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Programme Information & PLOs
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This document forms part of the Programme Design Document and is for use in the roll-out of the York Pedagogy to design and capture new programme statement of purpose (for applicants to the programme), programme learning outcomes, programme map and enhancement plan. Please provide information required on all three tabs of this document.
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Title of the new programme – including any year abroad/ in industry variants
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MSci & BSc Natural Sciences specialising in Archaeology
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Level of qualification
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Please select:Level 7
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Please indicate if the programme is offered with any year abroad / in industry variants Year in Industry
Please select Y/N		No
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Year Abroad
Please select Y/N		Yes
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department
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Natural Sciences
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Other contributing Departments: Archaeology, Biology, Chemistry, Environment & Geography
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Programme leadership and programme team
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Please name the programme leader and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Dani Ungar (Chair, Board of Studies), Katherine Selby (Director, Natural Sciences), Jessica Hendy (Archaeology), Bryce Beukers-Stewart (Environment & Geography), Gonzalo Blanco (Biology) & Glenn Hurst (Chemistry)
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Particular information that the UTC working group should be aware of when considering the programme documentation (e.g. challenges faced, status of the implementation of the pedagogy, need to incorporate PSRB or employer expectations)
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With few exceptions the modules which make up any of the Natural Sciences programmes are drawn from the corresponding contributing single subject degree programmes. Local pedagogical practices and modes of assessment are honoured in Natural Sciences unless there is evidence that such practices would not be pedagogically sound. Therefore, given the nature of the Natural Sciences programmes parts of this document draw liberally from, or make reference to, the corresponding documentation from the contributing departments. This documentation should therefore be considered in parallel with the corresponding proforma for the single subject degree programmes of the contributing departments.
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Who has been involved in producing the programme map and enhancement plan? (please include confirmation of the extent to which colleagues from the programme team /BoS have been involved; whether student views have yet been incorporated, and also any external input, such as employer liaison board)
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At all stages departmental teaching committees and programme teams have been consulted. All members of the Board of Studies in the departments and in Natural Sciences have had free access to the documentation and approval has been received. Student input has fed into the York Pedagogy in focus groups, through the Staff Student Liaison Committee and via the Board of Studies.
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Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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Statement of purpose for applicants to the programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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All Natural Science programmes at the University of York aim to produce leaders in science, technology and industry who will have the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to succeed in complex research and business environments. You will learn how science is conducted in different disciplines, how to operate within different methodological communities, and how to apply techniques and ideas across multiple disciplines.

As a Natural Sciences student specialising in Archaeology, you will spend the majority of your time studying in the Department of Archaeology, a department at the forefront of archaeological research and innovative teaching, employing a wide range of teaching methods and assessments. Expert staff have created your degree to offer a range of modules that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the subject, incorporating aspects of the humanities, sciences and social sciences. The modules have been chosen to complement material learnt in the other science disciplines that you study in your first two years. As well as engaging with key themes and debates in archaeology, students are trained in the hard skills entailed by data generation and analysis; in the design and execution of both independent and team projects; and in the presentation of ideas to public and professional audiences through written, visual, and oral forms of presentation, using a range of digital applications. During your degree you will experience a variety of hands-on practical based activities including a choice of wide ranging specialised skills within the sub-discipline of archaeological science including the options of laboratory work with environmental or bioarchaeological material or prospection, GIS or digital reconstruction. All this, alongside your early foundation in Biology, Environment & Geography and Chemistry (for those on the Archaeology/ Biology/ Chemistry/ Environment & Geography pathway) will mark you out as an Archaeologist with a strong sense of interdisciplinary science.

The three-year BSc provides a strong foundation in archaeological science, underpinned by your early exposure to natural science subjects, providing a wealth of transferable skills that can be applied to range of careers. The four-year MSci will further develop your expertise in cutting-edge bioarchaeological approaches and have you playing an active role in the development and/or application of new techniques, providing valuable training and expertise for a wide range of careers and further study in Archaeology or related scientific subjects.
