Archaeology/History Of Art

Archaeology and history of art together address the material and visual dimensions of human culture, asking how objects, sites and images were made, what they meant to the people who made and used them, and how we can interpret them today across the distances of time and place. Archaeology studies how people in the past interacted with their world through detailed examination of objects, sites, monuments and landscapes, recovering the traces of daily life, ritual and social organisation that survive in the physical record. History of art examines paintings, sculptures, buildings and designed objects, investigating how visual forms embody cultural values, ideological commitments and aesthetic traditions across different periods and societies.

At the University of Glasgow you will pursue both disciplines within an institution that sits in a city of outstanding artistic and archaeological heritage, with major public collections and access to a wide range of material culture for study. The programme runs over four years full time, reflecting the Scottish honours degree structure, and includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different academic and cultural environment, which is particularly enriching for disciplines concerned with material and visual culture across different national traditions.

You will develop skills in close visual analysis, archaeological fieldwork methods, primary source research, theoretical argument and extended academic writing. The ability to interpret material and visual evidence from multiple disciplinary perspectives is a genuinely transferable intellectual skill.

Graduates from archaeology and history of art programmes pursue careers in museums, galleries, heritage management, cultural tourism, arts administration, auction houses, publishing and education. The combination of visual literacy, material culture expertise and research skills is valued by employers across the cultural and creative sectors. Postgraduate study in archaeology, art history, museum studies, heritage conservation or cultural management is a common and well-supported route.