European Historical Archaeology - MA

About the course

1 year full time/2 years part time

A unique focus on the archaeology of literate societies, with an emphasis on the classical and medieval worlds. The course provides you with experience in European historical archaeology and develops your ability to integrate textual, artefactual and scientific evidence.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 honours degree in a relevant subject such as archaeology, history, classics, science or anthropology.

English language requirements for overseas students

IELTS 6.0 (with no less than 5.5 in each part), or TOEFL 87 (IBT), or equivalent.

Entry requirements for international students 

Core modules

• Death and Commemoration from Antiquity to the Modern World
• Literacy and Textual Analysis
• Method and Theory in Historical Archaeology I
• Method and Theory in Historical Archaeology II
• Either:
• From the Age of Migrations to the Age of Discovery or Greeks or
• Romans and ‘Others’ in the Ancient World
• Dissertation in European Historical Archaeology

Optional modules

• Choose three from a range including:
• Archaeological Practice
• Archaeology and Texts in the Aegean
• Biological Anthropology
• Death and Burial in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval England
• Historical Archaeology of the Modern World AD 1700–2000
• Landscapes in Contemporary Perspective
• Mediterranean Landscapes
• Method and Theory in Archaeobotany
• Method and Theory in Archaeozoology
• Roman Italy and its Hinterland
• The Archaeology and History of the British Isles, AD 400–1000
• The Archaeology of Classical Athens

Teaching

• Seminars
• Lectures
• Practical classes
• Projects

Assessment

• Coursework assignments
• Dissertation

Fees and funding

If you accept a place, you may be eligible for the Ian Sanders Occasional Postgraduate Bursary, worth between £500 and £1,000.

You may qualify 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

Part time study

All of our masters (with the exception of MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology) 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.

Any questions?

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

Kathryn Goldsack
T: +44 (0)114 222 5104
E: k.goldsack@sheffield.ac.uk

Your future

This course is excellent preparation for a PhD and a research career.
Some of our courses have an optional vocational track, designed to prepare you for specific types of jobs. Many of our graduates use their expertise in universities, museums, archaeological consultancies, heritage parks and government.

Specialising in something you love doesn’t mean narrowing your career options. Many of our students put their transferable skills to good use in law, banking, information technology, local government, teaching, the creative arts, the media and the charity sector.

World-leading expertise

You'll be joining a department that nurtures leaders, not followers. Our track record is excellent – in every national assessment since 1992 we’ve made the UK top ten for archaeology research. This strength in research feeds directly into our teaching, so as a masters student you learn from the best.

The foundations of great teaching

The research that underpins our teaching 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.

Specialising in something you love doesn't mean narrowing your career options.

Specialist facilities

We make sure you 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, dendrochronology and materials sciences.

Global fieldwork

You'll also have the opportunity 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