Anthropology and Archaeology
Anthropology and archaeology are deeply complementary disciplines. Anthropology is the study of human beings in all their cultural, social, linguistic and biological diversity, past and present. Archaeology investigates the past through the material traces that human activity leaves behind, from tools and monuments to settlements and environmental evidence, reconstructing how people lived, how societies were organised, and how cultures changed over time.
Together, they give you a remarkably comprehensive perspective on what it means to be human, drawing on both the documentary and material record and the comparative study of living and historical cultures.
At the University of Aberdeen, this four-year full-time degree is described as an ideal combination for students with a deep interest in the past and in the way human cultures developed. You will study social and cultural anthropology alongside archaeological theory and method, learning to approach human diversity and the material record with rigour, curiosity and an openness to perspectives very different from those of contemporary Western society. The programme covers archaeological fieldwork methods, the analysis of artefacts, environmental evidence and human remains, alongside anthropological approaches to kinship, religion, economy, politics and the construction of identity.
A year abroad is available, giving you the opportunity to broaden your academic and personal experience in an international environment.
Fieldwork, both archaeological and ethnographic, is a key part of the discipline's practical training. You will develop skills in observation, data collection and analysis alongside your theoretical and critical understanding.
Graduates move into archaeology, heritage management, conservation, museums, community development, international development, education, the civil service, NGOs, and academic research. Postgraduate study in anthropology, archaeology, museum studies or international development is a well-supported pathway.