Best Universities for Archaeology

Archaeology is a fascinating subject that explores the history of humanity and its relationship to the world, through the excavation and study of artefacts, structures and sediments from the ground. It’s a popular field where access to the most exciting research and unique jobs is highly competitive, so postgraduate study is a common choice for students looking to stand out against the crowd and specialise in certain areas or techniques. 

With many postgraduate programmes to choose from, and a number of different career paths to take after graduating, finding your perfect degree course can be a challenge. We’ve created this handy guide to take you through all the best archaeology universities, so you can start your research in the right place and find your perfect study path. 

Best Universities for Archaeology 

There are plenty of great universities out there for studying archaeology at postgraduate level, but there are several universities that have topped the Complete University Guide 2024 league table. These excellent institutions have scored well across all the categories measured, and are a great place to start in your search for a postgraduate course. 

The top universities for archaeology are: 

• University of Oxford 
• University of Cambridge 
• Durham University 

Top choice for Student Satisfaction 

Student satisfaction is one of the categories measured by Complete University Guide and represents students’ overall happiness with their course and university, whether it’s meeting their expectations for quality, and if it’s value for money. 

For archaeology students, this could relate to the standard of teaching, the facilities and experiences available to postgraduates, the extracurricular activities, student services and the quality of social life. 

When it comes to student satisfaction, the best uni for archaeology is the University of Reading. 

Go to: See archaeology courses at University of Reading

Top choice for Graduate Prospects 

Graduate prospects is an increasingly important factor for all postgraduate students, and archaeology is no different. Making connections with potential employers, developing industry-relevant skills, getting guidance on your career path and gaining real-world experience in your field are all key elements to succeeding after your archaeology postgraduate degree. This category summarises the quality of these elements at each university. 

In terms of graduate prospects, the top university for archaeology is Durham University. 

Go to: See archaeology courses at Durham University

Top choice for Research Quality 

Archaeology postgraduate students should pay attention to the research quality ranking of universities they’re interested in. This category encompasses everything from the quality of facilities to the level and impact of research being conducted by staff and students at the uni, and so directly influences the opportunities open to postgraduate students looking to complete their own research or move into a research-focused career. 

The University of Southampton was ranked highly for research quality in archaeology. 

Go to: See archaeology courses at University of Southampton

Ranking Information Source   

The ranking information for these selections comes from the 2024 Complete University Guide league table. The data for the league table is sourced from the National Student Survey, the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the Higher Education Statistics Agency, with the rankings calculated using Complete University Guide’s own methodology. 

Go to: See the 2024 Complete University Guide archaeology subject league table 

Student reviews 

The Complete University Guide league tables are an excellent source of information on your prospective universities when researching where to study archaeology, but they aren’t the entire picture. Getting the insights and opinions of real students, where current or recent, is a great way to build an even more complete picture of what it’s like to study somewhere. 

Cardiff University stands out in particular among archaeology universities with many positive student reviews on Whatuni. One review went on to say, “In person and online lectures have hit the sweet spot in 3rd term (I personally enjoy having a few online lectures that keep you from travelling in).” 

Go to: See archaeology courses at Cardiff University

More universities for studying Archaeology 

With more than 215 postgraduate programmes available in archaeology across nearly 50 universities in the UK, there’s no shortage of options for you to explore. To help make your search efficient, easy and stress-free, our course search tool contains all the information you need on potential programmes, as well as handy filters to narrow down your shortlist. 

Next: Search for archaeology courses