Masters Degrees (Archaeobotany)

About the course

This programme delivers both intensive training in environmental and economic archaeology and an understanding of how these skills might be applied to advance our knowledge of the relationship between people and nature in the making of human history. Studies of contemporary ecology and economy are emphasised as a basis for investigating the past. The ability to reconstruct and understand past environments and economies is critical to both professional and academic archaeology.

Your future

Each of our masters courses is designed to equip you with valuable employment skills and prepare you for your future career. If you’re seeking to move into an archaeology-related field from a different academic or employment background, our courses and supportive staff will help you to realise your ambitions and develop professionally.

Graduates from our MA and MSc courses successfully compete for some of the most sought-after archaeological posts in the world. Our courses help students to develop essential transferable skills, and upon graduation they are also in demand by a wide variety of employers outside of the sector.Many of our graduates decide to continue their studies, carrying out doctoral research in their chosen specialist field, equipped with a solid theoretical and practical grounding from which to develop their research.

World-leading expertise

The character and strength of research carried out by Sheffield’s Archaeology department is captured under the following broad themes. These reflect the range of our research and its cross-disciplinary, embedded nature:

Funerary Archaeology
Landscape Archaeology
Bioarchaeology
Medieval Archaeology
Cultural Materials
Mediterranean Archaeology

Specialist facilities

The Archaeology department is situated on the edge of the main campus, near to Sheffield’s city centre. The department houses world-class reference collections and facilities to support teaching, learning and research in a range of archaeological disciplines. Facilities include specialist lab space dedicated to teaching and research, dedicated study spaces, and a student common room.

Fieldwork opportunities

We offer you the opportunity to get involved in our research projects in the UK, Europe and further afield.

How we will teach and assess you

Our students come from all around the world and the content of our courses reflects this. You can expect a balanced timetable of lectures, seminars and practicals. Many of our masters courses also include a fieldwork or project work component. Our teaching staff are leading scholars in their field. Through their research and field projects they are active in generating new knowledge that feeds directly into their teaching.

Funding, scholarships and bursaries

If you accept a place on one of our courses, you may be eligible to apply for WRoCAH and University of Sheffield studentships. There are also a number of departmental and programme-specific scholarships available each year. See our website for details.

Core modules

Rethinking the Ancient Economy; Reinventing Archaeology; Dynamic Landscapes: investigating ancient environments; Research Design: planning, execution and presentation; Archaeobotany; Archaeozoology; Dissertation.

Indicative optional modules

Advanced Zooarchaeology; GIS for Archaeologists; Advanced Archaeobotany.

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About the course

This course is ideal if you want to deepen your understanding of the early history of the Mediterranean by systematically including the full range of archaeological data that sometimes complement and sometimes contradict the textual. It creates a strong platform for future doctoral research combining these approaches. You can specialise in early history (classical antiquity) or later prehistory (Late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age), but a diachronic perspective and broad range of approaches are encouraged.

Your future

Each of our masters courses is designed to equip you with valuable employment skills and prepare you for your future career. If you’re seeking to move into an archaeology-related field from a different academic or employment background, our courses and supportive staff will help you to realise your ambitions and develop professionally.

Graduates from our MA and MSc courses successfully compete for some of the most sought-after archaeological posts in the world. Our courses help students to develop essential transferable skills, and upon graduation they are also in demand by a wide variety of employers outside of the sector.Many of our graduates decide to continue their studies, carrying out doctoral research in their chosen specialist field, equipped with a solid theoretical and practical grounding from which to develop their research.

World-leading expertise

The character and strength of research carried out by Sheffield’s Archaeology department is captured under the following broad themes. These reflect the range of our research and its cross-disciplinary, embedded nature:

Funerary Archaeology
Landscape Archaeology
Bioarchaeology
Medieval Archaeology
Cultural Materials
Mediterranean Archaeology

Specialist facilities

The Archaeology department is situated on the edge of the main campus, near to Sheffield’s city centre. The department houses world-class reference collections and facilities to support teaching, learning and research in a range of archaeological disciplines. Facilities include specialist lab space dedicated to teaching and research, dedicated study spaces, and a student common room.

Fieldwork opportunities

We offer you the opportunity to get involved in our research projects in the UK, Europe and further afield.

