History and Archaeology

History and archaeology are disciplines that address the same fundamental question from different directions: what can we know about the human past, and how? History works primarily with written records, analysing texts and documents to understand politics, society, culture, and change over time. Archaeology approaches the past through its physical remains, using artefacts, structures, and excavated sites to reconstruct the economic, social, and cultural life of earlier societies, including those that left no written record at all.

Together they give you a more complete picture of the past than either discipline could provide alone, and they develop complementary skills in analysis, evidence-based argument, and critical interpretation.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year, full-time degree gives you a rigorous grounding in both disciplines, exploring the ancient, medieval, and modern past through written and material evidence. You will develop skills in archival research, archaeological theory and method, close reading, and the construction of scholarly argument. A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you the opportunity to experience historical and archaeological study at an international institution and to encounter the past in a different national and cultural context.

A typical entry tariff of 232 points reflects the high academic standard of this programme at one of the UK's leading research universities.

Graduates of history and archaeology degrees go on to work in museums, heritage organisations, archaeological units, conservation bodies, archives, education, publishing, journalism, policy research, and the civil service. Many also pursue postgraduate study in history, archaeology, heritage management, or museum studies. The research, analytical, and writing skills developed throughout this degree are highly valued by employers across a wide range of sectors, well beyond those explicitly concerned with the past.