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Programme Learning Outcomes
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the programme can be expected to do.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1 BScEngage critically in debates around scholarship that inform current archaeological and heritage issues applicable to multiple periods of human society, using evidence from the UK and elsewhere in the world
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1 MSciEngage critically in advanced debates and scholarship that inform current archaeological issues applicable to multiple periods of human society, using diverse evidence from the UK and elsewhere in the world
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2 BScDesign, execute and evaluate archaeological and scientific research projects to a standard informed by key scientific and theoretical knowledge and legal and professional principles and methodologies in an international context
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2 MSciDesign, execute and evaluate archaeological and scientific research projects to a professional standard informed by key scientific and theoretical knowledge and legal and professional principles and methodologies in an international context
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3 BScGenerate, document and manage primary archaeological data from diverse sources of evidence and contexts and conduct analysis using a range of digital technology, and be able to apply these skills across disciplines
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3 MSciSystematically generate, document and manage primary archaeological data from diverse sources of evidence and contexts and conduct complex analyses using a range of digital technology, and be able to apply critically these skills across disciplines
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4 BScOperate effectively as constructive and inclusive leaders and confident participants in teamwork using data from multi-disciplinary field and/or laboratory projects.
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4 MSciOperate effectively as independent, constructive and inclusive leaders and confident, proactive and collaborative participants in teamwork using data from multi-disciplinary field and/or laboratory projects.
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5 BScApply critical and creative approaches to problem-solving in complex situations with diverse, fragmentary datasets that reflect biases in their generation, survival, identification and documentation of biological material
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5 MSciApply critical and creative approaches to problem-solving in complex and unpredictable situations with diverse, fragmentary datasets that reflect biases in their generation, survival, identification and documentation of biological material
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6 BScExploit the synergies between Archaeological science and other science based disciplines by using the principles themes, concepts and methodologies of Archaeology as appropriate to a Natural Scientist.
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6 MSciExploit the synergies between Archaeological science and other science based disciplines by using advanced principles themes, concepts and methodologies of Archaeology as appropriate to a Natural Scientist.
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7 BScConfidently explain, communicate and debate ideas through written, visual, and oral forms of presentation to a wide range of public and professional audiences using print and digital media
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7 MSciConfidently explain, communicate and debate ideas through high quality written, visual, and oral forms of presentation with sensitivity to the needs of a wide range of public and professional audiences using print and digital media
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8 BScContribute as independent scholars the field of bioarchaeology and science in general through rigorous and imaginative inquiry in multi-disciplinary contexts
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8 MSciContribute as autonomous and self-reflective scholars to the field of bioarchaeology and science in general through rigorous, independent and imaginative inquiry in multi-disciplinary contexts
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Programme Learning Outcome for year in industry (where applicable)
For programmes which lead to the title ‘with a Year in Industry’ – typically involving an additional year – please provide either a) amended versions of some (at least one, but not necessarily all) of the standard PLOs listed above, showing how these are changed and enhanced by the additional year in industry b) an additional PLO, if and only if it is not possible to capture a key ability developed by the year in industry by alteration of the standard PLOs.
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NA
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Programme Learning Outcome for year abroad programmes (where applicable)
For programmes which lead to the title ‘with a Year Abroad’ – typically involving an additional year – please provide either a) amended versions of some (at least one, but not necessarily all) of the standard PLOs listed above, showing how these are changed and enhanced by the additional year abroad or b) an additional PLO, if and only if it is not possible to capture a key ability developed by the year abroad by alteration of the standard PLOs.
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PLO9 Be inspired by and articulate the advantages of successfully studying in a non-UK academic environment through broadening your perspectives and developing adaptability, flexibility, resilience and drive.
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Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) Why the PLOs are considered ambitious or stretching?
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The PLOs engage students directly, critically and practically with practice in their disciplinary area at the leading edge of current theoretical, scientific and professional principles and methodologies. Students will develop as effective team members and confident communicators in a range of media and assessed projects and meet the demands of increasingly challenging areas of independent learning, data management and interpretation. By Year 3 (and 4) students progress to their own independently-designed and executed, original research project, write and present a short lecture, and design, lead, present and critique research seminars. To fully meet the PLOs given a student will need to meet the PLOs commensurate with those of a single subject Archaeological Scientist whilst studying up to three other sciences in Stages 1 & 2, ensuring that students have broad knowledge and first hand experience in how scientific techniques are used across disciplines and particulary archaeological science.
