Bachelor of Science in Archaeology

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

Explore the evolution, biology and behaviour of humankind through the study of our Stone Age ancestors. With this specialist master’s in palaeoanthropology you’ll gain expertise in the analysis of stone tools and hominin skulls to understand our evolutionary journey. You’ll work closely with experts in our Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins (CAHO) and benefit from opportunities to apply your learning in real-world settings.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019).

Your specialist palaeoanthropology learning will cover:

• handling and interpreting stone tools
• the role of evolutionary models, experimental testing, primatological data and ethnographies in the study of human origins
• developing methods to interrogate meaning from collections of stone tools
• using SPSS statistical analysis software

Palaeolithic symbolism and language, migration and responses to environmental change
Beyond your specialist modules you can personalise this palaeonthropology MSc to your areas of interest.

We bring expertise together from across the University, including Medicine, Humanities, the National Oceanography Centre, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to help you gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding through a range of optional modules.

This is a very practical degree, but you don’t need prior knowledge of biology or anthropology. You’ll be based in our dedicated John Wymer Laboratory, with its own specialist library and large collection of stone tools and hominin skulls. Staff, PhD students and MSc students work in the same space, creating a lively learning environment. As a student on this course you automatically become a member of the CAHO research group.

You’ll have the opportunity to apply your skills on a 4-week placement, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

This  Palaeoanthropology course offers a balance between vocational and research skills. During your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to do original research on a topic of that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the Globe.

If you’d prefer a less specialised archaeology master’s degree, or you’d like to focus on a different specialism, you can choose from our 3 other Archaeology MSc pathways. When you join us you’ll have 2 weeks in which you can change pathway if you wish.

Examine the people and events of the past from different but complementary perspectives. On BA Archaeology and History with Year Abroad you'll take an in-depth look at your favourite historical subjects, choosing from options like the Cold War and 17th century witchcraft trials. You'll spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions, such as the University of Malta or the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona.

Archaeology looks at the past through the study of physical remains, including buildings, artefacts and the landscape itself. History draws on written and oral sources.

This degree will give you in-depth knowledge of both archaeology and history, and develop your understanding of earlier human societies. You'll learn how to use and understand historical sources. You'll also learn how to identify and excavate archaeological sites, extracting as much information as possible from materials and records.

Study history with archaeology abroad in your third year at a partner institution to broaden your knowledge and experience.

Archaeology and History with year abroad includes a wide variety of optional modules, covering subjects such as:

• American slavery
• Women's history in modern Britain
• Apocalyptic visions of history
• The French Revolution
• Human origins
• Landscapes and seascapes
• Emergence of civilisation

As part of this course, you can choose to take a minor subject in an unrelated area.

You'll develop valuable skills for any future career, including:

• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Project management

From the Aztecs and Maya to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation on BA Archaeology with Year Abroad. Through the latest techniques and technologies, you'll investigate how our ancestors lived, from the earliest human origins, to Neolithic Britain, Ancient Egypt and the Medieval Middle East.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains, such as its:

• Buildings
• Monuments
• Artefacts
• Biological remains
• Written sources
• Landscape

Whether in the laboratory on a dig, you'll develop transferable skills through exploring questions about people in the past and in the present. This archaeology bachelor degree with year abroad explores world archaeology, on topics such as:

• Excavation and field survey techniques
• Underwater archaeology
• Artefacts analysis
• Museums, heritage and public archaeology

You'll have the opportunity to experience fieldwork, including at least 3 weeks of fieldwork as part of an active research project.

We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive practical training for a career in archaeology.

You'll spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions such as the University of Malta or the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. This will give you the chance to discover theories and findings in exotic locations and boost your career opportunities.

This degree gives you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside the main programme.

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

With this French and Philosophy degree, you’ll become fluent in a major international language and spend a year in a French-speaking country. You'll also study philosophy, which will deepen your ability to analyse and communicate.

What you learn will prepare you for work across the world. French is native to France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and the French Caribbean, and it’s an official language in much of Africa and Asia.

You’ll start at a level that matches your ability in spoken and written French, which helps ensure rapid progress. You’ll also have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at Southampton has everything you need.

A module in year 2 prepares you for the following year abroad. You can spend the year in countries such as:

• France
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Canada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• La Réunion

We have partner universities in the Erasmus exchange programme across France and Switzerland.

Gain in-depth knowledge and develop your research interests on this MA philosophy degree. Whether you’re planning to take your research to a higher level, or want to build on your undergraduate studies, this UK course will meet your needs. You’ll study the central issues in philosophy, and follow your own interests through a range of optional modules.

Philosophy at the University of Southampton is renowned for its research excellence in areas such as aesthetics, normativity and the history of philosophy. 

On this Philosophy MA you’ll gain a thorough training in research skills as you study key works of the discipline. 

Compulsory topics cover ideas such as such as mind, knowledge and reality, and the philosophy of value. 

You’ll also have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of options covering particular areas and philosophers, from Wittgenstein to classical Indian philosophy. 

During your studies you’ll learn how to research, analyse, and present key transferable skills that will be invaluable to your future career.

