Archaeology/History - MA (Hons)

University of Glasgow

Archaeology is the study of how people in the past interacted with their world, through a detailed study of their objects, sites, monuments and landscapes. The study of history is the study of change and continuity in human society through time. Glasgow offers a wide-ranging programme from medieval to modern times. Our teaching draws on research expertise in Scottish, British, European, US and global history; slavery studies; gender history; and war, intelligence and genocide studies.

You will have the opportunity to gain practical fieldwork skills in the UK and abroad. Recent students have worked on excavation projects across Europe and the Near East, including the Baltic states, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and on high-profile projects within Scotland. Throughout the programme we emphasise that you should gain practical heritage work experience including archaeological fieldwork techniques and developing the social benefits of archaeology. We provide day and residential fieldtrips for our students to archaeological sites, landscapes, museums and other heritage venues. You will also be able to take part in current staff research projects including survey and excavation, as well as working in archaeological archives and collection-based projects. You can gain work experience in various heritage and museum organisations through our network of placement providers. We can also help students get onto excavation teams across Europe. We offer a broad range of courses ranging from medieval to modern times and across the globe. We provide small-group teaching, a variety of assessments (including real-world tasks like policy papers and blogs) and one-to-one feedback tutorials. We host leading research centres in gender history, war studies, slavery studies, American studies and Scottish & Celtic studies.

Employers, from banking and law to business and tourism, value the transferable skills that an archaeology degree offers such as teamworking, practical problem-solving, working with the public and critical analysis. Many graduates are employed in vocational archaeological and heritage roles working for government agencies, the charitable sector and other heritage organisations in Scotland and beyond. These include the National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeology Scotland, the British Museum, National Museums of Scotland and Glasgow Life, as well as various companies offering commercial archaeological services in the UK and abroad. As a History graduate you will be able to enter many different careers, from the heritage sector and teaching to consultancy, management and financial services. Our recent History graduates have been employed by: HarperCollins Police Scotland Oxfam Glasgow Museums Morgan Stanley.