How we will teach and assess you

Our students come from all around the world and the content of our courses reflects this. You can expect a balanced timetable of lectures, seminars and practicals. Many of our masters courses also include a fieldwork or project work component. Our teaching staff are leading scholars in their field. Through their research and field projects they are active in generating new knowledge that feeds directly into their teaching.

Funding, scholarships and bursaries

If you accept a place on one of our courses, you may be eligible to apply for WRoCAH and University of Sheffield studentships. There are also a number of departmental and programme-specific scholarships available each year. See our website for details.

Core modules

Greeks, Romans and ‘Others’ in the Ancient World; Rethinking the Ancient Economy; Reinventing Archaeology; Research Design: Planning, Execution and Presentation; Dissertation.

Indicative optional modules

Current Issues in Aegean Prehistory; Mediterranean Landscapes; Heritage, Museum and Field: Archaeology in Practise; Roman Italy and its Hinterland; The Archaeology of Cyprus; Funerary Archaeology; Archaeobotany; Advanced Archaeobotany; Archaeozoology; A module from the Department of History; Enhanced Languages Project (Modern Language Teaching).

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What does it mean to be human? What are the origins of our species? Archaeological and palaeontological discoveries help us answer these fundamental questions and provide insights into human cognition, behaviour and life ways.

On this course you'll study human evolution by evaluating the ultimate source of information – the fossil record.

We'll teach you to think critically and train you in the analytical techniques required to describe and interpret the fossil evidence for early hominid and human evolution.

Our approach is both science- and humanities-based. You'll explore themes such as the evolution of bipedalism, cognition and the origins of modernity, providing you with a unique combination of biological anthropology, human and comparative anatomy, primatology and hominid palaeontology.

The course also offers an introduction to the use of innovative technologies for 2D and 3D imaging of skeletal and fossil materials in palaeoanthropological research. It's designed to appeal to those who want to create a strong platform for doctoral research in palaeoanthropology, as well as those who just want to deepen their understanding of our extinct ancestors.

You'll get unlimited access to excellent lab facilities and extensive collections of skeletons and replica casts of modern humans, primates and fossil hominins. A wide range of up-to-date resources are available in the department's palaeoanthropology and osteology teaching laboratories.

Core modules

The programme offers a range of closely integrated core modules in human anatomy and comparative osteology which enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the palaeoanthropological record.

Human Evolution: Theory & Practice in Research
Quantitative methods in anthropology and archaeology
Research design: planning, execution and presentation
Human anatomy
Human osteology
Evolutionary anatomy
Dissertation in Palaeoanthropology
Optional modules

Optional modules are available in philosophy, linguistics and other topics. Examples include:

Archaeobotany
Archaeozoology

If you study part-time, you'll take two 15-credit modules in each semester during Year 1 and Year 2, and either a dissertation or placement module over the summer of Year 2. We arrange for you to attend two days a week but we try to be as flexible as possible.

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About the course

Our MA in Aegean Archaeology offers a series of specialist modules on the archaeology of the Aegean and neighbouring regions, situated within a sophisticated and intellectually demanding theoretical context. We encourage a diachronic perspective and broad range of approaches and throughout the programme we will encourage and support you in the development of intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, problem-solving and independent judgement.

Your future

Each of our masters courses is designed to equip you with valuable employment skills and prepare you for your future career. If you’re seeking to move into an archaeology-related field from a different academic or employment background, our courses and supportive staff will help you to realise your ambitions and develop professionally.

Graduates from our MA and MSc courses successfully compete for some of the most sought-after archaeological posts in the world. Our courses help students to develop essential transferable skills, and upon graduation they are also in demand by a wide variety of employers outside of the sector.Many of our graduates decide to continue their studies, carrying out doctoral research in their chosen specialist field, equipped with a solid theoretical and practical grounding from which to develop their research.

World-leading expertise

The character and strength of research carried out by Sheffield’s Archaeology department is captured under the following broad themes. These reflect the range of our research and its cross-disciplinary, embedded nature:

Funerary Archaeology
Landscape Archaeology
Bioarchaeology
Medieval Archaeology
Cultural Materials
Mediterranean Archaeology

Specialist facilities

The Archaeology department is situated on the edge of the main campus, near to Sheffield’s city centre. The department houses world-class reference collections and facilities to support teaching, learning and research in a range of archaeological disciplines. Facilities include specialist lab space dedicated to teaching and research, dedicated study spaces, and a student common room.

