Undergraduate

Undergraduate

flint knappingUndergraduate archaeology at Aberdeen is taught through lectures, small-group tutorials, seminars, laboratory practicals, and field trips. In the Honours years, there is strong emphasis on research skills and project work, with an archaeological research project/dissertation in fourth year, providing you with an opportunity to tackle an original piece of research. 

Active research is an important part of your degree training.  Students have participated in field work on our Medieval campus, at Pictish royal centres in Scotland, at ancient settlements on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska, and at 19th century squatter settlements in the Aberdeenshire environs. You will also be able to attend lectures and seminars given by scholars visiting the University, and lectures organised by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in Aberdeen.

First Year

In your first semester we introduce you to some of the many archeological sites in the Aberdeenshire countryside including stone cricles, carved crosses, settlements and crannogs.

Second Year

In your second year you will visit the reconstructed Iron Age structures of Loch Tay.  This area of Perthshire has an unprecidented density of crannogs that have been the subject of several decades of research. Learn about these fascinating structures from experts involved in current research and try out living in the past. 

Third Year

As part of the practical archaeological training in your third year courses you will take part in a mulit-day residential excavation as well as several fulls days of fieldwalking and geophysical survey around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Archaeological materials range from Mesolithic to Medival. 

In addition, as part of your detailed study of Scottish archaeology in thrid year you will visit sites in Moray and Aberdeenshire with a particular focused on Pictish and later Medieval inhabitation. 

Finally, as a culmination of Archaeologies of Landscape you will be able to take a multi-day trip to Orkney and study a wide range of sites there. 

Fourth Year

Your fourth year, and the summer before, may include fieldwork related to your honours dissertation.  You can also choose to learn bioarchaeological field techniques at local sites. 

We offer two undergraduate degrees in archaeology, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Master of Arts (MA). In additional a range of joint degrees combining archaeology other subjects, such as History or Celtic and Anglo-Saxon studies are available. 

Download our Undergraduate programmes leaflet here or visit the University's online catalogue of courses for information about current archaeology modules.