Study film from a variety of perspectives: as popular art, big business and as a cultural record with our Film Studies degree. Immerse yourself in the subject, from the earliest projected images to the present day. Learn how to view Hollywood blockbusters, European and world cinema with a critical eye.

You’ll study familiar classics alongside contemporary cinema, and genres including:

• film noir
• horror
• science fiction
• documentary
• animation

You’ll deepen your understanding and enjoyment of film and develop your critical thinking as part of a lively community.

You can choose to spend a semester or a summer abroad at one of our partner universities, including: South Korea, Sweden, Ireland, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic.

You can also hone your filmmaking skills with our student-led filmmaking, TV and radio societies. They offer training and equipment to help you try out directing, producing, scriptwriting, sound or camera work.

As part of this film degree you can:

• explore British, European and world cinema
• discover early film through archive visits
• use our extensive library resources, including over 5,800 films from around the world
• take modules from other courses, such as English, history and music
• volunteer at a cinema to develop new skills, such as team leading, projection and digital design
• submit your own film to our annual student film festival

We offer a 4-week summer school at Dongguk University in Seoul. This includes film and cultural orientation courses.

Explore how our ancestors engaged with the world, and gain a fascinating insight into what it means to be human. Studying archaeology and anthropology combines aspects of the humanities and the sciences. You'll study global human diversity in time and space, in a truly interdisciplinary way. Along with studying the theoretical background, you'll do fieldwork as part of an active research project in the UK or abroad.

Our BA Archaeology and Anthropology degree gives teaches you how human societies came into being, how they have changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today.

This degree integrates the disciplines of archaeology (the study of the human past through its material remains) and anthropology, which is made up of:

• Social anthropology (exploring how people in different places create meaning and build communities)
• Anthropological linguistics (the study of humans through the languages they use)
• Biological anthropology (looking at the physiological and genetic diversity in present and past human and primate societies)

We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. On this anthropology and archaeology degree you'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive the practical training needed for a career in archaeology or anthropology.

Our archaeology and anthropology degree courses give you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside the main programme.

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

Learn 2 major international languages and study abroad for a year to get complete proficiency with our French and Portuguese degree. You’ll complement your language learning with modules covering the history, society, culture and linguistics for French and Portuguese-speaking countries.

You’ll start at a level that matches your ability in spoken and written French and Portuguese, which will help you to progress quickly. You’ll also have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at Southampton has everything you need.

You can study Portuguese in accelerated mode, letting you reach graduate level competence over 4 years.

A special module in year 2 will make sure you’re ready for working and studying abroad in year 3. You can spend the year in countries such as:

• France
• Germany
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• Canada
• Guadeloupe
• Martinique
• La Réunion

We have partner universities in the Erasmus exchange programme across France, Germany and Switzerland.

You’ll also have the opportunity to prepare a final year dissertation with guidance from a supervisor.

For movie lovers and history buffs, we offer this exciting and challenging film and history degree with year abroad. You'll examine film from a variety of perspectives: as popular art, big business and as a cultural record. You'll study history and the links between both subjects. A year abroad will enhance your understanding of visual arts and let you experience a new culture.

You'll study familiar classics alongside contemporary cinema, and genres including:

• film noir
• horror
• science fiction
• documentary
• animation

Your history modules will cover the development of historical debates, imagining the past, and topics ranging from ancient societies to the war on terror.

Our Framing the Past module looks at cinema's relationship with history. You'll study films about the distant past of Greece, Rome or Egypt, up to more recent times, such as heritage films about the British Empire or the Titanic.

You'll spend your third year abroad at an exchange partner university. You can study in English but will have opportunities to develop your language skills.

 As part of this course you can:

• take modules in film noir, animation, horror and sci-fi
• explore British, European and world cinema
• discover early film through archive visits
• access document collections, including the Wellington, Palmerston and Mountbatten papers
• use one of the largest Jewish document centres in Europe, the Parkes Archive
• submit your own film to our annual student film festival

Become fluent in German while studying a range of topics within German studies, including contemporary culture, society and politics, history, literature and cinema. You'll also specialise in German Linguistics and explore the structure, use and psychology of language around the world.

Following our system of language development you’ll start at a level that matches your ability in German. This means we can personalise your learning so you make the best progress.

You’ll also have all the resources you need to support you in our Centre for Language Study.

As well as becoming competent with written and spoken German, you’ll study topics within the broader field of German studies, focusing especially on the 20th and 21st Centuries.

In your first and second years, you will take a range of compulsory modules in German and choose options in areas of linguistic analysis such as psycholinguistics, discourse Analysis, and phonetics. Your second year also includes preparation for your year abroad.

During your third year you’ll study abroad at one of our Erasmus exchange partner institutions.

In your final year, in addition to your language and linguistics modules, you can choose from a range of advanced modules covering areas such as translating and interpreting, linguistics, language education, and globalisation. You can also choose to do a Modern Languages dissertation.

The transferable skills you’ll gain on this course mean after graduation your employment opportunities are highly varied, both in the UK and abroad.