Fieldwork opportunities

We offer you the opportunity to get involved in our research projects in the UK, Europe and further afield.

How we will teach and assess you

Our students come from all around the world and the content of our courses reflects this. You can expect a balanced timetable of lectures, seminars and practicals. Many of our masters courses also include a fieldwork or project work component. Our teaching staff are leading scholars in their field. Through their research and field projects they are active in generating new knowledge that feeds directly into their teaching.

Funding, scholarships and bursaries

If you accept a place on one of our courses, you may be eligible to apply for WRoCAH and University of Sheffield studentships. There are also a number of departmental and programme-specific scholarships available each year. See our website for details.

Core modules

Current Issues in Aegean Prehistory
Reinventing Archaeology
Research Design: Planning, Execution and Presentation
Dissertation

Indicative optional modules

Mediterranean Landscapes
Rethinking the Ancient Economy
Experimental Archaeology
The Archaeology of Cyprus
Introduction to Human Osteology
Ethnography in Archaeology: Materialising Culture: Agents, Things and Social Processes
Reconstructing Ancient Technologies: Ceramics
Archaeobotany
Archaeozoology

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• Develop and enhance your knowledge of archaeology through a selection of specialist modules that suit your chronological, geographical and thematic interests
• A flexible degree that prepares you for a career in research, the commercial sector or heritage management
• Become part of a world-leading Department with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research
• Take thematic and skills-based options that integrate social and scientific techniques
• Benefit from dedicated laboratories and state-of-the-art facilities

What will you study?

Conmpulsory modules include: 

• Dissertation 
• Research Skills and Career Learning

Optional Modules include:

Theory 

• Theoretical Approaches in Archaeology 
• Issues and Debates in Medieval Archaeology 
• Issues and Debates in Bioarchaeology 
• Quantitative Methods 

Old World Archaeology 

• Our Closest Cousins? Archaeology of the Neanderthals 
• Interpreting Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain 
• Themes and Approaches in the Study of Mesopotamia 
• Climate Change and Human Societies
• Material Cultures and Identities in the Roman Empire
• The Archaeology of Money: Coins, Power and Society 

Medieval Archaeology

• Viking Interactions in the West 
• Colonisation and Cultural Transformation: the archaeology of crusading
• The Medieval Landscape 
• Analysing the Medieval Townscape 

Bioarchaeology 

• Human Bioarchaeology 
• Food and Culture 
• Zooarchaeology 
• Coastal and Maritime Geoarchaeology 
• Applications of Micromorphological Analysis 
• Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 
• Climate Change and Human Communities

Placement and Career Options

• Archaeological Graphics 
• Research and Enterprise Placement
• Research and Enterprise Micro-Placement 
• Management of Heritage Assets

Please see our modules outline for further information.

Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.

What career can you have?

Our graduates go on to full-time employment within archaeology and related consultancies or units, museums and government agencies. Up to one third continue their academic career through doctoral research. In recent years, graduates have been successful in obtaining appointments with heritage agencies (Historic England, National Trust) and universities, including Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter and Newcastle.

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• Choose from a diverse range of options covering the full extent of the Middle Ages (AD 400-1600)
• Learn to integrate social and scientific techniques
• Prepare for a career in research, the commercial sector or heritage management
• Become part of a Department with one of the world’s largest groups of medieval archaeologists
• Benefit from state-of-the-art facilities

What will you study?

Compulsory modules include:

• Dissertation
• Issues and Debates in Medieval Archaeology
• Research Skills and Career Learning

Optional modules include:

The Social World of Medieval Archaeology 

• Viking Interactions in the West
• Colonisation and Cultural Transformation: the archaeology of crusading 
• The Medieval Landscape
• ONE Language option with the IWLP 
• Medieval Latin and Palaeography 
• Theoretical Approaches to archaeology 

Bioarchaeology

• Human Bioarchaeology 
• Food and Culture 
• Zooarchaeology 
• Applications of Micromorphological Analysis 
• Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 
• Climate Change and Human Communities 

Placement and Career 

• Archaeological Graphics 
• Research and Enterprise Placement
• Research and Enterprise Micro-Placement 
• Management of Heritage Assets 
• Quantitative Methods 

You may also select Old World or Environmental Archaeology modules.

