Archaeology

Studying Archaeology at Cambridge

UCAS Code: V400
How many are admitted to Cambridge every year: 25
Minimum offer: A*AA
Essential subjects: None
Useful subjects: Biology, Classics, History, Geography, Psychology

The archaeology course at Cambridge has the broadest scope of any archaeology degree in the UK. You will be exposed to some of the biggest questions that exist including: ‘Where did we come from?’, ‘What makes us human?’, ‘How did we end up here?’, and ‘What is Society and how does it work?’. You will be able to shape your own degree to suit your own interests, whether they are in the study of a particular time period or area of the world, human evolution, human ecology, or even ancient Assyrian or Egyptian languages.

The Cambridge Archaeology degree is unique, in that no other university offers this combination of subjects and themes within a single course. Students will have the opportunity to become a specialist in an area of archaeology, time period or part of the world that interests them, become a biological anthropologist specialising in human evolution, comparative biology, genetics or primates, or either an Egyptologist or Assyriologist with mastery of both their languages and literature and archaeological remains. Alternatively, students can shape their degree to acquire general strengths across all areas. The cross-cultural and interdisciplinary nature of the course is one of its greatest strengths. You will be exposed equally to practical methods of archaeological and anthropological enquiry, as well as theoretical ideas and scientific techniques.

In the first year of study, all students can choose from a list of papers (modules) that offer a solid introduction to the subject—whether that be the methods of archaeology, an overview of world archaeology, biological anthropology, Egyptian hieroglyphics or even a module from another related discipline (such as Social Anthropology or Psychology).

It is only in the second year of the degree that students need to decide which ‘track’ they wish to pursue for the rest of their degree: straight archaeology, archaeology and biological anthropology, biological anthropology, Egyptology or Assyriology. From that point on, there will be one or two compulsory papers that each student will have to take (depending on their chosen track), but they will also have complete freedom of choice to pick from a wide range of more intensive papers that relate to their specific interests. It is in this way that all Cambridge archaeology students really can shape their degree in a way that suits them.

The Archaeology Department at Cambridge is widely renowned as a centre of international importance in its field – having been the place where several global discoveries have been made and new ideas continue to be realised. Students studying archaeology are taught by lecturers who are at the forefront of current research and can draw on a range of world-class resources ranging from excellent libraries, laboratories, museum collections and fieldwork.

As an archaeology student you will become a member of a large but enthusiastic and friendly Department, mixing with highly motivated fellow students and enjoying a course of study that will be at times surprising, challenging or entertaining, but always fascinating and deeply rewarding.

What can I do with a degree in Archaeology?

The majority of employers that recruit Cambridge graduates do not require a certain degree. They are usually more interested in what you can do rather than what you have studied. Archaeology graduates who want to use their degree often think about working in arts and heritage, civil service, publishing or charities.

Upon successful completion of the course, Cambridge archaeology graduates go on to a vast range of careers. The top sectors that archaeology graduates tend to join are public service, research for think tanks, and natural and social science professions. Of course, many archaeologists continue on to further study, and this may be something that you want to consider.

For more information, please visit the University Careers Service website.

What we look for

All of our subjects are taught from scratch, so no previous knowledge is expected or required. Evidence for real ability in arts, humanities, social science and science subjects are all equally valid, as is enthusiasm as well as motivation for the academic study of one of the most exciting degrees on offer!

We welcome applications from anyone, irrespective of educational background. The basic requirements are that you should have general intellectual ability, that you should be driven by natural curiosity, and that you should enjoy a challenge. Past applicants to St Edmund’s have sometimes gained A-levels or equivalent in standard humanities, social sciences or science subjects (like Geography, History, or Biology), but equally they may have a background in languages or art and have discovered an interest in the social sciences later.

Studying Archaeology at St Edmund’s College

Studying Archaeology at St Edmund’s, as with other Colleges, will involve working closely with your Director of Studies, who will arrange (and sometimes also teach) your weekly one-on-one supervisions. Lectures and language classes are provided centrally by the Archaeology Department.

How to Apply

Applications for all courses are made through UCAS. You must apply by 15 October 2025 to be considered for entry in October 2026.

Requirements

My Cambridge Application Form

Written Work

You will be required to submit two pieces of written work as part of the application process. We will contact you with further details once we have received your UCAS application.

This will usually be work you have completed already; you do not need to write something especially for the application. In your essays we look for good written English and the ability to pursue an argument fully and effectively.

Tests

Interviews

You will have two interviews, each one with two senior academics from the Archaeology Department, one of whom will be the St Edmund’s Director of Studies in Archaeology. Interviews tend to last roughly 25 minutes. Both interviews will focus on your interest in and motivation for our subject. We will talk about what you have mentioned in your personal statement, what you have studied in the past and what you have read in connection with the Archaeology course. We may also discuss your submitted work. We may show you an image of an object or dataset to gauge how you respond to new ideas and engage critically with sources. Most importantly, we wish to hear you talking about the things that interest you, and why they interest you. We will not ask you difficult questions about our specialised subjects, because we cannot assume any prior knowledge in a subject that you have not studied before! Yet, we do need to explore whether you are well suited to the course, and to ensure that your interest extends beyond the passing fancy – since this is a subject where we work hard, dig deep, and enjoy the process of discovery.

No specific preparation is necessary for the interview. However, we assume that your interest in the range of subjects in Archaeology will be reflected in some of your reading and will explore that on the day.

Deferred Entry

Affiliated students

If you have already completed or are in the process of completing a first undergraduate degree, you can apply for this course as an affiliated student. This means that you will complete the course in two years instead of the standard three. (Please note that this does not mean that you can go directly into the second year of the course).

To apply as an affiliate student, you need to have achieved or be on track to achieve a 2.1 or higher in your first undergraduate degree. International equivalents can be found on the University website.

What is a typical Term’s work

Teaching in archaeology is provided through weekly lectures for each of your papers, as well as a number of ‘supervisions’ (small group classes of one or two students and an academic) and practical classes in labs or museums (where relevant). Most of these are arranged centrally in the Department, but depending on the papers you take your Director of Studies may be more involved in assigning a suitable supervisor to you. In lectures, your teachers will provide information, elucidation, and argumentation, most of which will not be found in books or articles. They will introduce you to unfamiliar material and will convey their own enthusiasm for the subject. They will give you documentation for the course, including useful handouts.

A certain amount of preparation for Departmental teaching is expected. Every lecture will come with a short reading list that you are encouraged to engage with so that you are familiar with a topic before receiving a lecture on it. Then, for supervisions, you will normally be expected to read more widely around a topic and write a short essay in advance of the supervision, which will then form the basis of conversation in class.

The organisation of your supervisions will depend on your choice of papers. In general, you will have up to eight supervisions in each of your archaeology papers over the course of the academic year. On average, you will have one supervision per week, but sometimes more than this. Each supervision lasts an hour, and the discussion will normally be focused on an essay that you will have submitted in advance. Your supervisor will suggest a topic for your essay and provide a reading list. In the supervision, the supervisor will take you through your essay, discuss its content and ask you to enlarge on certain matters. You can use the supervision to follow up things said in lectures, or to raise questions that interest or perplex you. Your supervisor will also help you to improve your essay-writing skills.

People

Dr Corinne Roughley, Director of Studies
Dr Jason Hawkes, Head of Admissions

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