Overview

Studying archaeology at Leiden University is all about studying societies and cultures from the past, trying to reconstruct them and bring them back to life. You will apply your interest in the past to make a meaningful contribution to resolving present-day societal issues, such as migration, globalisation and climate change.

The Archaeology programme at Leiden University

• gives you a solid basis for a national or international career in archaeology, heritage management, heritage policy or within the museum world.
• provides you with a variety of regional expertise on Europe, the Near East, the Mediterranean, and the Americas
• has earned a place in the top of archaeology research and teaching institutes in the world.
• hosts enthusiastic students and staff who form a dynamic international research community, active all around the world.
• offers teaching that is strongly linked to our research, so you do not only hear about our research in the classroom, but also participate in it.

Depending on the specialisation of your choice, you either receive a Master of Arts or a Master of Science degree.

What you will learn

Graduates will be able, taking a given research question as their starting point, to collect the relevant archaeological source material and to interpret that material in the framework of the research question, if necessary in association with different source material.

Career prospects

The last few years have witnessed a favourable development in the Dutch archaeological job market. Funds for carrying out rescue excavations have become available in large building budgets. Employment can therefore chiefly be found in Dutch archaeology on a contract or project basis, either with commercial companies or with (semi-) government institutions. The additional disciplines of the archaeology programme in Leiden also provide a sound basis for finding employment both in the Netherlands as abroad. Depending on your specialisation you may also opt for jobs in the heritage sector or museums.

Examples of jobs

• Field archaeologist
• Researcher
• PhD candidate
• Policy advisor
• Museum curator
• Cultural resource manager

Accreditation

Accredited by NVAO, the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders.