About this course
From the Aztecs and Maya to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation on BA Archaeology with Year Abroad. Through the latest techniques and technologies, you'll investigate how our ancestors lived, from the earliest human origins, to Neolithic Britain, Ancient Egypt and the Medieval Middle East.
Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains, such as its:
-
buildings
-
monuments
-
artefacts
-
biological remains
-
written sources
-
landscape
Whether in the laboratory on a dig, you'll develop transferable skills through exploring questions about people in the past and in the present. This archaeology bachelor degree with year abroad explores world archaeology, on topics such as:
-
excavation and field survey techniques
-
underwater archaeology
-
artefacts analysis
-
museums, heritage and public archaeology
You'll have the opportunity to experience fieldwork, including at least 3 weeks of fieldwork as part of an active research project.
We have a purpose-built archaeology building, equipped with the latest science-based laboratories. You'll gain hands-on experience with archaeological artefacts and materials, and receive practical training for a career in archaeology.
You'll spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions such as the University of Malta or the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. This will give you the chance to discover theories and findings in exotic locations and boost your career opportunities.
This degree gives you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside the main programme.
We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.
Course location
This course is based at Avenue.
Awarding body
This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.
Download the Course Description Document
The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.
Changes due to COVID-19
Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2022 to 2023. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.
Find out more on our COVID advice page.
Entry requirements
For Academic year 202324
A-levels
ABB to BBB
A-levels additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
A-levels with Extended Project Qualification
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer: BBB and grade A in the EPQ
A-levels contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme, as follows: BBB
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 32 to 30 points overall with 16 to 15 points at Higher Level
International Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements. Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC
Distinction, Distinction, Merit in the BTEC National Extended Diploma Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC National Diploma plus B in an A level Distinction in the BTEC National Extended Certificate plus AB to BB in two A levels
RQF BTEC
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Additional information
The University aims to recruit students from a wide range of backgrounds who we believe have the potential and motivation to succeed on our challenging programmes. We are committed to fair admissions and strive to ensure we give equal consideration to all applicants who possess the necessary knowledge and skills.
QCF BTEC
Distinction, Distinction, Merit in the BTEC Extended Diploma or Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC Diploma plus B in an A level or Distinction in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AB to BB in two A levels
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit OR 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 24 must be at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit
Access to HE additional information
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 to H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 B2 to B1 B1 B1 B1 B2 B2
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3 M2 M2 to M2 M2 M2 in three principal subjects
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
Welsh Baccalaureate
ABB to BBB from 3 A levels or AB to BB from two A levels and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Other requirements
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
Find the equivalent international qualifications for our entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:
IELTS score requirements
- overall score
- 6.5
- reading
- 6.0
- writing
- 6.0
- speaking
- 6.0
- listening
- 6.0
We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
- our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
- skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
For Academic year 202425
A-levels
ABB to BBB
A-levels additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
A-levels with Extended Project Qualification
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer: BBB and grade A in the EPQ
A-levels contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise an applicant's potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 32 to 30 points overall with 16 to 15 points at Higher Level
International Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) statement
Offers will be made on the individual Diploma Course subject(s) and the career-related study qualification. The CP core will not form part of the offer. Where there is a subject pre-requisite(s), applicants will be required to study the subject(s) at Higher Level in the Diploma course subject and/or take a specified unit in the career-related study qualification. Applicants may also be asked to achieve a specific grade in those elements. Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) Statement for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC
Distinction, Distinction, Merit in the BTEC National Extended Diploma Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC National Diploma plus B in an A level Distinction in the BTEC National Extended Certificate plus AB to BB in two A levels
RQF BTEC
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Additional information
The University aims to recruit students from a wide range of backgrounds who we believe have the potential and motivation to succeed on our challenging programmes. We are committed to fair admissions and strive to ensure we give equal consideration to all applicants who possess the necessary knowledge and skills.
