Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Ancient Egyptian Culture at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).
The MA in Ancient Egyptian Culture is a distinct programme focussing on ancient Egyptian history, language and material culture offered by specialist international researchers.
Egyptology at Swansea University enjoys an invaluable asset in its purpose-built Egypt Centre, which houses about 3,000 objects from Ancient Egypt. This impressive and important collection from Ancient Egypt illustrates more than 4,000 years of human development from the prehistoric to the early Christian era and plays an integral role in our teaching.
The University Library is particularly well stocked with original texts, literary and documentary, with basic works of reference and with secondary material of all kinds. It subscribes to a wide range of general and specialist periodicals.
Online access to external bibliographies and citation indexes is available. Resources include JSTOR Dyabola, TLG, Patrologia Latina and Teubner Latin texts online, and the Gnomon database.
Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology also has a thriving postgraduate seminar, which meets weekly.
Students of the MA Ancient Egyptian Culture can take advantage of the College of Arts and Humanities' Graduate Centre which fosters and supports individual and collaborative research activity of international excellence and offers a vibrant and supportive environment for students pursuing postgraduate research and taught masters study. The Centre provides postgraduate training to enhance academic and professional development and facilitates participation in seminar programmes, workshops and international conferences.
Modules on the MA Ancient Egyptian Culture course typically include:
• Understanding Ancient Egyptian Culture
• Reaching the Public: Museums and Object-Handling
• Reading Academic German
• Middle Egyptian I
• Advanced Egyptian language modules
• Private Life in Ancient Egypt
• The Reign of Ramesses III
The full-time Ancient Egyptian Culture course structure is split across the year with three modules offered in each academic semester (a total of six modules in part one) and then a dissertation over the summer (part two). Students study three compulsory modules and three optional modules. The dissertation component is written on a specialist research topic of your choosing.
Part-time students of the Ancient Egyptian Culture course normally take one compulsory and two optional modules in the first and second years and write their dissertation in the third year.
“I completed the Masters program in Ancient Egyptian Culture at Swansea University. During my time in the program, I was taught by experts in the field and I was encouraged to attend many conferences where I met other Egyptologists. I was also given the fantastic opportunity to do research at the British Museum for my Masters dissertation which involved working with a Nubian skeletal collection, thought to be the world’s first evidence of warfare (circa 12,000 BC). As a result of this research, I was offered two internships at the museum and I plan on applying for a PhD in Physical Anthropology in the near future. I have no doubt that I am well equipped to find a position in this field because of the excellent education and opportunities made available to me through the Masters program at Swansea University”.
Casey Kirkpatrick
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.
Our 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 depending which pathway they choose to follow.
The three available Bioarchaeology pathways are:
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 programme acquire the skills necessary to continue into academic research or employment, as an osteologist in field units, museums or CRM companies.
It allows you to specialise in one of two named pathways: Human Osteology (physical anthropology and funerary archaeology) or Zooarchaeology (animal bones and other faunal remains).
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.
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.
This programme includes 135 credits of compulsory modules and 45 credits of optional modules.
The compulsory modules for each of the pathways can include the following;
The following is a list of the possible optional modules;
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
Taught by internationally recognised experts active at the science/policy interface, this interdisciplinary programme examines both scientific and policy-oriented aspects of conservation. Teaching covers the breadth of this important field, examining how conservation goals may be achieved under climate change scenarios, in combination with food security requirements, while taking social justice issues into account. The breadth of the degree gives flexibility to pursue those areas most relevant to your professional development and contains a significant research component supported by leading researchers.
The degree is designed to offer you considerable scope to tailor your studies to focus on the topics you wish to pursue. Integral to the whole programme is extensive liaison with conservation practitioners from a wide range of collaborating governmental and non-governmental organisations (e.g., Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society, Natural England), as well as a broad suite of international organisations (e.g., Kenya Wildlife Service, Solio Ranch, Wildlife Direct. Key individuals from some of these organisations contribute to classes and field visits and a number of our project students will be placed with such organisations.
