School of History, Classics & Archaeology

Results of the Research Excellence Framework 2014

The School of History, Classics and Archaeology has achieved a strong set of results in the Research Excellence Framework 2014.

History (Unit 30)

History has been ranked third in the UK for its combined quality and size.

Thirty-two per cent of the 61.2 full-time equivalent staff included in the assessment were awarded the top 4* grade (‘world-leading’) whilst a further fifty-one per cent were rated 3* (‘internationally excellent’). This is equivalent to 50.8 full-time staff members (83 per cent) producing research of international quality.

    FTE Category 'A' staff
Rank Institution name Number
submitted

Number

rated 4*

Number rated

3* & 4*
1 Oxford 130.1 58.5 106.6
2 Cambridge 115.1 50.6 93.2
3 Edinburgh 61.2 19.6 50.8
4 London School of Economics 44.0 15.0 36.1
5 Glasgow 43.8 17.5 35.0
6 University College London 42.2 17.7 34.6
7 King's College London 39.9 17.5 34.3
8 Exeter 41.5 17.9 34.1
9 Warwick 39.0 17.9 32.4
10 Birmingham 37.2 16.7 32.4

Classics (Unit 31)

Classics has been ranked fifth in the UK for its combined quality and size.

Of the 22.5 full-time equivalent staff included in the assessment, twenty-seven per cent were rated 4* (‘world-leading’) and a further 40 per cent were rated 3* (‘internationally excellent’). This is equivalent to 15.1 full-time staff members (67 per cent) producing research of international quality.

    FTE Category 'A' staff
Rank Institution name Number
submitted

Number

rated 4*

Number rated

3* & 4*
1 Oxford 68.7 32.3 55.6
2 Cambridge 38.5 20.4 34.3
3 King's College London 29.9 9.6 22.7
4 Birmingham 20.0 7.6 16.2
5 Edinburgh 22.5 6.1 15.1
6 Exeter 19.0 5.7 14.3
7 Durham 14.2 6.1 12.2
8 Bristol 15.0 4.4 11.6
9 Nottingham 14.0 5.3 11.2
10 Warwick 13.9 3.9 11.1

Archaeology (Unit 17)

Archaeology was also submitted as a separate unit. A further fifty per cent of the 14.7 full-time equivalent staff who were assessed were rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Archaeology was submitted to a sub-panel which also included geography and environmental science; no separate comparative table for Archaeology is currently available.

Success for the School

These are undoubtedly an impressive set of results for the School. Both History and Classics have noticeably improved their standing compared to RAE 2008, while Archaeology has re-established itself creditably. We look forward to building on this success in the years to come.

Professor Ian RalstonHead of School

Further information