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Undergraduate Study

BA History and Archaeology - 2025 entry

Please note: The below is for 2025 entries. Click here for 2024 entries.
UCAS code VV16
Duration 3 years
Entry year 2025
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline History
Contact

Web: Enquire online
Phone: 0300 555 6060 (UK callers) 
+44 (0)1392 723044 (EU/International callers)

Typical offer

View full entry requirements

A-Level: AAB-ABB
IB: 34-32/665-655
BTEC: DDD-DDM

Contextual offers

A-Level: BBB-BBC
IB: 30-28/555-554
BTEC: DDM

Overview

  • Study world history to its full: explore vital topics such as gender, race and global imperialism, navigate diverse geographical regions, and traverse 1,500 years of history, from the fall of the Roman Empire through to the post-Communist era
  • Learn important techniques and skills archaeologists use to engage with the past. Tailor your degree to your areas of interest, such as exploring specific historical periods of cultures, or examining human bones and artefacts
  • Exeter is a city bursting with history and heritage that offers museums, art galleries and a wide range of historical architecture. The University Library has extensive historical holdings and collections
  • Our research centres, which cover areas including Medical History and Medieval Studies, are a focus for interdisciplinary research activity across the institution and have significant international reputations
  • The Student-Staff Liaison Committee provides an opportunity to communicate your views and influence, change and shape your degree. The student-run History Society organises guest speakers, trips and social events

View 2024 Entry

Request a prospectus

Open Days and visiting us

How to apply

Contact

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Rosette icon

We are 6th in the UK for research in History

Based on our GPA in REF 2021

Top 100 icon

Top 100 in world subject rankings for History

QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

Magnifying Glass icom

Applied experience and fieldwork opportunities in the UK and abroad

Rosette icon

Top 50 in world subject rankings for Archaeology

QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

Rosette icon

We are 6th in the UK for research in History

Based on our GPA in REF 2021

Top 100 icon

Top 100 in world subject rankings for History

QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

Magnifying Glass icom

Applied experience and fieldwork opportunities in the UK and abroad

Rosette icon

Top 50 in world subject rankings for Archaeology

QS World University Subject Rankings 2024

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the University of Exeter where I have studied History and Archaeology. Each academic year has been both challenging and interesting, enabling me to develop on skills and knowledge that I have acquired from the previous modules from Year 1 to Year 3.

In every module the Lecturers and Tutors have taught with great enthusiasm and have always ensured that their lectures are engaging and encourage debate. As a joint honours student, History has aided me greatly in my other discipline, Archaeology. Namely, by providing historical context to my Archaeology modules especially the medieval period. Moreover, it has been most advantageous in helping me in approaching and analysing textual sources alongside the physical primary evidence that Archaeology utilizes.

Read more from Giulia

Giulia

BA History and Archaeology

Entry requirements (typical offer)

Qualification Typical offer Required subjects
A-Level AAB-ABB n/a
IB 34/665-32/655 n/a
BTEC DDD-DDM n/a
GCSE 4 or C English Language
Access to HE 30 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 15 L3 credits at Merit Grade - 24 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade N/A
T-Level Distinction N/A
Contextual Offer

A-Level: BBB-BBC
IB: 30-28/555-554
BTEC: DDM

Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers.

Other accepted qualifications

View other accepted qualifications

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply

Course content

The History and Archaeology degree programme is made up of compulsory (core) and optional modules, which are worth 15 or 30 credits each. Full-time undergraduate students need to complete modules worth a total of 120 credits each year.

Depending on your programme you can take up to 30 credits each year in another subject, for instance a language or business module, to develop career-related skills or just widen your intellectual horizons.

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

30 credits of compulsory Archaeology modules, 45 credits of compulsory History modules, 30 credits of optional Archaeology modules, 15 credits of optional History modules.

Compulsory modules

a - You must select HIH1421 Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History OR HIH1422 Understanding Modern History.

 

CodeModule Credits
ARC1010 Themes in World Archaeology 15
ARC1020 Essential Archaeological Methods 15
HIH1137 Becoming a Historian: Core 15
HIH1421 Understanding Medieval and Early Modern History [See note a above]30
HIH1422 Understanding Modern History [See note a above]30

