History and Archaeology

History and archaeology are disciplines that ask the same fundamental questions about the human past by different means. History works primarily through written sources, reading documents, chronicles, letters, and official records to reconstruct how people lived and how events unfolded. Archaeology works through material evidence, excavating and interpreting the physical remains of past societies to understand aspects of human experience that the written record either misses or distorts.

Together they produce a richer account of the past than either discipline can achieve alone. This three-year full-time BA at the University of Leicester combines both, with particular emphasis on the medieval and modern periods, and includes a year abroad.

You will learn to examine both historical texts and material remains, developing a dual competence in archival research and archaeological analysis. The programme asks you to think critically about the relationship between these two types of evidence, including how they corroborate, contradict, or complement each other, and what the choice of method reveals about the questions we ask of the past. Leicester has a strong research profile in both disciplines, and the city and its surroundings offer accessible archaeological and historical resources that enrich your learning.

The year abroad gives you the opportunity to study at a university in another country, encountering different scholarly traditions and, in some cases, very different archaeological and historical environments.

A typical entry tariff of 120 UCAS points reflects an accessible but intellectually rigorous admissions standard. Graduates from history and archaeology programmes move into careers in heritage and museum work, archaeology and environmental consultancy, archival and records management, teaching, journalism, public history, cultural policy, and the civil service. Many continue to postgraduate study in history, archaeology, heritage management, or museum studies.