QCF BTEC
Distinction, Distinction, Merit in the BTEC Extended Diploma or Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC Diploma plus B in an A level or Distinction in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AB to BB in two A levels
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit OR 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 24 must be at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit
Access to HE additional information
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 to H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 H3
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 B2 to B1 B1 B1 B1 B2 B2
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3 M2 M2 to M2 M2 M2 in three principal subjects
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
Welsh Baccalaureate
ABB to BBB from 3 A levels or AB to BB from two A levels and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Welsh Baccalaureate contextual offer
We are committed to ensuring that all learners with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, are encouraged to apply to study with us. The additional information gained through contextual data allows us to recognise a learner’s potential to succeed in the context of their background and experience. Applicants who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
Other requirements
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
Find the equivalent international qualifications for our entry requirements.
English language requirements
If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:
IELTS score requirements
- overall score
- 6.5
- reading
- 6.0
- writing
- 6.0
- speaking
- 6.0
- listening
- 6.0
We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
- our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
- skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Course structure
You'll have the freedom to shape your degree to suit your interests. You don't need to choose your modules when you apply. Your academic tutor will help you to personalise your course.
Our Curriculum Innovation Programme offers you the chance to take optional modules outside of your chosen subject area. This allows you to personalise your education, and develop new skills and knowledge for your future. Topics range from how to live and work on the web to developing business skills to improve your chances of getting employment. You can also take a language module, which may count towards your degree. These modules cover 10 languages and range from absolute beginner to near-native speaker level.
Year 1 overview
Compulsory modules will give you a grounding in archaeology, fieldwork and analysis. These cover the development of archaeological and anthropological thought, and the archaeological methods needed for fieldwork and analysis.
You'll also be able to choose optional modules. These modules could be practical, based on a period in time like human origins, or based on a theme such as:
-
landscapes and seascapes of Britain's past
-
the ethnography of food and culture
-
a study of world history through 40 historical objects
Year 2 overview
You will develop your understanding of how archaeology relates to the modern world. You'll also prepare for fieldwork with at least 3 weeks of practical experience in a field school or research project in the UK or overseas.
You'll also prepare for your year abroad.
In addition to these compulsory modules, you can choose modules from approaches and periods, including:
-
the Vikings
-
archaeological dating
-
scientific diving
-
archaeological dating
Year 3 overview
You'll study at one of our partner institutions abroad, for example in:
-
Croatia
-
Cyprus
-
Czech Republic
-
France
-
Germany
-
Norway
-
Poland
Alternatively, you could arrange an approved work placement.
Year 4 overview
In your final year, you'll develop your own specialist interest with a dissertation on a research topic of your choice. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your planning, research, data collation, analysis, and communication skills.
You'll also take a further 6 modules from a wide range of options. You'll be able to specialise in different periods, regions or methods in archaeology. For example, you could study:
-
Neolithic Britain
-
Iron Age societies
-
Ancient Egypt
-
museums and heritage
-
Roman urbanism
-
geographic information systems (GIS)
-
molecular archaeology
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
For entry in Academic Year 2022-23
Year 1 modules
You must study the following modules in year 1:
Archaeological Methods for Fieldwork and Analysis
How do archaeologists find sites, gather data and proceed to make sense of archaeological traces? This module provides a detailed introduction to fieldwork methods and analysis, covering site prospection techniques (e.g., aerial photography and geophysica...
Emergence of Civilisation: domesticating ourselves and others
Archaeology reveals how during prehistory certain transformations have profoundly altered human societies. These include the adoption of domesticated plants and animals, sedentism, the adoption of new technologies (such as pottery) and the emergence of co...
Human Origins
The investigation of human origins has been described as the intellectual romance of the social sciences. This module examines the changing ideas about our earliest ancestors and the evolution of hominin culture and biology and explores the links between ...
