The University of Sheffield
Prospective Postgraduates

MA Archaeology

Margaret James - postgraduate student in Department of Archaeology

Key facts

  • Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities
  • 1 year full-time/2 years part-time

Fees and funding

If you're going on to a PhD, you may be eligible for the Ian Sanders Occasional Postgraduate Bursary, worth between £500 and £1,000.

You may be eligible to apply for AHRC and University of Sheffield studentships. If you're considering applying for funding, we recommend you contact us as soon as possible.

Financial information for postgraduate taught courses

Entry requirements

First or 2:1 honours degree in any subject.

English language requirements: overall IELTS grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

Entry requirements for international students

Any questions?

If you'd like to know more about any aspect of our courses, contact us:

E: archaeology@sheffield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)114 222 2900

Apply now

About the course

Advanced study of archaeology, from the first principles. If your first degree is in another subject, this is an excellent conversion course, preparing you for specialised research at PhD level.

Core modules

  • Reinventing Archaeology
  • Research Methods in Archaeology: from field to assemblage
  • Research Design: planning, execution and presentation
  • Dissertation in Archaeology or Fieldwork Placement in Archaeology

Optional modules

Choose five from a range. Examples include:

  • Death and Burial in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval England
  • Funerary Archaeology
  • The Archaeology of Neolithic and Bronze- Age Britain
  • The Archaeology of Classical Athens
  • The Archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean
  • The Archaeology of the Palaeolithic
  • Biomolecular Archaeology
  • Introduction to Human Osteology
  • Viking- Age Europe
  • Wars of the Roses to Elizabeth: The Archaeology of England 1455–1603

Teaching

  • Seminars
  • Lectures
  • Projects

Assessment

  • Coursework assignments
  • Dissertation

Part-time study

This course can be taken full-time or part-time. If you choose to study part-time, you'll take two 15 credit modules in each semester during Year 1 and Year 2, and undertake either a dissertation or placement module over the summer of Year 2.

We will arrange for part-time students to attend two days per week but we try to be as flexible as possible to meet your needs.

Your future

This course is excellent preparation for a PhD and a research career. It has an optional vocational track, designed to prepare you for specific types of jobs.

Sheffield graduates hold archaeological posts in Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia. They use their expertise in universities, museums, archaeological consultancies, heritage parks and government. Jobs include Historic Buildings Projects Officer, Commercial Field Archaeologist and Postdoctoral Researcher.

World-leading expertise

Our track record is excellent – we've made the UK top ten for archaeology research in every national assessment since 1992. Our teaching benefits from this strength in research. As a masters student you learn from the best.

The foundations of great teaching

Our research is organised into four areas: bioarchaeology and human evolution, landscapes and environments, material culture and technologies, and Old World archaeology.

There are several specialised research centres here: Sheffield Centre for Aegean Archaeology; Sheffield Centre for Archaeobotany and Ancient Land-Use; Sheffield Centre for Historical Archaeology; Zooarchaeology Laboratory. Their projects, conferences and seminars all add to the quality of your course.

Specialist facilities

You'll have everything you need to explore your ideas. We have a complex of laboratories, imaging and GIS resources and storage facilities.

There are labs for research and teaching in environmental archaeology, human and animal skeletal analysis, landscape and aerial archaeology, and materials sciences.

Global fieldwork

We offer the opportunity for you to get involved in our research projects in the UK, mainland Europe, Asia and Africa.

Apply now

You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It is a quick and easy process.

Postgraduate Online Application Form