Archaeology

The MSt in Archaeology provides an opportunity for you to build on your knowledge from undergraduate studies in archaeology, or to branch out into new areas of interest. The flexible courses allow you to put together a programme which suits your particular needs.

Flexibility is built into the MSt Archaeology degree to allow you to create your own unique courses that reflect your chosen area of study. You will take one of a range of core papers and an option paper and write a dissertation in a third subject, in a combination specific to your interests during the academic year. Most students choose to follow one of a number of streams, although this is not a formal requirement, including the archaeology of northern Eurasia, and environmental, European, maritime or Palaeolithic archaeology. If you are seeking a broader course then you may, if you wish, select one subject from among those offered in a number of cognate disciplines.  

You will have a supervisor in your main area of interest, who will usually supervise your dissertation and may provide some other teaching, and will advise on option choices and monitor overall progress. Each member of the academic staff in archaeology offers at least one different subject in his or her areas of specialism over the year, but not all courses listed will be available every year. 

Teaching is mainly through small-group tutorials or classes of one to five students, for which you will usually prepare short essays on a weekly basis, supplemented by a wide range of lecture courses and graduate seminars. The option is examined by a pair of pre-set essays, while the core paper is assessed by written three-hour examination at the end of the final term.

The dissertation of up to 10,000 words is the result of an individual research project and forms the assessment for one subject, submitted in the final term. It is on an approved topic relevant to the subject selected. There may be a viva voce examination for the whole course.

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in a relevant subject.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.

However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.7 or above, a first-class degree or the equivalent.

Professional experience in archaeology may be taken into account.

If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your qualifications match these requirements, you can contact the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC).

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Personal statement: 300 words
• Written work: Two essays of 2,500 words each
• References/letters of recommendation: Three overall, all of which must be academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Higher level

• Global Education
• Hill Foundation Scholarships