The development of Archaeological and Anthropological Thought
As is well-known, archaeology has very strong connections with other disciplines. This module explores how the study of archaeology has developed over the centuries, both as a discipline in its own right and as a sister discipline within Anthropology. It ...
Wonderful things: World history in 40 objects
As he broke the seal and opened the door to Tutankamun’s tomb, archaeologist Howard Carter declared, breathlessly, that he could see ‘Wonderful things’. Ancient things have this special appeal. They enchant and captivate. They excite curiosity and unleash...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 1:
Ancient and Medieval Worlds
Classics, Christianity and Islam: these are the three cultural forces which have shaped the modern west. All three impacted on the Mediterranean between between 1000BC and AD1000, and can be traced through the archaeology. In this module, you will have th...
Debates and Issues in Archaeological Science
The application of scientific techniques is increasingly embedded in archaeological studies and is an area where the UK currently leads the world. Techniques such as dating methods, the use of isotopes to reconstruct past diet or human migrations and the ...
Exploring Other Cultures
We understand that few students have had the previous opportunity to study social and cultural anthropology. In this introductory module you will consider questions like: What is anthropology? What do anthropologists study? What is it like to do anthropol...
Introduction to Ethnography: Food and Culture
Biological science tells us what items in our world are potentially edible, but culture decides what constitutes food. Culture informs us as to whether a specific item is appropriate, appetising, valued, desirable, prohibited, restricted, staple or medici...
Landscapes and Seascapes of Britain’s Past
The landscapes and seascapes of Britain play host to one of the world’s most varied and intriguing archaeological records. With an occupational history spanning one million years, it tells a complex inter-twined story of social, physical and environmenta...
Year 2 modules
You must study the following modules in year 2:
Contemporary Issues and Debates in Archaeology
Contemporary archaeology operates within a broad remit: its traditional focus on understanding a deep past is now supplemented by studies of more recent material cultures, and issues of heritage, representation and the politics of the past. All of these d...
Professional and Academic Practice in Archaeology
Fieldwork is an integral part of the archaeological process and we want all our students to experience directly the generation of primary data by means of field and related practical activities. At the core of this module, therefore, is participation in a...
Study Abroad Preparation Module
This module will prepare you for study abroad. You are required to take out appropriate insurance policies and engage in on-going monitoring of risk and this module will provide professional input in both areas as well as rigorous assessment of the docume...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 2:
Bones, bodies and burials: osteology and comparative anatomy
This module examines the variation within the mammalian skeleton from an evolutionary and functional perspective. Additionally, it gives an overview of the main methodological and theoretical issues in the retrieval, treatment and interpretation of bone f...
Cosmology, Ritual and Belief
This module is concerned with how people in different cultures make sense of their world. The spiritual beliefs and ritual practices of a range of different cultures across the world are considered together with some of the ways in which anthropologists ...
Digging Data: quantitative data analysis in Archaeology
Archaeology is an immensely data-rich activity that records the characteristics of sites, landscapes and artefacts, sometimes in great detail. Making sense of that data often relies on quantitative or statistical methods to identify patterns, associations...
Human Dispersal and Evolution
This module explores human evolution in the context of expanding and contracting populations. We shall review the evolutionary landscape and the big questions that face archaeologists. We shall cover the hominin fossil record, learning about the major spe...
Introduction to European Prehistory
The 10,000 years from the end of the last glacial to the emergence of Roman as a major European power were marked by dramatic changes in subsistence, social organisation, material worlds and cosmology. This module provides an introduction to the major the...
Introduction to Scientific Diving
This fifteen credit module will introduce you to the theoretical, logistic, technical and legislative issues that have to be addressed if the theory and practice of archaeology are to be successfully applied in the investigation of sites underwater - thes...
Maritime Archaeology
This course aims to give students a sound introduction to the way archaeology is carried out underwater.
The Life and Afterlife of the Vikings
Blood, violence, terror, raids, pirates, rape and pillage are just some of the words associated with the Vikings in both the medieval and modern imagination. Their fearsome reputation is underlined by nicknames such as ‘Blood Axe' and ‘Skull-splitter', bu...