Please see our modules outline for further information.

Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.

What career can you have?

Our graduates go on to full-time employment within archaeology and related consultancies or units, museums and government agencies. Up to one third continue their academic career through doctoral research. In recent years, graduates have been successful in obtaining appointments with heritage agencies (Historic England, National Trust) and universities, including Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter and Newcastle.

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• Gain advanced training in the palaeoenvironment
• Develop skills for a career in commercial and heritage organisations or future doctoral research
• Choose from geoarchaeology and bioarchaeology options for advanced skills in environmental-based assessments, heritage management and field projects
• Become part of a world-leading Department with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research

What will you study?

Compulsory modules include:

• Dissertation
• Issues and Debates in Environmental Archaeology
• Research Skills and Career Learning
• Quantitative Methods
• Field Methods and Experimentation
• Field Course: Earth Science & Archaeological Investigations

Optional modules include:

Geoarchaeology 

• Geochemistry in Quaternary Science and Archaeology 
• Climate Change and Human Communities 
• Quaternary Climate Change 
• Coastal and Maritime Geoarchaeology 
• Tropical Rainforests, Climate and Land Use Through Time 
• Applications of Micromorphological Analysis 

Bioarchaeology 

• Human Bioarchaeology 
• Food and Culture 
• Zooarchaeology 
• Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 
• Molluscan Biostatigraphy 
• Our Closest Cousins? Archaeology of the Neanderthals 

Placements and Careers

• Erasmus Scheme (involves 1 term in Europe)
• Research and Enterprise Placement 
• Research and Enterprise Micro-Placement 
• Management of Heritage Assets 

Please see our modules outline for further information.

Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.

What career can you have?

Our graduates go on to full-time employment within archaeology and related consultancies or units, museums and government agencies. Up to one third continue their academic career through doctoral research. In recent years, graduates have been successful in obtaining appointments with heritage agencies (Historic England, National Trust) and universities, including Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter and Newcastle.

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Bioarchaeology is an exciting and fast-advancing field which combines archaeology with branches of the natural sciences to study key topics such as past health and well-being, diet, ecology, subsistence strategies and environmental impacts.

The MSc in Bioarchaeology aims to develop a broad understanding of these issues through the study of human remains. Students on this programme will also have the opportunity to study animal remains, as well as floral and faunal evidence.

The programme develops advanced practical skills in skeletal analysis, making use of the department’s well-provisioned specialist laboratories and reference collections. A particular strength of our provision is that we are able to address the bioarchaeology of both the New and Old Worlds. Those completing the Course acquire the skills necessary to continue into academic research or employment, as an osteologist in field units, museums or Cultural Resources Managament companies.

The programme allows you to specialise in one of two named pathways: Human Osteoarchaeology (physical anthropology and funerary archaeology) or Zooarchaeology (animal bones and other faunal remains).

Learning and teaching

Most of the formal classes that you attend will be based on a mixture of lectures, seminars, and workshops. The precise mix will vary between modules. These aim to outline the principal issues of the module, to explore some detailed issues, and, where relevant, to give you experience of working with a particular technique or data set.
All members of staff are actively engaged in research, both in Britain and abroad, and regularly attend conferences, symposia and workshops. It is through this active engagement in the discipline that we are able to supply top quality teaching by experts in their field and as a result we have a 24/24 grading for our teaching from the Quality Assurance Agency.
In addition to our established palaeobotany, experimental archaeology, and microscopy laboratories, we have a new bioarchaeology lab dedicated to the study of anatomical variation, palaeopathological conditions, and the funerary context of human and animal remains. The laboratory, accompanied by a designated store for the Department's collection of human remains, provides facilities for use by researchers and students for examining skeletal remains recovered from archaeological sites. Equipment includes anatomical casts and demographic reference standards used to determine the sex, age-at-death, stature and body proportions from human remains.

Research areas

Bioarchaeological research at Exeter combines the study of archaeology with branches of the natural and physical sciences to address questions of health and well-being, diet, ecology, subsistence strategies and natural and human-induced environmental impacts in the past.

Our approach is holistic and inter-disciplinary, drawing its inspiration from both definitions of ‘bioarchaeology’: as a study applied to human remains (human osteoarchaeology) and, as originally defined by Grahame Clark, as related to the integration of environmental archaeology, floral and faunal evidence – archaeobotany and zooarchaeology – in archaeological research.
Active field research programmes in North and South America and Eurasia link with extensive laboratory research to address questions of social structure and social organisation, the process of animal and plant domestication, the development of social inequality and power relations, violence and warfare, the rise of élites and craft specialists, and division of labour.

