Geography and Archaeology
Geography and archaeology is a combination that brings together two disciplines concerned with how humans have inhabited, shaped, and been shaped by the physical environments they live in, one examining the patterns and processes of the present and recent past, the other recovering the deeper human story from the material traces left in the landscape. Geography examines the physical and human forces that produce the world's landscapes, environments, and social geographies, including climate, geomorphology, urban development, environmental change, and cultural geography. Archaeology excavates that story further back in time, using evidence from artefacts, structures, human remains, and environmental data to understand how earlier societies lived, worked, and died.
At the University of the Highlands and Islands, this four-year full-time programme is available in a flexible mode, allowing students who need it to take fewer units per week or one unit at a time, making the degree manageable alongside other commitments. The Highlands and Islands is a region of extraordinary archaeological richness and geographical diversity, from its Neolithic standing stones and Iron Age brochs to its peat bogs, sea lochs, and island landscapes, providing an exceptional local context for studying both disciplines. You will develop fieldwork and research skills in geography and archaeology alongside the theoretical frameworks of both disciplines.
With a typical entry tariff of 168 UCAS points, this programme attracts students with genuine intellectual curiosity about landscape, environment, and the human past. Graduates pursue careers in archaeological fieldwork and consultancy, heritage management, geographical information systems, environmental planning, landscape management, countryside agencies, local government, education, and research. Many continue to postgraduate study in archaeology, geography, environmental management, or heritage studies, and some move into academic careers in research and teaching.