Year 3 modules
You must study the following module in year 3:
Year Abroad Report Module for Humanities Students
This non-credit bearing module is a required element for all Humanities students on a Year Abroad Programme. It builds on the Year Abroad preparation module, HUMA2012. It is taken as a long thin single module whilst on the Year Abroad with a two hour prep...
Year 4 modules
You must study the following module in year 4:
Archaeology Dissertation
The dissertation is a key component of your degree, and the culmination of your programme of study. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate the skills of planning, research, data collation, analysis, and communication that you have learned during your p...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 4:
Archaeology of Seafaring
Seafaring lies at the heart of human activity across the world and has taken place from the earliest times to the present day. Reflecting this, in recent years the study of seafaring has become an increasingly important area in our understanding of the hu...
Ecology of human evolution: biological, social and cultural approaches to hominin adaptations.
This module explores human evolution in terms of physiological, social and cultural adaptations. It explores human ecology in the broad sense, combining not just cultural and social variability, but also physiological adaptations in past and present-day h...
GIS for Archaeology
This module aims to acquaint you with Geographic Information Systems including their use for mapping and analysing archaeological sites and landscapes, and to explain the broader context of their application to a range of archaeological research and manag...
Iron Age Societies
Iron Age Europe witnessed the divergence of a ‘classical' Mediterranean world, whose culture included such features as states, towns, coinage and literacy, from a ‘barbarian' world to the north, where these features developed only much later, if at all. T...
Later Anglo-Saxon England
This module examines the major social, economic and cultural developments that took place in England during the period between c. 800 and c. 1100 AD. It makes use of evidence from diverse disciplines, including the study of documentary, archaeological, ar...
Living with the Romans: Urbanism in the Roman Empire
The towns in which the Romans lived are some of the most familiar features of the Roman world. Although they seem to look and feel like modern towns, they actually worked in quite different ways, a reflection of the fact that ancient Roman society was dis...
Molecular Archaeology
The extraction and characterization of ancient molecules and the measurement of stable and radioactive isotopes has revolutionized archaeology over the past two decades and remains at the cutting edge of archaeological science. From the identification of ...
More than Pyramids & Pharaohs? Ancient Egypt in Context
The module provides an introduction to the history and archaeology of ancient Egypt. The module provides a broad sweep of Egyptian history from the Predynastic through to later periods. It introduces aspects of death, burial and commemoration, compares an...
Presenting the past: Museums and Heritage
In this module we will examine how knowledge about the past is presented in museum exhibition and display. We will look at current practices in exhibition design and discuss the contemporary literature on communicating heritage to a range of audiences. Yo...
Seeing beneath the soil: geophysical survey for archaeology
The development of geophysical survey methods has provided archaeologists with a wholly new approach to buried archaeological remains allowing - in some circumstances - plans of entire archaeological sites to be obtained prior to any excavation. The use o...
Stonehenge to Skara Brae: the Neolithic of Britain
The Neolithic period heralds some of the most momentous changes in human history; it is the period when prehistoric people began to live in permanent settlements and adopted agriculture. In Britain, this period is dominated by rich evidence for large monu...
The Archaeology and Anthropology of Adornment
The impulse to adorn the body is as old as human history. This module explores the extraordinary variety of ways in which people have adorned their bodies in a range of archaeological and anthropological contexts, from body painting and tattooing, to the ...
Learning and assessment
The learning activities for this course include the following:
- lectures
- classes and tutorials
- coursework
- individual and group projects
- independent learning (studying on your own)
Course time
How you'll spend your course time:
Year 1
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 1:
How we'll assess you
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 1:
Year 2
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 2:
How we'll assess you
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 2:
Year 3
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 3:
How we'll assess you
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 3:
Year 4
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 4:
How we'll assess you
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 4:
Academic support
You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.