Optional modules

b - Select 30 credits from Stage 1 Option Modules Archaeology

c - Select 15 credits from Stage 1 Option Modules History

CodeModule Credits
Archaeology Stage 1 BA Option Modules 2024-5 [See note b above]
ARC1080 Archaeology and Heritage: Past and Futures 15
ARA1030 Introduction to Islamic Archaeology 15
History Stage 1 Option modules 2024-5 [See note c above]
HIH1402 Britain, America, and the Global Order, 1846-1946 15
HIH1618 Body, Border, Partition: Understanding Violence in South Asia 15
HIH1140 Confinement, Care, Cure: Psychiatric Institutions in the Twentieth Century 15
HIH1412 Early Modern Magic and Witchcraft 15
HIH1614 Environment and Industry, 1750-1950: Global Perspectives 15
HIH1053 Gender and Sexuality in the Middle Ages 15
HIH1600 Images of Stalinism 15
HIH1585 Ladies of the Night: Prostitution in the Victorian World 15
HIH1607 JFK 15
HIH1002 Losing an Empire, Finding a Role: Britain Since 1945 15
HIH1042 Murder in Early Modern England 15
HIH1411 From Wigan Pier to Piccadilly: Britain between the Wars 15
HIH1501 The Viking Phenomenon 15
HIH1506 The First Day of the Somme 15
HIH1532 The History of Strategic Thinking 15
HIH1596 The Good War? The United States in World War II 15
HIH1612 Renaissance Florence 1350-1550 15

30 credits of compulsory Archaeology modules, 30 credits of optional Archaeology modules, 60 credits of optional History modules.

Compulsory modules

d - Select ARC2003 or ARC2004 from Stage 2 Compulsory Modules

CodeModule Credits
ARC2003 Archaeological Fieldwork Project [See note d above]30
ARC2004 Archaeological Fieldschool [See note d above]30

Optional modules

e - Select 30 credits from Stage 2 Option Modules Archaeology.

Select 60 credits from a single History Route A, B, C or D. You must take HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age if you intend to select HIH3005 History Dissertation or HIH3006 Research Dissertation in the final stage.

History Route A
2 History option modules. Archaeology Dissertation in final stage

History Route B
HIH2002 Uses of the Past + 1 other History option. Archaeology Dissertation in final stage

History Route C
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age + 1 other History option. History Dissertation in final stage

History Route D
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age + HIH2002 Uses of the Past. History Dissertation in final stage

CodeModule Credits
Archaeology Stage 2 BA Option Modules 2024-5 [See note e above]
ARA2014 Regions and Empires in Islamic Archaeology 15
ARC2118 Lords to Lepers: Medieval Social Worlds 15
ARC2124 Giving and Taking: Anthropology and Archaeology of Circulation and Exchange 15
ARC2130 Discovering the Past with Molecular Science 15
ARC2131 Palaeolithic Archaeology of Homo Sapiens 100,000-12,000 BP 15
ARC2135 Trading Places, Towns, Royal Palaces and Fortifications: Early Medieval Centres in Europe 15
ARC2400 Understanding the Landscape of Roman Britain 15
ARC2504 Zooarchaeology 15
ARC2512 Palaeobotany 15
ARC2513 Aerial Survey 15
ARC2514 Forensic Anthropology 15
History CH Stage 2 Route A modules 2024-5 History Route A
HIH2036A Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965 30
HIH2037 American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology 30
HIH2041 The First Welfare State? England's Poor Law, 1520-1835 30
HIH2016A Living Through the Global: Colonial Migrants and the British Empire from the Eighteenth Century to the Present 30
HIH2137A Inventing Modern Man: Constructions of Mind, Body, and the Individual, 1400-1800 30
HIH2138A History of Development: Ideologies, Politics, and Projects 30
HIH2145A Spain from Absolutism to Democracy 30
HIH2208A Medieval Paris 30
HIH2210A The Russian Empire, 1689-1917 30
HIH2218A Religion, Society and Culture in Tudor England 30
HIH2238 Slavery, Revolution, Independence: Saint-Domingue and Haiti, 1685-1838 30
HIH2241 Rise and Demise of Communism in Global Perspective 30
HIH2587 The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century 30
HIH2590 An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century 30
HIH2591 Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223 30
HIH2594 Europe in the Era of the Great War, 1908-1923: Crisis, Conflict and Collapse 30
History CH Stage 2 Route B modules 2024-5 History Route B
HIH2002 Uses of the Past 30
HIH2591 Philip Augustus and the Making of France, 1180-1223 30
HIH2587 The Other Renaissance: Religion, Knowledge, and Power in the Twelfth Century 30
HIH2036A Albion's Fatal Tree: Capital Punishment in England, 1688-1965 30
HIH2238 Slavery, Revolution, Independence: Saint-Domingue and Haiti, 1685-1838 30
HIH2016A Living Through the Global: Colonial Migrants and the British Empire from the Eighteenth Century to the Present 30
HIH2210A The Russian Empire, 1689-1917 30
HIH2138A History of Development: Ideologies, Politics, and Projects 30
History CH Stage 2 Route C modules 2024-5 History Route C
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age 30
HIH2208A Medieval Paris 30
HIH2590 An Age of Iron? Europe in the Tenth Century 30
HIH2218A Religion, Society and Culture in Tudor England 30
HIH2041 The First Welfare State? England's Poor Law, 1520-1835 30
HIH2037 American Frontiers: The West in U.S. History and Mythology 30
HIH2145A Spain from Absolutism to Democracy 30
HIH2594 Europe in the Era of the Great War, 1908-1923: Crisis, Conflict and Collapse 30
HIH2241 Rise and Demise of Communism in Global Perspective 30
History CH Stage 2 Route D modules History Route D
HIH2002 Uses of the Past 30
HIH2237 Doing History in the Digital Age 30

Find out more about study abroad or employment experience under Course variants.

