BSc Archaeological Science with Professional Placement

Develop expertise in the scientific and forensic aspects of archaeology with our accredited BSc Archaeological Science with Professional Placement degree.

This four-year degree includes an integrated placement year, which occurs between your second and final year of study.

Exciting career opportunities

Archaeology is more than studying the past: it’s a discipline that actively prepares you for the job market. You’ll develop an impressive range of practical and academic skills, which are highly sought in the archaeology and heritage sectors. With its focus on the scientific aspects of archaeology, your degree is also suited to a career in forensic science. More than 40 major infrastructure projects are planned across the UK over the next 17 years, and archaeologists are required for exploratory excavations and analysis before construction begins. A 2016 report from Historic England found that England’s 3,000-person commercial archaeology workforce will need to grow by 25% over the next six years to meet demand. Many graduates from the Department of Archaeology use their breadth and depth of expertise across the sciences and humanities to enter careers such as teaching, policing, industry and commerce.

Train as an archaeological scientist at the University of Reading

• Accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.
• Ranked in the top 10 UK universities for Archaeology (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2021).
• The Department for Archaeology has an outstanding track record for student satisfaction, with scores consistently between 90-100% for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2010-2022, with Archaeology achieving the highest score for overall student satisfaction in the UK in 2022.
• The University of Reading is ranked 1st in the UK for research quality and research outputs in Archaeology (Times Higher Education Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest Research Excellence Framework 2021).
• 89% of leavers are in work and/or study 15 months after the end of their course.

You’ll learn about past societies, diets and diseases from the study of bones, and discover how landscapes and climates have changed over time. At Reading, your studies will encompass a diverse range of topics:

• the study of human bones, including osteology and palaeopathology
• environmental archaeology, including botany and zoology
• geoarchaeology, including the investigation of soils and sediments
• forensic archaeology and crime scene analysis
• Quaternary science.

This diverse approach enables you to develop a broad range of subject-specific and transferable skills that span the humanities and sciences. Optional modules allow you to shape your learning further, and focus on the topics and periods that interest you the most. The course offers the opportunity to put this learning into practice, through excavations, surveying or GIS (geographic information systems), and to make a direct contribution to new subject knowledge. You’ll also have access to our outstanding teaching collections and laboratory and microscopy facilities, providing dedicated spaces for the analysis of:

• artefacts
• human and animal remains
• plant remains
• soils and sediments.

BSc Archaeological Science placement year

A key component of this degree is a year-long professional placement, which occurs between your second and final year. Placements can help enhance your employability and build your network. Opportunities are available working across the archaeological, heritage, planning and museum sectors, including: research institutions, government organisations, local planning authorities, archaeological consultancies, field units, specialists and archivists. You could also undertake a research placement in the Department of Archaeology or in a University museum. We have a dedicated member of staff who will provide you with advice and support in your search for a placement. Previous placement students have:

• processed remains
• conducted collections-based research
• drawn archaeological finds
• investigated records of past climate and environmental change.

Current and recent placement settings include:

• QUEST, the University of Reading’s scientific consultancy company
• British Museum, via the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP)
• Border Archaeology.

You could also gain field-work experience through external organisations and placement providers, such as Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd – where students have previously worked in locations such as Germany and Cyprus – and Archaeological Research Services Ltd.