Archaeology & Anthropology

Why choose us?

With over 50 years’ experience in archaeology and anthropology, our courses ensure that our students gain practical, hands-on experience right from the start. As you progress in your studies, you’ll be supported in gaining a wide range of archaeological, anthropological, and transferable skills. Our first-class teaching, learning and research facilities include osteoarchaeology, zooarchaeology and dedicated laboratories for analysing other types of materials. We also offer access to a range of digital technologies, from laser scanning and 3D printing, to Virtual Reality and Geographical Information Systems.

Our teaching is always informed by the cuttingedge research being conducted in our department, which tackles some of the biggest questions in archaeology and anthropology. All of our lecturers are actively engaged in research and fieldwork on topics ranging from the origins of humans through to Roman Britain to the cultural meanings of space and place.

As a result, we are one of the first departments in the UK to have its archaeology courses accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists/ University Archaeology UK, and our Archaeological, Anthropological & Forensic Sciences course is recognised by the Chartered Society for Forensic Sciences. These endorsements make our graduates highly attractive to employers in these sectors. The strong emphasis on employability throughout your course, including long and short placements available on all courses, as well as the transferable skills gained by studying disciplines that reach across the humanities, social sciences and natural/ physical sciences, will equip you well for seeking employment in a wide range of other fields.

Degrees

www.bournemouth.ac.uk/ug-aafs

Lawrence Shaw of Forestry England, BSc (Hons) Archaeology graduate

It was actually only in the last year of my BSc (Hons) Archaeology degree that I definitely knew the right direction for me. Archaeology is a broad church and there are lots of specialisms so choosing one wasn’t immediately obvious. During that final year, I trained as a surveyor to help BU’s Professor Kate Welham on the Stonehenge Riverside project. It made me realise that I wanted to use my knowledge in Geographical Information Systems, mapping, surveying and landscape archaeology in my career. Seeing the relevance of everything I had learned and how it was implemented in the field made me understand that I wanted to use spatial and temporal information to understand landscapes. It was a real eureka moment for me.

I went on to study a Master’s before securing a role working for the New Forest National Park Authority as a project officer. It was a fantastic project, too. With 23,000 hectares of forest to explore, we commissioned a bespoke flight using a plane fitted with Lidar technology. It basically fires laser light from the plane to the earth and measures the time it takes to bounce back. From that data, we can build a picture of what is below the earth.