A special feature of the programme is the Kenya field course, which includes visits to some of East Africa’s most famous conservation areas, as well as in-depth discussions with a wide range of stakeholders about synergies and trade-offs between conservation and development. The trip provides you with opportunities to see first-hand how conservation science operates within particular policy contexts. Travel and subsistence costs for this part of the programme are included in the programme fee.
This Masters is based on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall—an exceptional place in which to study issues related to the environment and sustainability. The duchy is a living laboratory offering a diverse range of marine and terrestrial habitats, a wealth of natural resources, and creative and resilient communities.
The Penryn Campus is home to the University's Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI http://www.exeter.ac.uk/esi/) – a £30 million centre leading cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research into solutions to problems of environmental change and enhancing people’s lives by improving their relationship with the environment. As a student on the MSc Conservation Science and Policy you will benefit from the ESI’s interdisciplinary approach to conservation science and policy and will have the unique opportunity to work on real world scenarios and problem solving in this area. You will be able to take advantage of a wide range of opportunities to engage with local, national and international experts through ESI events, guest lectures and research projects.
The census research projects will see you spending a considerable amount of time in the field collecting data at several key research sites in West Cornwall and interacting with local NGOs (Cornwall Wildlife Trust, South West Lakes Trust).
This programme includes a two week field course in Kenya and will include visits to some of Africa’s largest and most important game reserves, as well as an introduction to some of the day-to-day problems faced by conservation biologists in developing nations. You will study the behaviour of animals in a natural ecological setting with a focus on large mammals, birds and insects. Travel and subsistence costs for this part of the programme are included in the programme fee.
Find out more about our field course modules at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/biosciences/fieldwork/. You can also keep up to date and share the experiences of our students in the field on our Field Course Fortnight website at http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/fieldcourses/.
The taught component of this programme is delivered in the first five months, during which time you will be encouraged to develop your census research projects. The rest of the academic year is dedicated to these projects.
This Programme is modular and consists of four compulsory modules and 2-3 optional modules.
The compulsory modules can include;
Examples of the optional modules can include;
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.
The MSc Forensic Genetics and Human Identification is a comprehensive course on Human Identification and Mass Fatality Incident Analysis incorporating the full methodological repertoire of Forensic Genetics and DNA analysis, Physical Anthropology, Crime Scene Investigation and Human Identification based on biometric assessment of a variety of physical characteristics.
Intensive Course Program
We deliver our masters programmes in two semesters of taught subject materials, followed by a full-time intensive research project over the summer.
Throughout the taught section of the program, current and advanced topics in Human Identification are taught by forensic scientists and practitioners in comprehensive lecture series. Lecture topics are discussed in seminars and reinforced in practical teaching sessions.
During our methods units, students learn advanced research techniques and topic related professional skills.
Subsequently, students carry out their independent research project (in one of the featured subjects) in collaboration with a member of the Forensic Science department, based upon a comprehensive literature review and project design.
The ten week full-time research project is accompanied by training in scientific writing, project design and oral presentation skills.
Student Services and Guidance
A two week orientation prior to the programme provides assistance and advice for managing the day to day life and familiarisation with the university facilities. The School of Applied Sciences also provides an optional one week transition program for international students.
Our student support offices, and International Centre provide comprehensive support throughout the entire course of study.
Postgraduate Bursaries:
If you commenced undergraduate study at any University in 2012 you may be eligible for a £10,000 bursary
The Masters in Forensic Genetics and Human Identification is a comprehensive course on Human Identification and Mass Fatality Incident Analysis incorporating the full methodological repertoire of Forensic Genetics and DNA Analysis, Physical Anthropology and Human Identification based on biometric assessment of physical characteristics incorporated with advanced research techniques and associated professional skills.
With reference to its structure and combination of key topics, this course is quite unique in the national as well as international market, while being designed to generate a postgraduate level of competence in an important as well as exciting area of Forensic Science.
This course will be good preparation for graduates looking for a career in the disaster victim identification/ mass disaster victim identification areas
This is a new award and does not have accreditation. We will be seeking accreditation by an appropriate professional body in the near future.
