MA Material Culture Studies

About the course

Material culture is at the heart of archaeology. Learn by doing with this course's hands-on approach. It's excellent preparation for a career in research, or you could take the vocational track, which prepares you for work as a materials specialist in professional archaeology.

Core modules

• Archaeology and Ethnography of Production and Consumption
• Assemblage Study; Introduction to Material Culture Studies
• Reconstructing Ancient Technologies: Ceramics
• Reconstructing Ancient Technologies: Vitreous Materials
• Reconstructing Ancient Technologies: Metals
• Dissertation in Material Culture Studies or Fieldwork Placement in Material Culture Studies.

Optional modules

Choose four from: 

• Funerary Archaeology; Greeks, Romans and ‘Others’ in the Ancient World
• The Archaeology of Neolithic and Bronze-Age Britain;
• The Archaeology of Classical Athens
• Viking-Age Europe
• Ethnicity and Identity in the Early Middle-Ages
• Society and Culture in the Later Middle Ages
• War 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 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.

Your future

This course is excellent preparation for a PhD and a research career.

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