Course leader
Simon Davies is the course leader.
Careers
An Southampton BA Archaeology year abroad degree is excellent preparation for future employment. This course offers a balance of sciences and arts, and provides a range of practical and theory-based components.
You'll gain practical work experience as a archaeologist during your studies and some specific careers to this course you can explore include, international archaeologist and international conservation officer.
Our archaeology graduates move into industries including:
-
professional archaeology
-
museums and the heritage sector
-
geophysics, cartography and aerial photography
-
animation and virtual reality graphic design
-
commerce and marketing
-
the NHS
-
financial services
-
local government
You'll also be welcome in a wide range of other sectors with this highly-respected degree that demonstrates your intellectual and problem-solving abilities, and includes transferable skills in:
-
teamwork
-
project management
-
evidence-based research
This degree is also a great foundation for further study at PhD level.
You'll get support from your personal academic tutor and an employability coordinator, who can advise you on your career path throughout your course.
Contact us to speak to a careers advisor.
Careers services at Southampton
We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:
-
work experience schemes
-
CV and interview skills and workshops
-
networking events
-
careers fairs attended by top employers
-
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
-
study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.
Fees, costs and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for a year's study:
- UK students pay £9,250.
- EU and international students pay £20,340.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations.
Find out how to:
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Bursaries, scholarships and other funding
If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.
If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary.
Get in touch for advice about student money matters.
Scholarships and grants
You may be able to get a scholarship or grant to help fund your studies.
We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from under-represented backgrounds.
Support during your course
The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.
Funding for EU and international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
How to apply
When you apply use:
- UCAS course code: V401
- UCAS institution code: S27
What happens after you apply?
We will assess your application on the strength of your:
- predicted grades
- academic achievements
- personal statement
- academic reference
We'll aim to process your application within 2 to 6 weeks, but this will depend on when it is submitted. Applications submitted in January, particularly near to the UCAS equal consideration deadline, might take substantially longer to be processed due to the high volume received at that time.
Equality and diversity
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Related courses
-
Study
- View all courses
- Taught postgraduate study
- Pre-sessional English courses
- Subjects
-
PhDs and research degrees
- Create your own research project
- Enhancing UAV manoeuvres and control using distributed sensor arrays
-
Find a PhD project
- A missing link between continental shelves and the deep sea: Have we underestimated the importance of land-detached canyons?
- A seismic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
- A study of rolling contact fatigue in electric vehicles (EVs)
- Acoustic monitoring of forest exploitation to establish community perspectives of sustainable hunting
- Acoustic sensing and characterisation of soil organic matter
- Advancing intersectional geographies of diaspora-led development in times of multiple crises
- Aero engine fan wake turbulence – Simulation and wind tunnel experiments
- Against Climate Change (DACC): improving the estimates of forest fire smoke emissions
- All-in-one Mars in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) system and life-supporting using non-thermal plasma
- An electromagnetic study of the continent-ocean transition southwest of the UK
- An investigation of the relationship between health, home and law in the context of poor and precarious housing, and complex and advanced illness
- Antarctic ice sheet response to climate forcing
- Antibiotic resistance genes in chalk streams
- Assessing changes in astronomical tides on global scales
- Being autistic in care: Understanding differences in care experiences including breakdowns in placements for autistic and non-autistic children
- Biogeochemical cycling in the critical coastal zone: Developing novel methods to make reliable measurements of geochemical fluxes in permeable sediments
- Bloom and bust: seasonal cycles of phytoplankton and carbon flux
- British Black Lives Matter: The emergence of a modern civil rights movement
- Building physics for low carbon comfort using artificial intelligence
- Building-resolved large-eddy simulations of wind and dispersion over a city scale urban area
- Business studies and management: accounting
- Business studies and management: banking and finance
- Business studies and management: decision analytics and risk
- Business studies and management: digital and data driven marketing
- Business studies and management: human resources (HR) management and organisational behaviour
- Business studies and management: strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship
- Carbon storage in reactive rock systems: determining the coupling of geo-chemo-mechanical processes in reactive transport
- Cascading hazards from the largest volcanic eruption in over a century: What happened when Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted in January 2022?
