Study Details: MA 1 year full-time,
2 years part-time,
3 years part-time
Explore key topics such as technology, consumption practices, death and burial, plants and animals, and settlement, drawing on the research carried out in a globally renowned centre for mesolithic studies.
This course provides an important overview of the European Mesolithic, exploring the ways in which the period has been interpreted from the 19th century up to the present day. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research on several Mesolithic excavation projects, including nearby Star Carr, site of the oldest house and oldest carpentry in Europe; Howick in Northumberland; and coastal shell middens in Europe.
The lack of research in this area means that there is a huge amount waiting to be discovered, and you could find yourself becoming a leading specialist in the field and getting involved with pioneering projects and research. You’ll even have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of experimental archaeology in our Mesolithic camp. You’ll also learn about cutting-edge techniques, such as ancient DNA and stable isotope analysis and climate-change reconstruction.
2:2 or equivalent in Archaeology, Anthropology, Biology or a relevant subject.
Mature students or those with less conventional qualifications but with relevant work experience will also be considered. If you are uncertain whether your qualifications or experience are appropriate, please contact the Course Director for more information.
For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more
Many course graduates go on to further specialist research at PhD level, many of which have been funded, and then pursue careers in academia. Others have gone into a range of careers, from teaching and digital archiving to commercial archaeology work and wilderness training. You’ll also develop transferable skills that are applicable to a multitude of careers beyond archaeology and heritage.
Core modules
Your core modules will cover topics such as:
Mesolithic Life and Death
Prehistoric Art: Origins and Transitions
Option modules
You will choose three option modules from examples including:
Becoming Human
Debates in Funerary Archaeology
Experimental Archaeology
GIS and spatial analysis
Virtual Reality and 3D Modelling
You'll also have the opportunity to choose options from our full module catalogue:
Ancient Biomolecules
Animal Bones for Archaeologists
Archaeologies of Colonialism in the British Atlantic World
Artefacts and Materials Analysis
Building Conservation Projects
Buildings Recording
Contemporary Issues in Museums
Critical Approaches to Archaeological Practice
Data Science for Archaeology
Death, Burial and Commemoration in the Roman World
Digital Approaches to Archaeology
Digital Creativity
Heritage Principles and Concepts
Histories of Conservation
Landscape Survey and Geophysics
Life and Death in Iron Age Britain and Ireland
Making the Nation
Medieval Settlement and Communities
Museums, Audiences & Interpretation
Presenting Historic Houses
Project Management
Researching & Analysing Historic Buildings
Roman Europe
Roman Archaeology: Ancient pasts, current issues
Skeletal Evidence for Health in the Past
Sustainability I: definitions of sustainability & methods of assessment
Sustainability II: understanding sustainability as change through time
Sustainable Buildings
Sustainable Conservation Challenges
The Ancient Celts: Archaeology and Identity in Iron Age Europe
The Archaeology of the Human Skeleton
The Archaeology of Roman Religion
The Viking Age: People, Places, Things
Thinking through Material Culture
Understanding & Interpreting Historic Buildings
Zooarchaeology in Context
Some option modules combinations may not be possible. The option available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
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