This week the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) released its results, placing the University of Durham’s Department of Archaeology as the best in the UK. The rating is based on an assessment of “quality of research conducted in UK higher education institutions” over the last seven years. Other ratings, such as the Time’s Good University Guide, also place Durham’s Archaeology Dept. at or near the top, but based on differing criteria.
For a university that’s so focused on the research of its faculty, staff and students, this year’s RAE results are particularly welcome. Archaeology is not the only area where Durham comes out on, or near the, top. 90 per cent of all departments were in the assessment’s top 3 categories, and Theology and Religion joined Archaeology in taking top honors. These results demonstrate why the university’s international reputation has grown so dramatically in the last few years. It is well earned. It is also a key reason for my choice of Durham for postgraduate research. These results give me more hope for future funding, and also reinforce my conviction that Durham’s the place to be.
Addition (22 January, 2009)
The Archaeology department at Durham has just distributed a document entitled, “What does RAE 2008 mean for prospective and current Archaeology postgraduate students at Durham University?” It’s a good read, and useful for prospective graduate students considering Durham for studies in archaeology. You can download it here.
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Darrell J. Rohl BSc (Hons) (Andrews), MA (Dunelm): I'm a PhD candidate in 
Ben Blackwell also posted about this, particularly discussing the top spot his department (Theology and Religion) took. It’s great to see that Durham is getting this kind of recognition.