This course offers a Joint Honours degree programme examining the human past from a broad humanities-based perspective, drawing on both physical and textual evidence, and including the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in working with archaeological material and undertaking fieldwork.
Archaeology explores a wide range of evidence that documents the human past – from artefacts, monuments and settlements to entire landscapes – and from these interprets how societies have adapted and developed. Modules focus on different periods of World, European and Irish/British archaeology, from human origins to modern times and heritage. Queen's University Belfast is one of the best places to study Archaeology in the UK, scoring scoring third place for student experience in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 and, once again, first place for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2022.
History at Queen's offers students a wide choice of modules. Courses span a long chronological period from Ancient History through to the Contemporary History of the late twentieth century. The modules on offer also cover a wide geographical area that includes Ireland, England, Scotland, Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Students can choose modules that focus on gender, social and cultural history, colonial history, politics, religious and economic change.
The combined disciplines progressively develop general and specific knowledge and skills, through excavation, fieldwork, overseas fieldtrips, laboratory and practical work. A wide range of career options are available to our graduates including careers in commercial archaeology, survey, heritage management and many more, both within and beyond the heritage sector.
As well as the Joint Honours BA in Archaeology and History, Queen's offers Single Honours degrees in Archaeology (BA) and Archaeology-Palaeoecology (BSc) along with other degree programmes which combine Archaeology (the study of past human activities) with other subjects (Languages and Geography). All of those Single Honours and Joint Honours degrees offer a module pathway that is fully accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK).
Archaeology And History Degree Highlights
Global Opportunities
Students on this programme benefit from a broad range of study-abroad and international placement opportunities, e.g. in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.
Students are also eligible to apply to the University’s Study USA and Study China programmes.
World Class Facilities
The School boasts the internationally renowned 14CHRONO Centre for Radiocarbon Dating, the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, departmental collections and laboratories for study of artefacts, human, animal and plant remains and other scientific materials and instruments, access to GIS, laser scanning and specialist teaching laboratories.
The University’s McClay Library holds one of the most comprehensive collections of resources on Irish, British, European and World Archaeology in Ireland and the UK, and provides state-of-the-art study facilities. The McClay Library also holds a wide collection of resources for the study of Ancient, Medieval and Modern History.
Internationally Renowned Experts
On this programme you will be taught by academics who are internationally renowned experts at the top of their respective fields.
Student Experience
Archaeology at Queen’s stands out for its sustained excellent teaching record, having scored 95% overall student satisfaction in the UK National Student Surveys 2019 and 2021, and 100% overall student satisfaction in the UK National Student Surveys 2017, 2018 and 2020.
3rd place for Student Experience (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022)
1st place for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2022)