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ii) The ways in which these outcomes are distinctive or particularly advantageous to the student:
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As stated in the single-subject Archaeology submission: "One of the key advantages of an Archaeology degree is the breadth of skills and ideas with which graduates are confident; the BSc Bioarchaeology programme at York is designed to maximise this advantage. As well as engaging with key themes and debates in archaeology and the role of bioarchaeological evidence, students are trained in the hard skills entailed by data generation and analysis; in the design and execution of both independent and team projects; and in the presentation of archaeological ideas to a wide range of audiences. Every student will complete a novel independent dissertation project in bioarchaeological research. Throughout the programme we place particular emphasis on the ability not just to understand and develop but to communicate ideas, through written, visual, and oral forms of presentation - as exemplified in the second-year Communicating Archaeology and the third-year Assessed Seminar modules, and in the assessed lecture that each student delivers on the subject of their dissertation research." Our PLOs will ensure that Natural Sciences students have skills and knowledge commensurate with a single subject Archaeological Scientist, enhanced by their foundational knowledge and first hand experience of how scientific subjects can be applied across disciplines.
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iii) How the programme learning outcomes develop students’ digital literacy and will make appropriate use of technology-enhanced learning (such as lecture recordings, online resources, simulations, online assessment, ‘flipped classrooms’ etc)?
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The degree uses a wide range of digital applications in order to develop students' digital literacy, including spreadsheets, GIS, creating digital images, use of social media, word processing, and databases. A range of word processing and analytical software is used to complete their lab reports and projects in different degree subjects in stage 1 and 2. There are opportunities for students to develop these skills further through specialised modules and dissertation projects. We also use technology-enhanced learning such as recording lectures where possible so that students can watch them back, and use cloud computing such as Googledocs for collaborative learning and the University's Virtual Learning Environment.
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iv) How the PLOs support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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All the Natural Sciences programmes have been designed with employability in mind. This is not only as a factor of the design of the programmes themselves, which have had engagement with the University's employability strategy as a given since the early design phases of the programme, also as a factor of the embedded skills that the contributing departments have built into their modules. Many of the skills listed in the PLOs are generic and will equip the student with a highly transferable skill set. Learning to cooperate with others, taking on different roles within a team, and problem solving as a team are developed through modules such as Team Projects and Assessed Seminars. However, self management is also a critical skill to learn and students have to develop their self motivation and time management, particularly when researching their dissertations. A key focus of our degree is training in oral communication: from the first year we teach in small groups and train students to develop presentations to the class. By the third and fourth year students have the capability to deliver a high standard of presentation culminating with a lecture at the end of the year. Students learn to develop research skills and report writing throughout their degree but particularly in their Dissertations (stage 3) and Extended projects (stage 4). All students will gain transferable lab skills in their first year, with further development through lab-based dissertation. Creativity and innovation is important and we encourage students to generate new ideas. Many of the Archaeology modules encourage social, cultural and global awareness and students learn to identify the ethical issues associated with their research projects and in relevant cases, apply the correct procedures. We aim to provide opportunities for students to gain an insight into how organisations work so as to prepare students for the world of work. Finally, we aim encourage students to be mindful of their developing skills and in the third year ask them to submit a CV as part of on assessment alongside a short pitch similar to an interview presentation (World Archaeology II).
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vi) How will students who need additional support for academic and transferable skills be identified and supported by the Department?
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Students who need support will generally self identify at admission or early in the Stage 1 and standard University protocols will then be followed. If this isn't the case and a student is identified as needing extra support later in the programme then the student will discuss the matter with their personal supervisor who will advise in accordance with University guidance. Students are assigned a supervisor in one of the contributing departments and have access to a subject facilitator in both contributing departments. The student can approach their supervisor for advice in accordance with University guidelines and seek more specialist advice on a particular discipline from the subject facilitator. Module level issues are handled with the department to which the module belongs and a student can avail themselves off all feedback and quality control mechanisms that the department offers.
