

CUG Ranking
Source: Complete University Guide 2025

1st

History

Drop-out rate

Drop-out rate
The percentage of students who didn't finish the course.
Calculated by 100% - (% of students continuing course + % of students completed course)
100 - 99 = 1% Drop-out rate Source: UNISTATS, 2019

Employment rate

Employment rate
The percentage of students in full-time work 6 months after finishing their course.
Source: UNISTATS, 2019

89%

Average salary

Average salary
Source: UNISTATS, 2019

History graduate salary at this uni

£24,000

UK History graduate salary

£21,000

Politics

Drop-out rate

Drop-out rate
The percentage of students who didn't finish the course.
Calculated by 100% - (% of students continuing course + % of students completed course)
100 - 97 = 3% Drop-out rate Source: UNISTATS, 2019

Employment rate

Employment rate
The percentage of students in full-time work 6 months after finishing their course.
Source: UNISTATS, 2019

85%