- Characterisation of cast austenitic stainless steels using ultrasonic backscatter and artificial intelligence
- Climate Change effects on the developmental physiology of the small-spotted catshark
- Climate at the time of the Human settlement of the Eastern Pacific
- Collaborative privacy in data marketplaces
- Compatibility of climate and biodiversity targets under future land use change
- Cost of living in modern and fossil animals
- Creative clusters in rural, coastal and post-industrial towns
- Deep oceanic convection: the outsized role of small-scale processes
- Defect categories and their realisation in supersymmetric gauge theory
- Defining the Marine Fisheries-Energy-Environment Nexus: Learning from shocks to enhance natural resource resilience
- Desert dune avalanche processes modern ancient environments
- Design and fabrication of next generation optical fibres
- Developing a practical application of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies for conservation research and monitoring of endangered wildlife
- Development and evolution of animal biomineral skeletons
- Development of all-in-one in-situ resource utilisation system for crewed Mars exploration missions
- Disturbance and recovery of benthic habitats in submarine canyon settings
- Ecological role of offshore artificial structures
- Effect of embankment and subgrade weathering on railway track performance
- Efficient ‘whole-life’ anchoring systems for offshore floating renewables
- Electrochemical sensing of the sea surface microlayer
- Engagement with nature among children from minority ethnic backgrounds
- Ensuring the Safety and Security of Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems
- Environmental and genetic determinants of Brassica crop damage by the agricultural pest Diamondback moth
- Estimating marine mammal abundance and distribution from passive acoustic and biotelemetry data
- Evolution of symbiosis in a warmer world
- Examining evolutionary loss of calcification in coccolithophores
- Explainable AI (XAI) for health
- Explaining process, pattern and dynamics of marine predator hotspots in the Southern Ocean
- Exploring dynamics of natural capital in coastal barrier systems
- Exploring the mechanisms of microplastics incorporation and their influence on the functioning of coral holobionts
- Exploring the potential electrical activity of gut for healthcare and wellbeing
- Exploring the trans-local nature of cultural scene
- Facilitating forest restoration sustainability of tropical swidden agriculture
- Faulting, fluids and geohazards within subduction zone forearcs
- Faulting, magmatism and fluid flow during volcanic rifting in East Africa
- Fingerprinting environmental releases from nuclear facilities
- Flexible hybrid thermoelectric materials for wearable energy harvesting
- Floating hydrokinetic power converter
- Glacial sedimentology associated subglacial hydrology
- Green and sustainable Internet of Things
- How do antimicrobial peptides alter T cell cytokine production?
- How do calcifying marine organisms grow? Determining the role of non-classical precipitation processes in biogenic marine calcite formation
- How do neutrophils alter T cell metabolism?
- How well can we predict future changes in biodiversity using machine learning?