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vii) How is teaching informed and led by research in the department/ centre/ University?
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As stated in single subject Archaeology submission: "We are a research active department that engage with multi-disciplinary projects spanning multiple departments such as Environment and Geography, Theatre/Film/TV, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History and the Centre for Digital Heritage. Research-led teaching is a key component of our degree. We ensure that staff teach subjects aligned to their research interests in almost all taught modules, ensuring that students engage with material at the forefront of active research. In the first year this includes modules team-taught by staff, Prehistory to the Present and Introduction to Archaeological Science. In the second year, modules such as Themes in Historical Archaeology and Practical Skills and Team Project are all specific to staff interests and by the third year, all students choose a 'Special Topic', a specialised module providing detailed coverage of a particular staff specialism. Our research is international in scope as well as interdisciplinary and we have World Archaeology modules that at the cutting edge of global issues in research"
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Stage-level progression
Please complete the table below, to summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of each year. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each PLO, but this can be done if preferred (please add information in the 'individual statement' boxes). For a statement that applies across all PLOs in the stage fill in the 'Global statement' box.
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Stage 0 (if your programme has a Foundation year, use the toggles to the left to show the hidden rows)
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Stage 1
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On progression from the first year (Stage 1), students will be able to:
Developed core learning strategies for each of the four disciplines studied in Stage 1. Have been introduced to and worked with the core concepts that underpin all three disciplines. Be familiar with the foundational material and practices of each of the four disciplines.
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PLO 1PLO 2PLO 3PLO 4PLO 5PLO 6PLO 7PLO 8
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Individual statements
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Stage 2
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On progression from the second year (Stage 2), students will be able to:The more focussed Stage 2 will have further developed the knowledge base of the student, giving them more sophisticated tools with which to address more demanding problems in their two chosen disciplines. Technical facility will be improved by exposure to more advanced concepts.
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PLO 1PLO 2PLO 3PLO 4PLO 5PLO 6PLO 7PLO 8
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Individual statements
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Stage 3
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(For Integrated Masters) On progression from the third year (Stage 3), students will be able to:A stage 3 student will now be a fully fledged specialist and will have satisfied all the PLOs for the BSc programme. They will be equipped to progress onto a more research focussed final stage.
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PLO 1PLO 2PLO 3PLO 4PLO 5PLO 6PLO 7PLO 8
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Individual statements
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Programme Structure
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Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

‘Option module’ can be used in place of a specific named option. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists these lists should be provided in the next section.

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA') . It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

If summative assessment by exams will be scheduled in the summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7) a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place.
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Stage 0 (if you have modules for Stage 0, use the toggles to the left to show the hidden rows)
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Stage 1
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term
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CodeTitle123456789101234567891012345678910
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Archaeology/Biology/Chemistry/Environment pathway
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20CHE00010CChemistry for Natural Sciences 1SAAAEA
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20CHE00012CChemistry for Natural Sciences 2SAAAEAAAA
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20ARC00006C Introduction to Archaeological SciencesSEA
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10BIO00007CGeneticsSEA
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10BIO00009C Genetics and EvolutionSEAAA
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20BIO00004CMolecular Biology and BiochemistrySAEAAA
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20ENV00002CEcological Principles for the EnvironmentSAAAAE
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Archaeology/Biology/Environment pathway
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20ARC00006C Introduction to Archaeological SciencesSEA
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20ARC00001C Prehistory to the PresentSEASEA
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10BIO00007CGeneticsSEA
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10BIO00009C Genetics and EvolutionSEAAA
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20BIO00004CMolecular Biology and BiochemistrySAEAAA
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20ENV00002CEcological Principles for the EnvironmentSAAAAE
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20ENV00027CConcepts in ESSAAEA
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term
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CodeTitle123456789101234567891012345678910
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Archaeology/Environment pathway
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20ARC00018I, ARC00060I, ARC00056I World Archaeology I (Option list A)SEA
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20ARC00028I, ARC00004IPractical Skills (Option list B)SEA
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20ARC00029I, ARC00013ITeam Project (Option list B)SEA
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20ENV00003IEarth Processes & LandformsSEAAAA