Archaeology (MSc)
Southampton, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK | other countries, China: 29 July 2024
* for EU and international student | UK students: GBP 9,250
Scholarships
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Introduction
Build the skills you need for a career in archaeological research or the heritage industry with this flexible archaeology master’s. You’ll gain practical experience and benefit from our close ties with museums and organisations involved in commercial archaeology, heritage management and fieldwork.
We're ranked 7th in the UK for archaeology (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2022).
With this MSc in Archaeology, you can personalise your studies to areas that interest you, without having to specialise in a particular area. We bring expertise together from across the University, including the National Oceanography Centre, Humanities, Medicine, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to help you gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding through a range of optional modules.
This master's in archaeology enables you to develop your skills in a practical way, whilst learning from theoretical and period-based insights. You’ll have full access to a wide range of dedicated facilities and specialist teachers.
These include:
- A Dedicated Library
- A Large Collection of Stone Tools and Hominin Skulls
- Specialist Isotope Labs and a Scanning, Imaging and Micro-ct Suite
- An Extensive Collection of Human and Animal Skeletons
We have relationships with a number of leading heritage institutions and companies. You’ll have the opportunity to spend 4 weeks on placement with one of these institutions, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience in the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.
In addition to your vocational training, you'll develop advanced research skills. When you write your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to undertake original research on a topic that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.
Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the globe.
We offer 4 pathways for our MSc Archaeology degree. If you’re not sure which area of archaeology you want to specialise in, then this general pathway gives you the chance to explore a number of different areas.
Your other Archaeology MSc pathway options are:
- Archaeology Bioarchaeology - Gain specialist skills in human anatomy and faunal analysis to make sense of the past. Benefit from dedicated archaeology laboratories and specialist research
- Archaeology Higher Archaeological Practice - Discover our Archaeological Practice master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn how to get a job in archaeology and commercial archaeology
- Archaeology Palaeoanthropology - Discover our Palaeoanthropology master's degree at the University of Southampton. Learn to analyse stone tools and hominin skulls to understand our evolution.
Admissions
Curriculum
Your studies will run for a full year, from September to the following September.
If you’d like to take longer to complete this master’s you can study part-time over 2 to 5 years.
If you decide that you’d like to change to a different archaeology specialism within the first 2 weeks of term you’ll be able to change your pathway on this degree.
Throughout your studies, we’ll encourage you to engage with the wider research community through attending and presenting at seminars, workshops or conferences. In the summer you’ll focus on your personal research project, which you’ll complete with guidance from a personal supervisor.
This archaeology master's gives you ultimate flexibility; you can choose modules from the full range of available archaeology modules. You can also:
- Include Up to 30 Credits From Final-year Undergraduate Archaeology Modules
- Gain Credit Through Practical Placements With Other Organisations Such as Museums and Heritage Sites
- Choose to Study a Module From Another University Department, Subject to the Approval of the Course Leader
Each module requires at least 150 hours of study time. As a full-time student, you’re likely to be on campus up to 4 days a week.
Modules
The modules outlined provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. As a research-led University, we undertake a continuous review of our course to ensure quality enhancement and to manage our resources. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
You must study the following modules :
- Analysis of archaeological faunal remains
- Archaeology Masters Dissertation
- Archaeology in the Contemporary World
- Bioarchaeology of Human Remains
- Contexts for Human Origins Research
- Professional Placement in the Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Sector
- Professional Practice in Archaeology
- The Analysis of Palaeolithic Stone Tool Assemblages
You must also choose from the following modules :
- Analysis of archaeological faunal remains
- Applied Maritime Archaeology
- Bioarchaeology of Human Remains
- Contexts for Human Origins Research
- Cultural Heritage within Environmental Impact Assessment
- Global Cultural Heritage
- Maritime Aspects of Culture
- Museums in the Modern World
- Palaeopathology in Context
- Professional Placement in the Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Sector
- Professional Practice in Archaeology
- Seeing beneath the soil: geophysical survey for archaeology
- The Analysis of Palaeolithic Stone Tool Assemblages
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
90% of our archaeology master’s graduates are in employment or further study 6 months after graduation (Destination of Leavers from Higher Education Survey).
Your research project could set you on the road to an academic or research career, and could end up being published in an academic journal. Many of our graduates go on to complete PhD studies.
You’ll gain lots of practical, vocational experience on the course. Most students go on to work in archaeology, the heritage industry and science. Job roles have included:
- Archaeologist
- Maritime Archaeologist
- Project Officer
- Trainee Geophysicist
- Community Outreach
- Coastal Process Scientist
- Civil Servant
- Teacher
- Forensic Scientist
Our graduates have gone on to work for:
- Wessex Archaeology
- Historic Scotland
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Geophysical Surveys of Bradford
- Channel Coastal Observatory
- Portsmouth City Council
- Maritime Archaeology Trust
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Your experience here will set you up with many transferable skills that will be valuable whatever career path you choose. You’ll gain experience of team working, presentation skills, networking and data analysis.
Program delivery
We'll teach you through a combination of practical activities, field trips, research questions, and laboratory experience. This will give you the knowledge and confidence you need for all academic and professional settings.
With an emphasis on group work, you will learn how to participate, chair and direct seminar discussions, and communicate research and reports to a range of audiences.
You'll learn through a variety of methods, including:
- Designing Exhibition Proposals
- Total Station Training
- Essays and Presentations
- Assessing Longer-Term Environmental Changes
- Producing Publication Standard Reports
- Site Mapping and Analysis With Geophysical, GIS, Lidar, Remote Sensing
Assessment
We'll use various methods to assess your work, including:
- Individual and Group Presentations
- Written Exams and Essays
- Fieldwork Reports
- Digital Projects and Project Design
- Mapping Packages
- Field, Laboratory, and Practical Tests