foundation year courses have been designed for students who do not have the necessary academic qualifications needed to enter directly into the first year of a degree but who have the ability and commitment to do so. once the foundation year has been completed successfully, you can then go on to complete your degree. explore the richness and diversity of the human past, from the hunter-gatherers of ice age europe to the inhabitants of modern cities, developing the skills that will lead to success in your future career. work on excavations, carry out scientific studies of archaeological materials, visit heritage sites to reflect on the way the past is presented, and discuss and debate different interpretations of the past. learn to collect, analyse and interpret data, and to think critically, evaluating different sources of evidence and drawing conclusions from them. our course balances the practical aspects of archaeology, such as fieldwork and laboratory analysis, with teaching that spans much of the human past, with a geographic scope that includes northwest europe, the baltic, russia and siberia, and continental north america, all supported by our purpose-built archaeology laboratory and our artefact workroom. a future-focused course our single honours course is accredited by the chartered institute for archaeologists (cifa) and university archaeology uk (uauk). this recognises that it provides skills relevant to a career in the historic environment. it also underlines the strong practical, and range of applied training in archaeology we provide, how we prepare our students for future success, and our commitment to developing the professional and transferable skills of all of our students.