BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement
About this course
BA in History and Archaeology. Core topics include Research Methods, Fieldwork, Historical Research, and Ethics & Professional Practice. The programme includes a professional placement year in the third year, with placement options in archaeological, heritage, planning and museum sectors. A four-week departmental excavation is part of the Archaeology Field School module.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: BBB, including a grade B in History or a humanities-based essay subject Humanities-based essay subjects include: Classical Civilisation, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Philosophy, Politics, Religious Studies. IB: 30 points overall, including 5 in History or a humanities-based essay subject at higher level
See the highest paying History, Philosophy & Religion degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 38 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 90%
- Learning opportunities: 81%
- Assessment and feedback: 83%
- Academic support: 93%
- Organisation and management: 92%
- Learning resources: 95%
- Student voice: 85%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 45 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 85%
- Left higher education: 15%
What graduates do next
Based on about 7 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 15%
- Unemployed: 15%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 35%
- Sales occupations: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Business and Financial Project Management Professionals: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 65%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 65%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 135 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 4%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 3%
- West Midlands: 4%
- East of England: 11%
- London: 21%
- South East: 33%
- South West: 12%
- Wales: 6%
- Scotland: 2%
- Northern Ireland: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 40 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 95%
- Access course: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Revolutions and Transitions: The Human Journey from 6 Million Years Ago to the Present Day
- Archaeology Today: Methods and Practice
- Perspectives in History
- Making History and You: Practices and Possibilities
- Warfare in Early Modern Europe, c. 1500-1715
- The Rwanda Genocide of 1994
- Chivalry: The Emergence and Impact of a Medieval Ethos
- Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death
- Contemporary World Cultures: An Introduction to Social Anthropology
- Presenting the Past: An Introduction to Museum Studies
- Optional Language Modules
- Archaeology and Heritage: Past, Present and Future
- Ancient Objects: Materials and Meanings
- Prehistoric Europe: the First Million Years
- Archaeology Field School and Professional Practice
- Bioarchaeology
- Changing the Face of the Earth: Past, Present and Future Sustainability
- Forensic Archaeology and Crime Scene Analysis
- Medieval Europe: Power, Religion and Death
- Museum Learning and Engagement
- Curatorship and Collections Management
- Going Public: Presenting the Past, Planning the Future
- The Brightest Jewel in the British Crown: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1757-1947
- Reform and Revolt in the Modern Middle East: Egypt from Ataturk to the Arab Spring
- The Crusades, 1095-1291
- Encountering the Atlantic World, 1450-1850
- Noise Annoys: British Youth Culture, Popular Music and Social Change, 1950s-90s
- From Revolution to Reconstruction: A Social History of the Nineteenth-Century USA
- Eugenics in Britain: Science, Politics and Society, 1865 to the Present Day
- Kingship and Crisis in England, c. 1154-1330
- Women and Medieval History
- Black Britain: Race and Migration in Post-war Britain
- Optional Languages Modules
- Dissertation in Archaeology
- Dissertation in History
- The Anthropology of Heritage and Cultural Property
- Objects and Identities in the Roman Empire
- Biological Anthropology
- Post-excavation: Assessment, Analysis and Publication in the Profession
- Emergence of Civilisation in Mesopotamia
- The First Europeans: Archaeology of the Lower Palaeolithic
- The Archaeology and Anthropology of Food
- Living in Medieval Towns
- Discovering Archives and Collections
- Politics and Popular Culture: Post-Arab Spring Egypt
- The Tudors, 1485-1603
- The American Civil War
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Empire, Slavery, and Society, 1550-1750
- Utopia: The Quest for a Perfect World
- Medieval Magic and the Origins of the Witch-Craze
- The United States and the Cold War
- Optional Language Modules
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement at University of Reading earn?
The median salary is £30,000 after 15 months, £25,000 after 3 years, £29,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £36,000. The £29,500 median after five years is £1,000 less than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement at University of Reading do next?
85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement at University of Reading?
90% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement at University of Reading?
The typical offer is BBB at A level, or 30 points in the IB. The average entrant had 113 UCAS points.
Does BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement at University of Reading include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory placement year.
How many students continue on BA Archaeology and History with Professional Placement at University of Reading?
85% of students continued into their second year, and 15% left higher education.