Two of the University of Winchester's Archaeology degree programmes have been formally accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK).
Winchester joins a select group of universities in England and Northern Ireland to receive accreditation under the joint scheme, which recognises undergraduate and Master's degrees providing skills relevant to a career in the historic environment.
The University of Winchester programmes to achieve accreditation are BA (Hons)/BSc (Hons) Archaeology and
BSc (Hons) Archaeological Practice/Archaeological Practice with Professional Placement.
The accreditation panel highlighted particular strengths of the Winchester degree programmes, including giving students guidance on professional development and career planning from an early stage in their studies, and strong links across the sector which provide students with an all-round impression of a career in archaeology.
"We are delighted to have our courses accredited by CIfA, which is the leading representative body for professional archaeologists in the UK and oversees the quality control for the archaeological profession, said Dr Nick Thorpe, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Anthropology and Geography.
"The accreditation underlines the University of Winchester's decades-long tradition of practical training in Archaeology and the fact that many Winchester graduates go on to enjoy successful careers in the discipline and related fields."
Accreditation also means that students completing the degree programmes will get CIfA membership at Practitioner level on graduation at no additional cost. CIfA membership is a requirement for many archaeological jobs.
CIfA Chief Executive Peter Hinton said: "We are delighted to add Winchester to the list of universities offering accredited degrees. Working with UAUK has given us an opportunity to further improve our connections with university archaeology which has been immensely positive. All students on accredited degree programmes are being encouraged to join CIfA and to sign up to the Pathway to PCIfA programme to support their professional development as they enter the workplace. The accredited degree initiative has been a great example of partnership working in practice."
"Accreditation is an exciting new initiative for students taking archaeology courses at universities and for the profession more widely. It recognises the value of real knowledge of working practices across the sector by students across the UK," said Chair of University Archaeology UK (UAUK) Chris Gerrard.
Press Office | +44 (0)1962 827678 | press@winchester.ac.uk | www.twitter.com/_UoWNews
Back to media centre