Research degrees

Our department is home to a thriving graduate research community, with students investigating a diverse array of topics, from human origins to the industrial revolution. We are a large department and can offer research supervision in all areas of archaeology and archaeological science.

You can undertake a research degree around the following broad clusters:

• Human, Plant and Animal Populations
• Archaeomaterials and Ancient Technologies
• Landscapes and Environments
• Political, Social and Economic Diversity

Entry requirements

You should have a Masters qualification in a relevant subject area.
Non-native English speakers will also need to provide evidence of their English language ability.

MPhil and PhD

Our degrees will help you develop your research skills and add to existing knowledge, becoming an expert in your chosen discipline. Your completed PhD will form an original piece of research, which makes a significant contribution to scholarly debates.

You’ll enrol onto the MPhil initially and, subject to satisfactory progress, take an upgrade exam at the end of their first year to progress on to a PhD. However, if you decide not to progress to a PhD, you can choose to complete the MPhil instead.

MPhil

Typical duration:

• Full-time: two years
• Part-time: four years

You’ll complete a thesis (40,000 words) on a research topic of your choice and attend an oral exam.

PhD

Typical duration:

• Full-time: three years
• Part-time: six years

You’ll complete a thesis (75,000 words) on a research topic of your choice and attend a viva meeting.

Supervision and support

Depending on the precise nature and scope of your research you may be assigned to one or two academic supervisors whose research interests are closely related to your own. They will guide you throughout your research project and help you assess your progress through scheduled meetings.

Graduate School

The Graduate School provides a physical focus for our graduate research community. There are dedicated working spaces, with computing facilities and connection to a wireless network. In addition there are social facilities.

Next steps

For general advice about research degrees at Sheffield before you submit your application, please contact the Graduate School. We are happy to help you formulate your research proposal once you’ve written a clear project outline.

Find a potential supervisor whose research interests are closely matched to your proposed project
Browse our staff profiles and research section to find out more about our research activities and projects.

Apply for a place; you’ll need to provide us with a reasonably detailed account of your proposed research at this stage.