Master of Science in Archaeology

at University of Southampton - Avenue Campus United Kingdom

Explore the evolution, biology and behaviour of humankind through the study of our Stone Age ancestors. With this specialist master’s in palaeoanthropology you’ll gain expertise in the analysis of stone tools and hominin skulls to understand our evolutionary journey. You’ll work closely with experts in our Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins (CAHO) and benefit from opportunities to apply your learning in real-world settings.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019).

Your specialist palaeoanthropology learning will cover:

• handling and interpreting stone tools
• the role of evolutionary models, experimental testing, primatological data and ethnographies in the study of human origins
• developing methods to interrogate meaning from collections of stone tools
• using SPSS statistical analysis software

Palaeolithic symbolism and language, migration and responses to environmental change
Beyond your specialist modules you can personalise this palaeonthropology MSc to your areas of interest.

We bring expertise together from across the University, including Medicine, Humanities, the National Oceanography Centre, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to help you gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding through a range of optional modules.

This is a very practical degree, but you don’t need prior knowledge of biology or anthropology. You’ll be based in our dedicated John Wymer Laboratory, with its own specialist library and large collection of stone tools and hominin skulls. Staff, PhD students and MSc students work in the same space, creating a lively learning environment. As a student on this course you automatically become a member of the CAHO research group.

You’ll have the opportunity to apply your skills on a 4-week placement, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

This  Palaeoanthropology course offers a balance between vocational and research skills. During your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to do original research on a topic of that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the Globe.

If you’d prefer a less specialised archaeology master’s degree, or you’d like to focus on a different specialism, you can choose from our 3 other Archaeology MSc pathways. When you join us you’ll have 2 weeks in which you can change pathway if you wish.

Enhance your knowledge of history and literature in English by studying them together on this English and History degree. You could study the novels of Jane Austen alongside the history of the naval wars at the time she wrote. Or, you could study African literature to gain a different perspective on the history of the modern city.

History at Southampton covers the ancient world to the present day. Our English modules explore writing from around the world and its connection to politics, the arts, identity and more.

With our advice you can shape your degree to suit your own development. For example, you can:

• Learn to write screenplays
• Study Victorian sensation fiction
• Take several modules on the history and literature of oceans

Your studies will include critical analysis, presentations and group work. These will help you develop your conceptual thinking, communication and research skills.

As part of this course you can:

• Join one of 40 student-led performing arts groups
• Take part in writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
• Access a unique collection of rare books at the Chawton House Library
• Learn a modern language at any level
• Explore experimental writing with our Entropics events
• Get one-to-one tutorials on writing from our Royal Literary Fund Fellows

You can deepen your links to our History community by:

• Joining the dynamic, student-run History Society
• Use one of the largest Jewish document centres in Europe, the Parkes Archive

Develop strong language skills on this Spanish and Portuguese degree and gain a deep understanding of both cultures. You'll improve your fluency and employability skills by spending a year living and working abroad.

We'll make sure you start at a level that matches your ability in written and spoken Spanish and Portuguese. This means, if you’re a strong student, you can start one of these languages from scratch - and make rapid progress in both.

You'll have excellent resources to support you. The Centre for Language Study at Southampton has everything you need.

You can tailor your degree to areas that interest you. These might include:

• Taking a third language
• Choosing modules from other subject areas
• Exploring more about Spanish or Portuguese linguistics, history and culture

In your year abroad you could choose to go to Spain, France, Switzerland or Latin America - we have links in Chile, Colombia and Mexico. Through our innovative scheme in Mexico, developed in partnership with the Mexican Education Ministry, you could work as a Language Resources Assistant in a University.

From the Aztecs and Mayans to Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the medieval world, you'll study the story of human activity and the origins of civilisation. A BA in archaeology explores how human societies came into being, how and why they changed over time, and the underlying reasons for human diversity today.

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its material remains. Our archaeology bachelor degree teaches you transferable skills through exploring questions about people in the past and in the present. You'll learn in the laboratory, the library or in the field and develop the skills needed to explore contested narratives.

You'll have the opportunity to experience fieldwork, including at least 3 weeks as part of an active research project. This is usually done during the summer period, and may be in the UK or overseas, preparing you for a career as an archaeologist.

BA Archaeology covers a wide range of world archaeology. You can study topics such as:

• Excavation and field survey techniques
• Underwater archaeology
• Artefacts analysis
• Medieval archaeology
• Museums, heritage and public archaeology

Archaeology combines the humanities and the sciences, working with historical texts and artefacts. You'll develop a range of transferable skills, including:

• Evidence-based reasoning
• Problem-solving
• Project management

This archaeology BA degree gives you the opportunity to study a minor subject alongside your main programme.