Programme Structure

This programme includes 135 credits of compulsory modules and 45 credits of optional modules.

Pathways

The two available pathways are; Human Osteology (http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/archaeology/bioarch/humanosteology/) and Zooarchaeology
(http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/archaeology/bioarch/zooarchaeology/)

Compulsory modules

The compulsory modules for each of the pathways can include the following; Research Methods and Archaeological Theory; Musculo-skeletal Anatomy; Advanced Zooarchaeology; Advanced Human Osteology; Zooarchaeology (Masters level); Bioarchaeology Dissertation and Bioarchaeology Dissertation Zooarchaeology.

Optional modules

The following is a list of the possible optional modules; Advanced Project; Experimental Archaeology in Practice; Field Study; Landscape Archaeology: Understanding the historic environment; Material Culture; Advanced Human Osteology; ;Zooarchaeology (Masters level); Palaeobotany (Masters level); Funerary Osteoarchaeology (Masters level); Musculo-skeletal Anatomy and Researching the Historic Environment Online.

The modules listed here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. 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

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This MSc provides participants with a theoretical understanding of research questions and methodologies in the study of past human-environment interactions, including subsistence and subsistence change. The Institute of Archaeology has a long research and training tradition in environmental archaeology, and has well-established laboratory facilities and reference collections as a result.

Degree information

Students gain practical experience in laboratory analysis of at least one of either: identification of animal bones, identification of plant macro-remains, sedimentological analyses. They develop an understanding of stratigraphic formation processes and their implications for developing sampling strategies, and are trained to collect and analyse data and report scientific results.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of three core modules (45 credits), optional modules (45 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits).

Core modules - students are required to take the following:
-Environmental Archaeology in Practice
-Resources and Subsistence

Optional modules
-Archaeology of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Hunter Gatherers
-British and European Prehistory: Neolithic to Iron Age
-Funerary Archaeology
-Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age in the Near East: City-States and Empires
-The Aegean from First Farmers to Minoan States
-The Mediterranean World in the Iron Age
-The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age of the Near East: The emergence of villages and urban societies

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project, normally based on practical laboratory-based research, which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, presentations, laboratory sessions, practicals, and site and museum visits. Assessment is through the dissertation, and a combination of essays, coursework, presentations, practical examination and laboratory reports, depending on the options selected.

Careers

Some graduates of the programme go on to PhD studies but others will be well-placed to pursue a wide range of professional careers both within and beyond archaeology, including employment as environmental specialists for contract archaeology units.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Archeology in South Asia, University of Barcelona.
-Archaeological Technician, Southeast Archeological Center.
-PhD Archaeology, University of Exeter.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is the largest and most diverse department of archaeology in the UK, and provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate study.

The institute boasts a wide range of laboratory facilities relevant to this degree including dedicated laboratories for zooarchaeology (with a comparative collection of Near Eastern and European faunal remains), archaeobotany (with extensive comparative collections for seeds, wood, tubers, phytoliths and pollen); phytolith processing, sedimentology and scanning electron microscopy.

UCL is located in central London, close to the resources of the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum.

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The MSc by Research Archaeological Science programme is an exciting opportunity to develop advanced knowledge and understanding of specific areas of archaeological science by following a personalised, individual study pathway, in close collaboration with our staff. You will further your own intellectual development and enhance your independent research skills by completing a substantial archaeological research project.

It is ideal preparation for students wishing to undertake a PhD in archaeology, and follows the research model (1 year research training MA plus three years research) suggested by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. It also provides a wide range of highly sought-after skills in research, critical thinking, data analysis, and communication which will provide the foundation for a future career in archaeology and heritage, as well as many other sectors.

