A typical week

Your timetable will be divided into lectures, tutorials and practical classes (on topics such as dating, isotope analysis, and the analysis of plant, animal and human remains, as well as artefacts). In the first year you will spend around six hours a week in lectures, which focus on the course’s core papers. In Years 2 and 3 lectures for core and optional papers take up around ten hours a week. Throughout the course, there are one or two tutorials a week, normally taught in a pair (typically a total of twelve in each term).

Tutorials are usually two students and a tutor, but may include up to three students depending on circumstances. Lectures will include the whole year group of around 25 students, although they are sometimes shared with Human Sciences students and are therefore larger. Lecture sizes for optional courses are normally smaller and could be as low as 3-6 students.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students who are usually studying at doctorate level.

To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.