With Study Abroad

120 credit compulsory placement module

For your year abroad you will agree a suite of modules in your host institution with the Faculty Study Abroad Coordinator. Details of individual modules that may be taken whilst abroad can be found by accessing the partner institution’s factfile at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/where/ and navigating to the “Course Requirements” section of that factfile where a link to the modules on offer in the partner institution is displayed.

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
HUM3999 Year Abroad 120

With Employment Experience

120 credit compulsory placement module

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
HUM3998 Employment Experience UK 120

With Employment Experience Abroad

120 credits of compulsory modules

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
HUM3998 Employment Experience UK 120

0-30 credits of compulsory Archaeology modules, 0-30 credits of compulsory History modules, 30-60 credits of optional Archaeology modules, and 30-60 credits of optional History modules.

Compulsory modules

Route A or B taken in Stage 2 - Select ARC3000 Archaeology Dissertation

Route C or D taken in stage 2 - Select either HIH3005 History Dissertation or HIH3006 History Research Dissertation

CodeModule Credits
ARC3000 Archaeological Dissertation 30
HIH3005 General Third-Year Dissertation 30
HIH3006 Research Project Dissertation 30

Optional modules

Route A or B taken in Stage 2 - Select one 30 Credit Archaeology Option. Select a Special Subject for 60 credits.

Route C or D taken in stage 2 - select 30 credits from Concepts Modules, or 30 credits of option modules from outside of History via modularity. Select 60 credits of Archaeology options.

If choosing option modules outside of your named subjects, you must make sure that your total for both History and Archaeology is 90 credits each over the second and final year. This is to insure you meet the requirements needed for the degree title.

CodeModule Credits
Archaeology Final Stage BA Option Modules 2024-5 Archaeology Options
ARC3003 Professional Placement 30
ARC3006A Advanced Fieldschool 15
ARC3013 Practicing Archaeological, Forensic and Heritage Science 15
ARC3136 Advanced Fieldwork 15
ARC3118 Lords to Lepers: Medieval Social Worlds 15
ARC3124 Giving and Taking: Anthropology and Archaeology of Circulation and Exchange 15
ARC3131 Palaeolithic Archaeology of Homo Sapiens 100,000-12,000 BP 15
ARC3133 Digital Pasts 15
ARC3135 Trading Places, Towns, Royal Palaces and Fortifications: Early Medieval Centres in Europe 15
ARC3400 Understanding the Landscape of Roman Britain 15
ARC3510 Experimental Approaches to Forensic and Archaeological Investigations 15
ARC3512 Palaeobotany 15
ARC3513 Aerial Survey 15
ARC3611 Funerary Osteoarchaeology 15
History UG Final Year Special Subjects 2024-5 Special Subjects
HIH3415 Everyday Stalinism: Life in the Soviet Union, 1928-53 60
HIH3416 Critics of Empire 60
HIH3417 The Yes, Minister Files: Perspectives on British Government since 1914 60
HIH3422 Street Protest and Social Movements in the Modern Era 60
HIH3426 Health and its Politics in the 20th Century 60
HIH3430 From the Grand Tour to Gladiator: Modern encounters with the ancient world 60
HIH3433 Beyond Cannibalism: Indigenous Peoples and the European Colonisation of Brazil, 1500-1822 60
HIH3434 The Body in Early Modern England 60
HIH3436 Engendering Empire: Making the British Imperial World 60
HIH3437 Death to the Traitors: Rebellion and Resisting Tyranny in the Middle Ages 60
HIH3438 The Rise of Capitalism in Britain 1660-1830 60
HIH3439 Women's Experience in Britain: Race, Class and Gender since 1945 60
HIH3441 Britons Abroad: The Experience of Travel, c. 1650-1900 60
HIH3442 From Its Cradle to Its Grave? The National Health Service in Britain, 1948-Present 60
HIH3444 Them and Us: Imagining the Social "Other" in Britain since the 1880s 60
HIH3450 Decolonisation and Colonial Conflict 60
HIH3451 Borders and Mobilities in Postcolonial South Asia 60
HIH3452 Whiteness: A Global History 60
HIH3448 Britain and the Age of Revolution, 1775-1832 60
History UG Final Stage Concepts Concepts Modules
HIH3330 Truth 30
HIH3332 Labour 30
HIH3333 In Sickness and in Health 30
HIH3334 War 30
HIH3336 Revolution 30
HIH3331 Elites 30

Course variants

UCAS code: 1A84

Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.

