Museum Studies and Archaeology, BA (Hons)

Course summary

Take your first step towards a rewarding career in heritage with our BA Museum Studies and Archaeology degree. You'll combine the study of museology with the excitement of archaeological discovery, and learn the core skills of curatorship: researching, analysing, cataloguing, interpreting and displaying museum objects, historic buildings and landscapes.Explore archaeological techniques and gain practical training on museum practices, perspectives and ethics. Your studies will examine our human past through material remains, spanning as far back as the first hominins millions of years ago. Our wide range of modules allows you to shape your own learning, focusing on the topics and periods that most interest you.At Reading, you'll examine archaeological and heritage issues that are critical to our shared global future, including:

• diets and health

• identity and inequality

• migration and environmental change

• social and cultural differences.

The University of Reading is ranked in the Top 100 in the world for Archaeology (QS World Rankings by Subject 2023). 100% of students in the Department of Archaeology and 100% of students studying BA History said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (National Student Survey, 2023).For more information, please visit the programme page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/archaeology-ug/ba-museum-studies-and-archaeology

Modules

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change. Core modules for this course:

• Revolutions and Transitions: The Human Journey from 6 Million Years Ago to the Present Day

• Archaeology Today: Methods and Practice

• Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome

• Presenting the Past: an Introduction to Museum Studies

• Archaeology and Heritage: Past, Present and Future

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of the final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme. Check our website for more details about the course structure.

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The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change. Core modules for this course:

• Revolutions and Transitions: The Human Journey from 6 Million Years Ago to the Present Day

• Archaeology Today: Methods and Practice

• Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome

• Presenting the Past: an Introduction to Museum Studies

• Archaeology and Heritage: Past, Present and Future

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of the final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme. Check our website for more details about the course structure.