Osteoarchaeology

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 in any subject plus English Language GCSE grade C or above.

Months of entry

September

Course content

About the course

This programme combines the study of human and animal bones from archaeological sites, generally known as ‘human osteology’ and ‘zooarchaeology’ or ‘archaeozoology’. Teaching is centred on the explanation of methods and approaches that can be used to address many different types of archaeological questions, regardless of the period or geographic area. Students play an active part in the shaping of their own programme of study and have the opportunity to develop their own original research.

Your future

Each of our masters courses is designed to equip you with valuable employment skills and prepare you for your future career. If you’re seeking to move into an archaeology-related field from a different academic or employment background, our courses and supportive staff will help you to realise your ambitions and develop professionally.

Graduates from our MA and MSc courses successfully compete for some of the most sought-after archaeological posts in the world. Our courses help students to develop essential transferable skills, and upon graduation they are also in demand by a wide variety of employers outside of the sector.Many of our graduates decide to continue their studies, carrying out doctoral research in their chosen specialist field, equipped with a solid theoretical and practical grounding from which to develop their research.

World-leading expertise

The character and strength of research carried out by Sheffield’s Archaeology department is captured under the following broad themes. These reflect the range of our research and its cross-disciplinary, embedded nature:

• Funerary Archaeology
• Landscape Archaeology
• Bioarchaeology
• Medieval Archaeology
• Cultural Materials
• Mediterranean Archaeology

Specialist facilities

The Archaeology department is situated on the edge of the main campus, near to Sheffield’s city centre. The department houses world-class reference collections and facilities to support teaching, learning and research in a range of archaeological disciplines. Facilities include specialist lab space dedicated to teaching and research, dedicated study spaces, and a student common room.

Fieldwork opportunities

We offer you the opportunity to get involved in our research projects in the UK, Europe and further afield.

How we will teach and assess you

Our students come from all around the world and the content of our courses reflects this. You can expect a balanced timetable of lectures, seminars and practicals. Many of our masters courses also include a fieldwork or project work component. Our teaching staff are leading scholars in their field. Through their research and field projects they are active in generating new knowledge that feeds directly into their teaching.

Funding, scholarships and bursaries

If you accept a place on one of our courses, you may be eligible to apply for WRoCAH and University of Sheffield studentships. There are also a number of departmental and programme-specific scholarships available each year. See our website for details.

Part-time study

All of our postgraduate taught programmes can be taken either as an intensive one-year course or as a two-year part-time course with the exception of MA Cultural Heritage Management which is full-time only.

Core modules

Advanced Zooarchaeology; The History of the Human Animal Relationship; Zooarchaeological Assemblage Analysis; Archaeozoology; Biological Anthropology I; Biological Anthropology II; Human Osteology; Dissertation in either Human Osteoarchaeology or Zooarchaeology.

Indicative optional modules

A 15 credit module can be selected from a range across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Information for international students

Overall IELTS grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

Fees and funding

If you accept a place on one of our courses, you may be eligible to apply for WRoCAH and University of Sheffield studentships. If you’re considering applying for funding, we recommend you contact us as soon as possible.

Qualification and course duration

MSc