Anthropology and Archaeology

Your learning will be supported by a variety of teaching formats, such as lectures and smaller-group teaching in seminars and practical classes.

Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on inquiry-based learning and transferable skills, with a particular focus on designing and carrying out research projects. In your third year, you will undertake a dissertation in an anthropological or archaeological topic of your choice, preferably one that encompasses both subjects, giving you the chance to complete a major piece of independent work.

Our departments have a range of resources including skeletal collections, fossil cast collections and a material culture collection which are used in teaching and may also be available for independent project work.

Assessment

We use a wide range of assessments designed to provide training in a variety of anthropological, archaeological and broader transferable skills, including not only 'traditional' essays and exams but also research projects, popular academic writing and outreach activities.

In your final year you will have the chance to design and carry out your own research project for your dissertation, with support and guidance from your supervisor.

A level offer – AAB.

Contextual offer – BBC.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD.

IB Diploma score – 36 with 665 in higher level subjects.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We also consider other level 3 qualifications, including T-levels.

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.

• If you do not satisfy our general entry requirements, the Foundation Programme offers multidisciplinary degrees to prepare you for a range of specified degree courses.

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications 

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

Full Time Fees

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only; fees for subsequent years will be confirmed not less than 3 months before the start of the academic year to which the increase is intended to apply and will be published on the Finance webpages.

In deciding the annual level of increase the University will take into account inflationary pressures on the costs of delivery. Tuition fees will rise annually by up to the higher of;

1. 6%, or,
2. the latest annual percentage increase in the Consumer Prices Index.

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

With a degree in Anthropology, you will be equipped with a diverse and practical knowledge base, including highly transferable skills in research and communication. Employers worldwide value this skill set, particularly where creativity, curiosity and the ability to understand human diversity are at a premium.

Our graduates apply their knowledge directly in fields as diverse as health, community work, conservation, education, international development, culture, and heritage. Many progress into careers that require a broad understanding of human society and behaviour as well as the interpersonal, organisational, problem solving and independent thinking skills that come with the discipline. Such careers include advertising, publishing, journalism, teaching, human resource management, law, consultancy and marketing.

A significant number of graduates progress onto higher level study with many pursuing further research in anthropology or other fields.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

• 93% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 78% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £25,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Our close links with industry specialists coupled with in-house archaeological facilities give you a taste of the industry from the beginning of the course. This experience helps develop a broad range of subject-specific skills from osteology, geochemistry and the conservation of archaeological objects, to survey and remote sensing techniques and applications for Geographic Information Systems. 

Transferable skills include problem-solving, metadata analysis and information technology, as well as teamwork, presentation, project planning and management. These skills are valued across many industries. 

Our graduates work for organisations all over the world, from national and international heritage organisations, museums, environmental agencies, and commercial archaeological services to law and publishing, forensic science, teaching, tourism, and local and national government.

Of those students who graduated in 2020-21:

• 82% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 88% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £25,700

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Studying Anthropology at Durham allows you to gain a deep understanding of humanity in all its rich diversity and complexity, helping to navigate the biggest challenges our societies face today.

Join a dynamic and welcoming Department that takes a distinctly broad-based approach to the study of humanity. We are among the largest Anthropology departments in the UK with around 120 students in each year group, and one of the few to combine social, biological and medical aspects of anthropology. You can choose from one of three single-honours programmes or combine Anthropology with Sociology, Psychology or Archaeology as a joint-honours degree. This gives you the chance to explore humanity from multiple perspectives, covering our species' evolution over millions of years up to the present day diversity of human societies.

Our lecturers are passionate, dedicated teachers and researchers, and our modules cover numerous areas that overlap with other subjects, including culture, environmental issues, evolution, genetics, forensics, literature, health, music, politics, primate behaviour, religion, reproduction, skeletal anatomy and many others still. And with a research-led approach, our teaching is constantly evolving to incorporate the latest findings into the curriculum.

Our flexible courses offer the opportunity both to explore the breadth of Anthropology and to specialise in one of our sub-disciplinary areas. We offer a residential field course to all our undergraduate students (as well as a virtual alternative), providing hands-on experience of varied anthropological methods in practice.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 23rd in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2023

• 6th in The Guardian University Guide 2024

• 8th in The Complete University Guide 2024

• Top 10 in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Anthropology pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 45% of our research was rated as world-leading (REF 2021)

Facilities

We are based in the Dawson Building, conveniently located next to the main library, and close to lots of other departments and university services. We have a common room which students are welcome to use for studying and socialising.

The Department’s research facilities include skeletal, fossil cast and material culture collections available for students to use as part of their learning activities and research projects.

We also house a number of research centres and laboratories including an Infancy and Sleep Centre, a Physical Activity Lab and an Ecology and Endocrinology Laboratory which is equipped to analyse human samples.

Gain an understanding of the present by unlocking the past. Combine academic theory with lab and fieldwork and the examination of historic objects when you study in this world-leading Department at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeology at Durham is an exciting and diverse discipline that delves into the past to inform our understanding of the modern world. Covering a wide range of topics from early human development and ancient civilisations to colonialism and slavery in the early modern world, this broad-based discipline can take you into many different careers. 

We are an inclusive and vibrant international teaching and research community that offers plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, from research seminars and reading groups to field-based projects. Our research-led approach to learning means you will be taught by subject specialists whose wide-ranging  interests span World, European and British archaeology from the last ice age to the post-medieval period. 

Combining practical work with traditional academic study, you will explore archaeological sites and historic buildings, study scientific methods, archaeological theories and computer techniques. Fieldwork takes you around the world, with previous projects ranging from Africa to the Lebanon. Closer to home you will learn about the rich and varied heritage of the UK. Our location in Durham is ideal for the study of archaeology with UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep. 

We offer a range of single and joint honours BA and BSc degrees with flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, and most courses include the possibility of a work placement or year abroad.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 10th in the QS World University Subject Rankings for Archaeology 2023

• 1st in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024

• 3rd in The Complete University Guide 2024

• 6th in The Guardian University Guide 2024

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see our Archaeology pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 97% of our research outputs graded world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)

Facilities

We are based in the Dawson Building at the heart of the Durham city campus. We are one of the most comprehensively equipped archaeology departments in the UK with research laboratories in DNA, conservation, isotope analysis, environmental archaeology, luminescence dating, paleopathology and bone chemistry.

The Department is also home to a leading commercial archaeological fieldwork unit. This enables us to provide expert training in excavation and fieldwork techniques from working archaeologists. In addition, we have a number of dedicated library collections and a gallery which hosts our extensive collection of archaeological artefacts. 

Fieldtrips are an important part of the student experience at Durham. First year students undertake a two-week placement, with most working on our internationally significant excavations at Auckland Castle. Second- and third-year undergraduates join us on digs around the world to gain international experience, with recent projects in France, Spain, Kuwait, Nepal and Egypt.

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