Archaeology and History

Archaeology and history are disciplines with a shared purpose but different methods. History reconstructs the past primarily through written records, asking what people said, decided, and recorded about their own times. Archaeology recovers what was made, built, used, and discarded, reaching into periods and communities that left few or no texts.

Studied together, they produce a richer and more complete account of human experience than either can offer alone, and they develop a distinctive combination of analytical, interpretive, and practical skills.

At the University of Reading, this three-year, full-time programme allows you to range across periods from prehistory to the recent past, engaging with both the physical evidence that archaeologists excavate and conserve and the textual, visual, and oral sources that historians interpret. You will develop competence in primary source analysis, archaeological fieldwork and recording methods, critical historiography, and the theoretical frameworks that both disciplines use to make sense of the past. Reading has a strong research profile in both archaeology and history, and its location gives access to outstanding archive and museum collections.

The programme includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad, and work placement experience, all of which extend your learning beyond the classroom. Fieldwork, archival visits, and placements in museums, heritage organisations, or research projects allow you to develop professional skills alongside your academic understanding.

Graduates from archaeology and history programmes work in museums, archives, heritage management, cultural resource management, teaching, and public history. Many enter roles in local authorities, Historic England, the National Trust, and other organisations responsible for managing and interpreting the built and archaeological heritage. Others move into journalism, policy, education, or the charity sector.

Postgraduate study in archaeology, history, heritage management, or archiving is a well-travelled route for those who wish to specialise or pursue research careers.