This course offers you the flexibility to tailor the content to reflect your personal interests and research topic. Our teaching draws on the extensive and world-leading research expertise of staff within the Department of Archaeology. We have internationally-renowned expertise in Bioarchaeology (palaeoanthropology, archaeobotany and zooarchaeology) and Archaeological Materials (ceramics, glass and metals), with staff members who work across regions and chronological periods ranging from Old-World Prehistory, to the ancient Mediterranean and the Roman world, and Medieval and Post-Medieval Europe. Students can follow a specialist pathway focusing on specific areas of environmental or materials science, gaining advanced training in practical and analytical techniques, and can combine this with an in-depth study of a specific period or region. You will undertake independent research on a topic of your choice, supervised by a member of staff, which will include a major component of primary scientific analysis of archaeological evidence.

For those in current employment, the MSc by Research can be studied over two years on a part-time basis. As teaching is largely undertaken through individual tutorials or small groups, there is a great deal of flexibility to organise your time around existing commitments.
Visit the Department of Archaeology website to explore the Department's research and teaching profile.

Key facts

The department offers excellent facilities for teaching and research, including a suite of new, fully-equipped laboratories for both bioarchaeology and archaeological materials.
The department has established a Next Generation fund, to which our postgraduate students can apply for awards to help them undertake exciting new research projects or work placements at the end of their degree. Every year we run a Next Generation Archaeology conference which our staff and students organise together.
This course is taught within a thriving department that attracts academic and research staff from around the world, and which has a friendly and vibrant atmosphere.

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You can choose between the Master's programme in Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology and the Master's programme in Prehistory and Protohistory of Northwest Europe. Both Master programmes include different tracks: a track with the name og the programme, a specialized track in Bioarchaeology and Maritime Archeology, while a third track, Arctic Archaeology can be followed under the programme Prehistory and Protohistory of Northwestern Europe. All programmes and tracks will teach you to tackle archaeological problems in a scientific way.

In the first semester, you will be introduced to the archaeological practice and its multidisciplinary character. You will discuss the role of archaeology in contemporary society and explore the relation between archaeology and politics. You will strengthen your knowledge of archaeological theories that are used in collecting and interpreting data. In addition, you will carry out research in an excavation project. If you choose the programme Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology, you will work on a project in Greece, Italy, Turkey or Egypt. Does your preference go to Prehistory and Protohistory of Northwestern Europe, then you will carry out your research at a site in that region, or in the Arctic.

In the second semester, you have to do an internship. Finally, you will finish your degree with a thesis.

Job perspectives

Thanks to the Valetta Treaty on Archaeology, the job market in the Netherlands has been strong. These opportunities have now decreased, leading to a more diverse job market, within government and semi-government agencies, tourism, journalism and private enterprises. Archaeology is traditionally strong in obtaining grants for research projects, especially PhD projects.

Job examples

- Commercial archaeological firms
- Free-lance specialist
- Musea
- State archaeological service
- Research institutes
- Cultural institutes
- PhD research

The BA and MA programmes are strongly tied to the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA), which comprises the archaeological research of the University of Groningen.

GIA research is focused on:
- Prehistoric, protohistoric and historical archaeology in the Netherlands, the Mediterranean and the Arctics.
- Bioarchaeology: archaeobotany and archaeozoology
- Material culture studies, including conservation
- Landscape archaeology, including GIS-based studies

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In this programme, you will learn to find the answer to these and other puzzles of Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology. The programme is part of the Archaeology Master programme and builds on the knowledge and skills obtained in a BA programme of Archaeology.

Within the programme three different tracks are available. These tracks have their specific core modules, but also share courses with the other tracks within our MA programme.

The tracks are:

* Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology, with core modules The Rise of Cities and States, Mediterranean Landscape Archaeology and the Archaeology of Death.

* Bioarchaeology, with a core module of the same name.

* Maritime Archaeology with a core module of the same name.

The first semester comprises one compulsory module, Archaeology Today, and two optional modules (The Rise of Cities and States, and Mediterranean Landscape Archaeology). In the second semester you can follow two optional modules (Archaeology of Death, Advanced GIS course), or do an internship. The final stage of the MA programme is a thesis.

Why in Groningen?

- flexible structure
- all courses are taught in English
- attention to both theory and practice
- large international research projects in Italy, Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq
- unique archaeobotanical and archaeozoological reference collections
- GIS and Material Culture laboratories
- close connections with Ancient History, Classics and Religious Studies
- close connections with Centre for Isotopes Research and Biology
- very low tuition fees
- a student friendly city

Job perspectives

The job opportunities for archaeologists in Europe are good. Because of the Valleta Treaty, all spatial planning projects have to take archaeological heritage into account. This has increased the work possibilities at consultancy and governmental agencies. It is also possible to find a position in the museum world or become an academic researcher.

