Fieldwork for archaeology undergraduates

Join the Department of Archaeology at Sheffield and you'll be out there getting hands-on experience in no time. You'll develop your practical skills, conduct research and analysis, make archaeological discoveries of your own. All in the first year of your course.

As a student with us you'll spend two weeks on one of our fieldwork projects in the summer after your course begins. Archaeology at Sheffield is about making a difference in the world, and this is your chance to get a head start on real work with a real impact.

Your fieldwork might be close to the University or thousands of miles away. The area around Sheffield is rich in Anglo-Saxon, prehistoric and industrial archaeology, so there's no need to go far. But you might prefer to travel abroad.

Our staff work on research in the field in Italy, Turkey, Germany, South Africa, Spain, Greece, Russia and elsewhere, and you could accompany them.

Why fieldwork matters

Fieldwork is the most important way archaeologists retrieve data. The experience of fieldwork you'll get at Sheffield is a vital way of developing the skills needed for a career in archaeology.

It's also a great way of building the communication and team working skills demanded by employers. By doing fieldwork together you'll develop a great team spirit with your lecturers and coursemates – so your studies will be more enjoyable and effective too.

Our current projects

Your fieldwork could take you out to work on one of the department's current projects. These include:

• Thornton Abbey Project: A long-term survey and excavation project in Lincolnshire working within the area of the great Augustinian abbey, focusing on features from both the late medieval and post-medieval periods.

• Castleton and Hope: For the last 4 years we have been primarily focussed on defining the location of, and exploring the character and development of a Medieval Leper Hospital (Hospital of Saint Mary in the Peak) that we know from historical evidence was located between the villages of Castleton and Hope in Derbyshire. Summer 2012, for the first time we are extending the project to also look at the development of the Medieval villages of Hope and Castleton.

• Brodsworth: the Brodsworth estate lies on the limestone ridge that runs across South Yorkshire between Conisborough and Doncaster. At the centre, Brodsworth Hall is a fine mid 19th-century country house now in the care of English Heritage.