Why study archaeology at the University of Edinburgh?

Archaeology teaching at Edinburgh has been recognised for its excellence. In 2022, the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) awarded accredited status to our undergraduate Archaeology degree programmes.

With a history spanning more than a century, Archaeology at Edinburgh is made up of a large and dynamic community of staff and undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Our degree programmes equip students with expertise in data science, ‘big data’ approaches, GIS (geographic information systems), geoarchaeology, materials analysis, osteology, and biomolecular analyses of past diets, migration, and health. Fieldwork and Post-Excavation training is a key component of our programmes. Students can access specialist lab facilities for bioarchaeology, biomolecular archaeology, materials analysis, and computational methods. Student also benefit from extensive teaching reference collections of artefacts and human and animal remains, further strengthening our training and research opportunities.

Archaeology at Edinburgh maintains strong ties with heritage sector institutions and commercial archaeological companies based in Scotland and more widely across the UK, as well as with international partners. This offers invaluable ‘real-world’ opportunities to our students. Our academic network encompasses the Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, National Museums Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Surgeon's Hall, the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), the British Geological Survey, and international institutions such as the Max Planck Institute of GeoAnthropology and the Roman-Germanic Commission in Germany. Edinburgh is a recognised member of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology and we currently co-ordinate the Cultural Heritage Framework Programme (CHFP), an endorsed UN action of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

Our academic staff work alongside postgraduate (MSc/PhD) and postdoctoral researchers, supported by state-of-the-art facilities including laboratories, postgraduate research rooms, post-excavation workspaces, a graphics suite with high-level computing support, and the Vere Gordon Childe Collection of archaeological artefacts. Financial support mechanisms, such as undergraduate fieldwork grants, postgraduate scholarships, bursaries, and the Abercromby and Munro Funds, further enable research travel and activity.