The BA and MA programmes are strongly tied to the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA), which comprises the archaeological research of the University of Groningen.

GIA research is focused on:
- Prehistoric, protohistoric and historical archaeology in the Netherlands, the Mediterranean and the Arctics.
- Bioarchaeology: archaeobotany and archaeozoology
- Material culture studies, including conservation
- Landscape archaeology, including GIS-based studies

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Students in this programme are trained to research these type of questions.

This programme is part of the Master programme of Archaeology and builds on the knowledge and skills obtained in a BA programme of Archaeology.

Within the programme four different tracks are available. These tracks have their specific core modules, but also share courses with the other tracks within our MA programme.

The track are:
- Prehistory and Protohistory in northwest Europe, with core modules Prehistoric Cultural Landscapes and Terp-mound Archaeology
- Bioarchaeology, with a core module of the same name
- Maritime Archaeology with a core module of the same name
- Arctic Archaeology, with the core module Sustainability at the Polar Regions

The first semester comprises one compulsory module, Archaeology Today, and two of the other modules named here. In the second semester there is the opportunity to do an internship or an advances GIS course. The final stage of the MA programme is a thesis.

Why in Groningen?

- flexible structure
- unique archaeobotanical and archaeozoological reference collections
- GIS and Material Culture laboratories
- all courses are taught in English
- close connections with Centre for Isotopes Research and Biology
- very low tuition fees
- a student friendly city

Job perspectives

Thanks to the Valetta Treaty on Archaeology, the job market in the Netherlands has been strong. These opportunities have now decreased, leading to a more diverse job market, within government and semi-government agencies, tourism, journalism and private enterprises. Archaeology is traditionally strong in obtaining grants for research projects, especially PhD projects.

The BA and MA programmes are strongly tied to the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA), which comprises the archaeological research of the University of Groningen.

GIA research is focused on:
- Prehistoric, protohistoric and historical archaeology in the Netherlands, the Mediterranean and the Arctics.
- Bioarchaeology: archaeobotany and archaeozoology
- Material culture studies, including conservation
- Landscape archaeology, including GIS-based studies

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• Prepare for a career in bioarchaeological research, the commercial sector or heritage management
• Focus on issues such as gender and the life course, childhood, migration, diet and health
• Join a world-leading Department with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research
• Benefit from dedicated laboratories and state-of-the-art facilities

What will you study?

Compulsory modules include:

• Dissertation
• issue and Debates in Bioarchaeology
• Research Skills and Career Learning

Optional modules include:

Bioarchaeology 

• Human Bioarchaeology 
• Food and Culture
• Zooarchaeology 
• Applications of Micromorphological Analysis 
• Vegetation History and Archaeobotany
• Climate Change and Human Communities
• Our Closest Cousins? Archaeology of the Neanderthals 
• Theoretical Approaches in Archaeology 

Medieval Archaeology 

• Viking Interactions in the West 
• Colonisation and Cultural Transformation: the archaeology of crusading 
• The Medieval Landscape 
• Analysing the Medieval Townscape 
• Theoretical Approaches in Archaeology

Old World Archaeology 

• Interpreting Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain 
• Themes and Approaches in the Study of Mesopotamia 
• Material Cultures and Identities in the Roman Empire 
• The Archaeology of Money: Coins, Power and Society 

Placement and Career 

• Archaeological Graphics 
• Research and Enterprise Placement 
• Research and Enterprise Micro-Placement 
• Management of Heritage Assets 
• Quantitative Methods 

Please see our modules outline for further information.

Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.

What career can you have?

Our graduates go on to full-time employment within archaeology and related consultancies or units, museums and government agencies. Up to one third continue their academic career through doctoral research. In recent years, graduates have been successful in obtaining appointments with heritage agencies (Historic England, National Trust) and universities, including Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter and Newcastle.

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The Research Master’s programme in Archaeology is the most diverse in the Netherlands. Benefit from our extensive experience and reputation in archaeological research.

Choose Archaeology at Leiden University:

Our research master's programme offers interesting regional and thematic specialisation possibilities. It stimulates extra-talented and motivated students by exposing them to cutting edge research and making them part of it.