- Hydrant dynamics for acoustic leak detection in water pipes
- If ‘Black Lives Matter’, do ‘Asian Lives Matter’ too? Impact trajectories of organisation activism on wellbeing of ethnic minority communities
- Illuminating luciferin bioluminescence in dinoflagellates
- Imaging quantum materials with an XFEL
- Impact of neuromodulating drugs on gut microbiome homeostasis
- Impact of pharmaceuticals in the marine environment in a changing world
- Impacts of environmental change on coastal habitat restoration
- Improving subsea navigation using environment observations for long term autonomy
- Information theoretic methods for sensor management
- Installation effect on the noise of small high speed fans
- Integrated earth observation mapping change land sea
- Interconnections of past greenhouse climates
- Inverse simulation: going from camera observations of a deformation to material properties using a new theoretical approach
- Investigating IgG cell depletion mechanisms
- Is ocean mixing upside down? How mixing processes drive upwelling in a deep-ocean basin
- Landing gear aerodynamics and aeroacoustics
- Lightweight gas storage: real-world strategies for the hydrogen economy
- Long-term change in the benthos – creating robust data from varying camera systems
- Machine learning for multi-robot perception
- Machine learning for multi-robot perception
- Mapping Fishing Industry Response to Shocks: Learning Lessons to Enhance Marine Resource Resilience
- Marine ecosystem responses to past climate change and its oceanographic impacts
- Mechanical effects in the surf zone - in situ electrochemical sensing
- Microfluidic cell isolation systems for sepsis
- Microplastics and carbon sequestration: identifying links and impacts
- Microplastics in the Southern Ocean: sources, fate and impacts
- Migrant entrepreneurship, gender and generation: context and family dynamics in small town Britain
- Miniaturisation in fishes: evolutionary and ecological perspectives
- Modelling high-power fibre laser and amplifier stability
- Modelling soil dewatering and recharge for cost-effective and climate resilient infrastructure
- Modelling the evolution of adaptive responses to climate change across spatial landscapes
- Nanomaterials sensors for biomedicine and/or the environment
- New high-resolution observations of ocean surface current and winds from innovative airborne and satellite measurements
- New perspectives on ocean photosynthesis
- Novel methods of detecting carbon cycling pathways in lakes and their impact on ecosystem change
- Novel technologies for cyber-physical security
- Novel transparent conducting films with unusual optoelectronic properties
- Novel wavelength fibre lasers for industrial applications
- Ocean circulation and the Southern Ocean carbon sink
- Ocean influence on recent climate extremes
- Ocean methane sensing using novel surface plasmon resonance technology
- Ocean physics and ecology: can robots disentangle the mix?
- Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal: Assessing the utility of coastal enhanced weathering
- Offshore renewable energy (ORE) foundations on rock seabeds: advancing design through analogue testing and modelling
- Optical fibre sensing for acoustic leak detection in buried pipelines
- Optimal energy transfer in nonlinear systems
- Optimal energy transfer in nonlinear systems
- Optimizing machine learning for embedded systems
- Oxidation of fossil organic matter as a source of atmospheric CO2
- Partnership dissolution and re-formation in later life among individuals from minority ethnic communities in the UK
- Personalized multimodal human-robot interactions
- Preventing disease by enhancing the cleaning power of domestic water taps using sound
- Quantifying riparian vegetation dynamics and flow interactions for Nature Based Solutions using novel environmental sensing techniques
- Quantifying the response and sensitivity of tropical forest carbon sinks to various drivers
- Quantifying variability in phytoplankton electron requirements for carbon fixation
- Reconciling geotechnical and seismic data to accelerate green energy developments offshore
- Resilient and sustainable steel-framed building structures
- Resolving Antarctic meltwater events in Southern Ocean marine sediments and exploring their significance using climate models
- Robust acoustic leak detection in water pipes using contact sound guides
- Silicon synapses for artificial intelligence hardware
- Smart photon delivery via reconfigurable optical fibres
- Southern Ocean iron supply: does size fractionation matter?
