Archaeology/Economic & Social History

Archaeology and economic and social history are disciplines that address the human past from complementary directions. Archaeology recovers and interprets the material traces of past societies, studying objects, sites, monuments and landscapes to reconstruct how people lived, worked and organised their communities across the full span of human history. Economic and social history examines the structures and processes of economic and social life over time, using a combination of historical methodology and social science frameworks to understand how people have produced, exchanged and consumed resources, and how social relationships, inequalities and institutions have developed.

At the University of Glasgow you will pursue both disciplines within an institution of considerable research strength in both fields. The Scottish four-year honours degree structure allows you to explore both disciplines broadly in your earlier years before developing the depth and specialisation characteristic of honours-level work. The programme includes a year abroad, extending the full course and giving you the opportunity to study in a different academic environment, which is particularly enriching for disciplines whose methods and objects of study differ significantly across national traditions.

You will develop skills in archaeological fieldwork and material culture analysis alongside the quantitative and qualitative methods of economic and social history. The ability to read different types of historical evidence, to move between material and textual sources, and to construct interpretive arguments from incomplete and contested data is a rigorous and transferable intellectual training.

Graduates from this combination pursue careers in heritage management, archiving, museums, historical research, policy, the civil service, journalism and education. The combination of practical field skills and historical analysis is valued by employers across the cultural heritage and public history sectors. Postgraduate study in archaeology, economic and social history, heritage management or museum studies is a well-established route.