MA in Archaeology

The MA in Archaeology can be studied on a full-time and part-time basis. Through sets of specialist modules, skills-oriented classes and workshops, and dissertation research it provides the opportunity to advance your skills and knowledge in archaeology with a view to progressing to doctoral-level research or to pick up vital transferable skills ready for working in commercial archaeology or in the wider employment market.

A unique feature of our MA is the provision of specialist strands within which you will study, allowing you to gain breadth and depth in your understanding of particular periods, areas and topics. The current strands are:

• Prehistory
• Egypt / Ancient India / Near East (EAINE)
• The Classical World
• Medieval and Post Medieval Archaeology

By the end of this course, you will have had a chance to engage in advanced collection, management, and analysis of archaeological data and materials; to develop a sound understanding of current archaeological approaches, concepts, and practice; and to acquire specialist skills and knowledge related to their strand from our team of leading experts in the field.

Course Structure

The MA in Archaeology is a 180 credit program comprising

• Two 15 credit modules in research and practical skills training in the first two terms (one per term)
• Two 30 credit specialist research topic modules in the first two terms (one per term)
• One 90 credit research dissertation of 20,000 words (developed in term 3 and summer)

Students can take a 20 credit language module from the Centre for Foreign Language Study in lieu of the practical skills module. 

There is also the option of substituting a specialist research topic module with another MA module on offer in the department and in some instances one offered by another department at the University.  See below the other modules offered in the department.

Part-time students are expected to complete the course in 2 years.  Typically part-time students complete the two 15 credit and two 30 credit modules in the first year and the dissertation in the second year.

Module Details

Research and Study Skills in Social Archaeology (RSSSA) – 15 credits

This module runs in Term 1 and aims to provide you with information and skills relevant to pursuing archaeological research for your MA dissertation and beyond.  It combines strand-based tutorials on pertinent topics and themes with a series of lectures and workshops introducing fundamental research tools and skills in archaeology.  Assignments bring these together in projects that apply primary research skills to topics in the student’s specialist area.  Recent assignment types include literature reviews and academic posters.

Practical Research and Study Skills (PRSS) – 15 credits

This module runs in Term 2.  Students select two from a range of options in hands-on ‘Master Classes’ led by professionals and academic experts, typically taught through short blocks of workshops.  Recent options have included:

• GIS
• Geophysics
• Access analysis
• Ceramics analysis
• Ceramic materials analysis
• Glass finds analysis
• Numismatics
• Museum artifact cataloging

These classes provide the opportunity to develop professional capacity skills, assessed through ‘authentic’ assignments, such as reports one would be expected to produce as a professional in the fields of archaeology and museums. 

As noted above, it is possible to substitute PRSS with a 20 credit language module from the Centre for Foreign Language Study.

Research Topics – 30 credits

Research Topics are detailed courses focussing on particular periods, areas or themes, and are taught by the Department’s leading experts on their specialist topics.  Teaching is typically delivered through a series of lectures and special MA seminars/tutorials, usually over one term with sessions each week.  

Students typically chose two modules relevant to their strands, although in consultation with their academic advisor they may opt for a non-strand-specific choice that allows them to branch out and try new things. 

It is possible, as noted above, to substitute one of the Research Topic modules for another MA module run by the department, or one run by multiple departments (see further below). 

Recent Research Topic options have included:

• Palaeolithic Britain (Prof Mark White)
• Themes in European Upper Palaeolithic Art and Archaeology (Prof Paul Pettitt)
• Hunters and Gatherers, Past and Present (Prof Peter Rowley-Conwy)
• Iron Age in Britain in its European Context (Dr. Tom Moore)
• Environmental Archaeology of the North Atlantic Islands (Dr. Mike Church)
• Monuments and Landscapes in Atlantic Europe (Prof Chris Scarre)
• Archaeology of the Egyptian State: Afterlife (Dr. Penny Wilson)
• Archaeology of the Egyptian State: Religious Life (Dr. Penny Wilson)
• The Ancient Near East: Early Complex Societies (Prof Graham Philip)
• The Ancient Near East: Middle to Late Bronze Age (Prof Graham Philip)
• Continuity and Change in South Asian Archaeology (Prof Robin Coningham and Dr. Mark Manuel)
• Archaeology of the Gulf and Eastern Arabia
• Cultural Landscapes of Eurasia (Dr. Dan Lawrence)
• Aspects of Art and Archaeology in Ancient Greece and Beyond (Dr. Catherine Draycott)
• Roman Landscapes of the Mediterranean (Dr. Rob Witcher)
• Pagans, Christians, Muslims: Changing Townscapes the Mediterranean (North Africa and the Near East) in the First Millennium AD (Dr. Anna Leone)
• Iron Age and Roman Heritage: Barbarism, Civilisation, and Frontiers (Prof Richard Hingley)
• Warlords and Holy Men: North East England c. AD 400-1100 (Dr. David Petts)
• Death and Burial in Early Medieval Britain AD 400-1100 (Dr. Sarah Semple)
• The Archaeology of Towns in Britain c. 12–18th centuries (Dr. Pam Graves)
• The Archaeology of Burial Practice in Britain, c. 12-18th centuries (Dr. Pam Graves)
• Preservation of Archaeological Sites In Situ (Dr. Chris Caple)

Other MA modules run by the department in recent years have included:

• The Anglo-Saxon World (AD 400–1100) (in conjunction with History and English departments)
• Isotopic and Biomolecular Archaeology

Dissertation

The capstone of the degree is the dissertation, allowing students to develop their own line of inquiry and explore in-depth a topic of interest to them.  MA dissertations are 20,000 words in length and provide an experience of sustained, rigorous, independent research that is a necessary foundation for further post-graduate academic work and demonstrates intellectual mastery to professional employers.  The topic may be drawn from previous experience or from a research topic or other MA module.  Students are supported and guided in choosing their topic, designing their projects, acquiring necessary skills and bringing them to completion through the training imparted in the RSSSA module and through one-to-one consultation with strand tutors and dissertation supervisors.  Students are asked to identify a topic by Term 2, but Term 3 and the summer are fully dedicated to dissertation work.