- The Gulf Stream control of the North Atlantic carbon sink
- The Mayflower Studentship: a prestigious fully funded PhD studentship in bioscience
- The calming effect of group living in social fishes
- The duration of ridge flank hydrothermal exchange and its role in global biogeochemical cycles
- The evolution of symmetry in echinoderms
- The impact of early life stress on neuronal enhancer function
- The oceanic fingerprints on changing monsoons over South and Southeast Asia
- The role of iron in nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis in changing polar oceans
- The role of singlet oxygen signaling in plant responses to heat and drought stress
- Time variability on turbulent mixing of heat around melting ice in the West Antarctic
- Triggers and Feedbacks of Climate Tipping Points
- Uncovering the drivers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression using patient derived organoids
- Understanding ionospheric dynamics machine learning
- Understanding recent land-use change in Snowdonia to plan a sustainable future for uplands: integrating palaeoecology and conservation practice
- Understanding the role of cell motility in resource acquisition by marine phytoplankton
- Understanding the structure and engagement of personal networks that support older people with complex care needs in marginalised communities and their ability to adapt to increasingly ‘digitalised’ health and social care
- Understanding variability in Earth’s climate and magnetic field using new archives from the Iberian Margin
- Unpicking the Anthropocene in the Hawaiian Archipelago
- Unraveling oceanic multi-element cycles using single cell ionomics
- Unravelling southwest Indian Ocean biological productivity and physics: a machine learning approach
- Up, up and away – the fate of upwelled nutrients in an African upwelling system and the biogeochemical and phytoplankton response
- Using acoustics to monitor how small cracks develop into bursts in pipelines
- Using machine learning to improve predictions of ocean carbon storage by marine life
- Vulnerability of low-lying coastal transportation networks to natural hazards
- Wideband fibre optical parametric amplifiers for Space Division Multiplexing technology
- Will it stick? Exploring the role of turbulence and biological glues on ocean carbon storage
- X-ray imaging and property characterisation of porous materials
- Funding your research degree
- How to apply for a PhD or research degree
- How to make a PhD enquiry
- Support while studying your PhD or research degree
- Exchanges and studying abroad
- Undergraduate study
-
Tuition fees and funding
-
Scholarships
- Postgraduate scholarships for UK students
- Undergraduate scholarships for UK students
- Competitive scholarships for international postgraduates
- Competitive scholarships for international undergraduates
- Merit scholarships for international postgraduates
- Merit scholarships for international undergraduates
- Scholarship terms and conditions
- Southampton Canadian Prestige Scholarship for Law
- Southampton Presidential International Scholarship
-
Scholarships
- Short courses
- Lunchtime evening and weekend courses
- Clearing
- Summer schools
- Get a prospectus
-
Student life
-
Accommodation
- Choose your halls of residence
- Apply for accommodation
- Guaranteed accommodation
- Your accommodation options
- International and pre-sessional students
- Postgraduate accommodation
- Couples and students with children
- Renting privately
- Our accommodation areas
- Privacy notice
- Terms and conditions
- Fees and contracts
- Our cities
- Sports and gyms
- Our campuses
- Join our student community
- Support and money
-
Accommodation
-
Research
- Our impact
- Research projects
- Research areas
- Research facilities
- Collaborate with us
-
Institutes, centres and groups
- Active Living
- Advanced Project Management Research Centre
- Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton (ACoRNS)
- Bladder & Bowel Management
- Centre for Digital Finance
- Centre for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (CEEES)
- Centre for Empirical Research in Finance and Banking (CERFIB)
- Centre for Healthcare Analytics
- Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration
- Centre for Inclusive and Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CISEI)
- Centre for International Law and Globalisation
- Centre for Political Ethnography (CPE)
- Centre for Research in Accounting, Accountability and Governance
- Centre for Research on Work and Organisations
- Child and Adolescent Research Group
- Computational Nonlinear Optics
- Data Science Group
- Economic Theory and Experimental Economics
- Economy, Society and Governance
- Gravity group
- Institute of Maritime Law (IML)
- Integrative Molecular Phenotyping Centre
- Interdisciplinary Musculoskeletal Health
- Law and Technology Centre
- Mathematical Modelling
- Medicines Management
- People, Property, Community
- Product Returns Research Group (PRRG)
- Southampton Imaging
- Stefan Cross Centre for Women, Equality and Law
- String theory and holography
- Ultrafast X-ray Group
- Support for researchers
- Faculties, schools and departments
- Research jobs
- Find people and expertise
- Business
- Global
- About
- Visit
- Alumni
- Departments
- News
- Events
- Contact