Why Study Abroad?

Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.

Where can I Study Abroad?

We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website.

Does it count towards my degree?

Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your College Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.

How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?

For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.

UCAS code: VV18

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements within the UK as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience?

Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career. A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.

Where will I do my work placement?

The sector you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?

For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.

Find out more

Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities.

UCAS code: VV19

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience Abroad?

Spending up to a year living and working in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. By carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements abroad you can demonstrate to employers your adaptability, cultural awareness, independence and resourcefulness and, depending on where you stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language.

Where will I do my work placement?

The sector and country you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fee?

For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.

Is the placement paid?

You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.

Find out more

Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities. 

Fees

Tuition fees for 2025 entry

UK students: £9,535 per year
International students: £24,700 per year

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*. Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Learning and teaching

How will I learn?

Throughout the programmes stress is laid on the need to analyse, discuss and deploy historical evidence in a variety of settings and not simply on the ability to memorise. You will learn through lectures, tutorials and seminars, with a growing emphasis at each successive level on student-led learning.

Modules

Modules are designed to encourage you to think about long-term developments and processes of historical change, and to make comparisons between countries and cultures. This helps you progress from the more tightly defined topics studied at A level. Modules are also designed to encourage you to think and write analytically about these broad subjects. They emphasise historical questions that require you to identify patterns across time, or between countries, and to isolate common or competing trends, instead of concentrating on short-term or single explanations.

Teaching hours

You’ll have on average 1-3 teaching hours per module and will need to allow for up to nine additional hours of private study. You should expect your total workload to average about 40 hours per week during term time. As well as attending lectures and writing essays and assignments, you’ll be expected to make presentations in seminars or tutorials. We encourage your presentation work, because it involves you actively in the teaching and learning process and develops important life skills, such as good verbal and visual communication and effective interaction with other people.

Personal tutor

You'll have a personal tutor as well as tutors in individual subjects and they will work with you to monitor your progress, as well as offering pastoral support and other help. You will have a chance to make your mark on the programmes through regular student evaluations and participation in the Student-Staff Liaison Committees and the student History Societies on both campuses.

How will I be assessed?

All the degrees in History have assessments and examinations each year. Although formal examinations are important tests of skill, up to 50 per cent of your marks will come from other forms of assessment, including coursework essays, projects, dissertations and measures of your skill in presentation and oral work. The exact balance will depend on the modules you choose, and you’ll be informed of the methods of assessment before making your choices.

Progression

You must pass your first-year assessment in order to progress to the second year, but the results do not count towards your degree classification. For three-year programmes, the assessments in the second and third years contribute to your final degree classification. For four-year programmes the assessments in the second, third and fourth years all contribute to your final degree classification.

Optional modules outside of this course

Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.

Proficiency in a second subject

If you complete 60 credits of modules in one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.

  • A Foreign Language
  • Data Science
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Innovation
  • Law (Penryn Campus only)
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Social Data Science

Find out more about proficiency options

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Your future

Employer-valued skills this course develops

History graduates from the University of Exeter have an excellent reputation with graduate recruiters and compete very successfully in the employment market. Alongside in-depth subject knowledge you’ll develop highly transferable skills in researching; analysing and assessing sources; written and verbal communication; managing and interpreting information; developing ideas and arguments; teamwork; and problem solving.

Employer visits

We have a dedicated, award-winning Careers Service, with offices at our Exeter and Penryn campuses, ensuring you have access to careers advisors, mentors and the tools you need to succeed in finding employment in your chosen field on graduation. We offer the Exeter Award and the Exeter Leaders Award which include employability-related workshops, skills events, volunteering and employment which will contribute to your career decision-making skills and success in the employment market. Our graduates compete very successfully in the employment market, with many employers targeting the University when recruiting new graduates. For further information please visit our Careers Service.

Career paths

You will be equipped with skills that are attractive to employers and relevant for a wide range of careers, including graduate-level roles in the heritage and arts sectors as well as other fields of work, including TV, education, retail management, recruitment, charities, finance and accounting, and journalism.

Example careers

  • Account Manager
  • Archivist
  • Business Analyst
  • Civil Servant
  • Digital Marketing and
  • Events Executive
  • Event Project Manager
  • Global Market
  • Researcher
  • Historian
  • Parliamentary Researcher
  • TV Researcher

Further study

A History degree may also lead to further study or research and recent graduates have progressed to postgraduate courses in:

  • MA Conflict, Security and Development
  • Graduate Diploma in Law
  • MA English Literary Studies
  • MA History
  • MSc International Management
  • PGCE

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