The QS World University Rankings by Subject are compiled annually to help prospective students identify the leading universities in a particular subject.
The Institute of Archaeology continues to be globally recognised for the excellence of its teaching, research and student experience, as reflected in major international league tables. The Institute offers Undergraduate, Graduate Taught and Graduate Research courses to students from the UK and around the world.
Ranked 3rd globally once again in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, the Institute’s degrees provide an exceptional range of course options, combining both theoretical and practical approaches. Students benefit from teaching that spans diverse archaeological topics, alongside extensive opportunities for fieldwork and hands-on learning.
Study with us
Few other subject areas address the wide breadth of skills and knowledge covered in an archaeology or heritage-related degree. Studying at the Institute provides students with transferable skills valuable across a number of careers, not least becoming an Archaeologist. Our partnership with Archaeology South-East (ASE), the commercial archaeology division of the UCL Institute of Archaeology, provides students with the opportunity to gain knowledge of the world of contract archaeology.
The Institute of Archaeology is a long-established international leader in the discipline, collaborating with an extensive network of external partners in the UK and overseas and is also ranked 1st for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
Links
Humans kept dogs 5,000 years earlier than thought
Researchers from UCL Archaeology identify genetic evidence of dogs dating to 15,800 years ago, more than 5,000 years earlier than previously thought, changing our understanding of their origins.
31 Mar 2026
UCL hosts Chinese research delegation on art, anthropology and heritage in the Anthropocene
The UCL Institute of Archaeology welcomed staff and students from Southeast University and China National Academy of Arts to share research, give lectures, and strengthen heritage studies links.
31 Mar 2026
Research Fellow in Qin Dynasty Wood, Charcoal and Iron Production
The UCL Institute of Archaeology is inviting applications for a Research Fellow to join an interdisciplinary project exploring resource use and industrial production in early imperial China.
27 Mar 2026