The programme helps you to find your own place in the wide world of archaeological careers, and equips you with all the 21st century professional and transferable skills you need.

Our research facilities and labs, field schools and excavation projects, experimental archaeology projects and the national research schools (ARCHON, OIKOS) offer excellent opportunities for every prospective researcher.

Research possibilities in 2018-2019:

Human Origins

Australopithecus africanus, one of our many ancestors

Interdisciplinary studies of the human past

This programme provides an in-depth interdisciplinary introduction in the European Palaeolithic record and its wider setting, from the Early Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene.

• Study the archaeology of Prehistoric hunter-gatherers, from the earliest stone tools in East Africa, 2.6 million years old, to the end of the last ice age.
• Focus on Neanderthal behaviour, and explore research questions, methods of analysis and theoretical perspectives in Palaeolithic archaeology.

Prehistoric Farming Communities

A view of past communities

The programme aims to develop a detailed and coherent view of past communities.

• Focus on the later prehistory of Europe, especially on communities bordering the North Sea (Scandinavia, the Low Countries, France, Great Britain and Ireland).
• Explore research topics such as Beaker cultures and settlements of the Bronze and Iron Ages, cultural identity, and burial ritual and (selective) deposition.

Town and Country in the Mediterranean Region and the Near East

The cradle of civilisation

This programme focuses on a region that has enormous culture-historical significance, and is a cradle of civilisation from Prehistory up to the Early Medieval period.

• Study various key developments, such as the origins of farming and sedentary life, as well as the emergence of complex urbanised societies and writing, as they occurred first in this region and spread subsequently.
• Participate in current research projects. These projects focus on the Near East (modern Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey) and Egypt, as well as the Mediterranean.

Religion and Society in Native American Cultures

Leiden Archaeology researchers used high-tech imaging to reveal rare precolonial Mexican manuscript hidden from view for 500 years

Study the past in connection to the present

The programme offers an interdisciplinary context, where archaeology, anthropology, sciences, history, linguistics, landscape and heritage studies come together.

• Gain a broad knowledge of and deep insight into Native American cultural history, focusing on the relationships between religious worldview and social agency.
• Participate in field schools related to long-term research projects, such as excavations in the Caribbean or Nicaragua,including studies of material culture and physical anthropology.

Bioarchaeology

Fragments of a sabre-toothed cat skull where recenty excavated

Combine archaeology with hard science

Discover our four research disciplines, together covering an extensive geographical area and time range.

• Opt for Archaeobotany and investigate changes in vegetation and environment during the past 2.6 million years, as well as the taphonomy of plant macrofossils in lacustrine and fluvial depositional settings.
• Focus on Archaeo/Palaeozoology and dive into Eurasia in the period from the Early Pleistocene to the Holocene. Biostratigraphical studies, palaeo-ecological studies, as well as taphonomical studies are carried out.
• Study Human Osteoarchaeology and analyse human remains from international archaeology contexts as well as behavioural and social facets of mortuary practices in past societies.
• Explore Isope Archaeology and work on the analysis and interpretation of stable isotopes of human and faunal remains from archaeological contexts. Learn how to carry out dating projects, including radiocarbon dating as well as other dating methods.

Archaeological Heritage in a Globalising World

A new and exciting interdisciplinary approach

The programme focuses on the role of the past in the present. Explore the various aspects of recent developments in international politics, cultural tourism, the use of social media, and the revitalisation of local traditions and regional identities.

• Develop the practical skills to translate academic research and social knowledge into strategies for heritage management, and pursue individual initiatives.
• Benefit from our close association with the Center for Global Heritage and Development, an interdisciplinary cooperation between three high-ranking universities: Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Delft Technical University. This allows for a partnership between archaeology, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences.

The Transformation of the Roman World

Europe on the starting blocks

This programme offers an introduction to advanced studies of Europe and the Mediterranean in Late Roman and Post-Roman times (c. 300-900 AD).

• Analyse the economic recovery of North-Western Europe in Merovingian and Carolingian times, exchange networks in the Mediterranean, and agrarian innovation and water management in Jordan.
• Study burial sites, the fate of Roman towns in the early Middle Ages, and centres of Christianity.

Master of Arts or Master of Science

Students who choose the Bioarchaeology track receive a Master of Science degree in Archaeology. For the other research tracks you receive a Master of Arts degree in Archaeology.

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