2025 UK: Isotope Analysis of archaeological materials at Cardiff University

Status

Open

Dates

Jul 28-Aug 8, 2025

Type

Archaeology

Faculty

Dr. Emily Holt

Tuition

$2,650

Tuition Payment Deadline

April 4, 2025

Orientation Date

Jun 7, 2025 at 8:30am Pacific Time

Academic Credit

4 Semester Credits

This program does not provide room or board. Cardiff is the largest city in Wales and offers many hotels, Airbnb and youth hostels in all price ranges. Collegiate offers various student housing at three different location around the university, starting at ₤135 (ca. $175) per week.

this program has an application deadline 

Application deadline is March 7, 2025. Please apply by this date to be considered for this field school.

OVERVIEW

Isotope analysis of ancient materials has become a key component of the archaeologist’s toolkit. Strontium and sulfur isotopes help document ancient mobility patterns. Carbon and nitrogen isotopes provide insights into animal and human diets. Oxygen isotopes help reconstruct environmental change. The list of relevant isotopes is long and all provide important archaeological data about life and choices humans made in the past. Understanding how isotope analysis works, therefore, is an essential skill for archaeologists, whether as archaeological scientists pursuing isotope analysis for their own research or as critical consumers of their colleagues’ conclusions.

instructors

All field school directors are experts in their field and passionate about their work. To discuss the suitability of this program for your career goals – whether within or outside academia – you are invited to contact the directors directly. For a broader discussion which CFS program to choose, you are welcome to contact our staff directly – you can do that through our “Contact Us” page.   

Testimonials

This is a new program. No testimonials are available.

student fees (tuition)

what is covered

$2,650
  • DEPOSIT IS PART OF TOTAL TUITION COST
  • Costs of Instruction
  • Cost of Academic Credit Units
  • Health and Evacuation Insurance

read before you pay

  • Application: You must apply online for this program – application is free
  • Deposit: A $300 nonrefundable deposit (part of the total tuition cost) is required to secure a space in the program
  • Credit Card Fee: Payments with credits cards incur 2.5% processing fee
  • Late Fee: A $100 Late Fee will be added to the program costs if tuition is not paid in full by payment deadline
  • Cancelation Policy: Carefully read our Cancelation Policy before committing to attend our programs
  • Trip cancellation Insurance: Trip cancellation insurance is not provided by CFS. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies, explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip or Travel Guard are possible websites where you may explore different insurance policies

Accommodations

This program does not provide accommodation, Collegiate offers various student housing at three different location around the university, starting at ₤135 (ca. $175) per week.

diet

This program does not provide meals or food. Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales, with plenty of restaurants at a broad range of prices.

travel information

We suggest you hold purchasing airline tickets until six (6) weeks before the program begins. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions & a range of other factors may require the cancelation this field school. CFS typically makes a final Go/No Go decision about six weeks before the field school begins. To protect students from potential financial loss, we urge students to purchase airline tickets only six weeks prior to program beginning. 

Students will meet the program directors in the reception area of Cardiff University’s John Percival Building, Colum Drive, at 8:00am of the first day of the program.

visa information

Citizens of the US, Canada and EU countries do not require visas to enter the U.K. You will need your passport to be valid for at least 90 days and will enter on a tourist visa. Citizens of other countries are asked to check the embassy website page at their home country for specific visa requirements.

Meeting Point

Date Time Location
Jul 28, 2025 8:00am Cardiff University’s John Percival Building, Colum Drive
If you missed your connection or your flight is delayed, please call, text or email project director immediately. A local emergency cell phone number will be provided to all enrolled students.

Safety

Our primary concern is with education. Traveling and conducting field work involves risk. Students interested in participating in our programs must weigh whether the potential risk is worth the value of education provided. While risk is inherent in everything we do, we do not take risk lightly. We engage in intensive review of each field school location prior to approval. Once a program is accepted, we review and monitor each program annually to make sure it complies with all our standards and policies, including student safety.

Students attending our international programs are covered by a comprehensive Health Insurance policy that includes physical illness or injury, mental or chronic conditions. There are no deductible and 100% of costs are covered up to $250,000. In addition, we provide Political & Natural Disaster Evacuation policy, which allow us to remove students from program location if conditions change.

Students attending our domestic programs (within the US) must have their own health insurance and provide proof upon enrollment. Program directors are familiar with local authorities and if in need of evacuation, local emergency services and/or law enforcement will be notified and activated.

We have an explicit and robust harassments & discriminations policies. If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with program staff, they are welcome to call the CFS emergency hotline and talk directly with CFS staff members.

Call (+1 562 584-0761) or email (info@fieldsciences.org) if you have questions about the safety of any program.

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