We’re also offering up to 10 bursaries of £1000 each to incoming students (subject to criteria). These are from the Terry Mason Bursary and the University of Southampton Archaeology Bursary Fund.

Modern History at Southampton challenges you to critically interpret histories of societies. The study of politics encourages you to explore people’s organisation and behaviour.

You'll spend your third year at a partner university. You can choose from locations in Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea or Australia.

On this course you can:

• Study the modern history of an extraordinary range of places, from Western Europe and the Americas, to Africa and South Asia
• Examine the rare artefacts from the university’s own collections, as well as take part in guided visits to other museums and galleries
• Learn about democracy, the modern state, comparative politics and international relations

On this BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree, you'll explore past and current socio-economic systems and discover how the world works. Learn quantitative tools, historical data, and the technical skills to analyse them. Philosophy modules will teach you logic and ethics, and how to critique the present order. You'll spend a year studying abroad to experience another culture and see a different world view.

On this broad, combined honours course, you’ll get a balanced education in all three Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) subjects. It is owned by the Philosophy department.

The degree helps you properly frame the questions that unite the subject of the PPE degree, and answer them in a rigorous but free-spirited way. These include questions on:

• Inequality
• Democracy
• Justice
• Globalisation
• Happiness
• Work
• Money

You'll spend a year studying at a university in another part of the world. Destinations include countries in Europe, Asia and North America.

Compulsory modules provide a strong grounding in key areas of study. Optional modules will let you pursue your own interests in topics as varied as:

• Logic
• International security
• Chinese politics

As part of this course, you can:

• Study topics that are unique to either philosophy, economics, or politics
• Gain professional skills in economics that will be useful in your future careers
• Learn how to conduct and present research
• Take part in other philosophy events held by the lifelonglearning team, where you can discuss philosophy in a relaxed atmosphere

You can take modules from other disciplines, such as anthropology or psychology, or choose from a range of cross-disciplinary modules. You can also study a language.

Explore English literature in-depth with a master’s degree at the University of Southampton.

Our course gives you the opportunity to pursue literary topics and genres from a wide selection of authors and periods, including:

• Shakespeare
• Jane Austen
• Holocaust literature
• Victorian print culture
• literature and law

On completion of the course, you’ll be ready for careers in teaching, publishing and arts administration.

You’ll get the chance to carry out advanced-level research and independent critical thinking, and to make effective use of archives, manuscripts, and research libraries. We'll help you examine how literature shapes the public understanding of diverse fields such as:

• Climate change
• Economics
• Medicine
• Religion

We offer a flexible module structure which is designed to give you an advanced understanding of cultural analysis, textual interpretation and theoretical method. You can specialise with one of 4 subject-specific pathways, or take a more general approach by choosing modules from each pathway.

The information on this page refers to the general pathway.

Across all pathways, you’ll explore the interrelations of text, theory and culture across the field of English literary and cultural studies. We’ll work with you to:

• Develop your knowledge of critical and research methods
• Raise your awareness of the historical and critical reception of literature in various periods
• Explore the role of literature in a contested cultural framework

Study film from a variety of perspectives: as popular art, big business and as a cultural record on our film degree with year abroad . Immerse yourself in the subject, from the earliest projected images to the present day. Learn how to view Hollywood blockbusters, European and world cinema with a critical eye. A year abroad will enhance your understanding of visual arts and let you experience a new culture.

You'll study familiar classics alongside contemporary cinema, and genres including:

• film noir
• horror
• science fiction
• documentary
• animation

You'll deepen your understanding and enjoyment of film and develop your critical thinking as part of a lively community.

You'll spend your third year studying at one of our partner universities abroad. Your options include: South Korea, Sweden, Ireland or the Czech Republic – countries with their own distinctive film cultures. You can take lectures in English but may also improve your languages. We'll help you plan your year abroad to suit your interests.

As part of this course you can:

• explore British, European and world cinema
• discover early film through archive visits
• use our extensive library resources, including over 5,800 films from around the world
• take modules from other courses, such as English, history and music
• volunteer at a cinema to develop new skills, such as team leading, projection and digital design
• submit your own film to our annual student film festival

Learn how to uncover the secrets of past lives through the study of human and animal skeletons. With this specialist master’s in bioarchaeology, you’ll gain expertise in human anatomy, with unlimited access to our large skeletal collection. You’ll also develop skills in faunal analysis; we have one of the largest reference collections of mammals, birds and fish in the UK.

We’re ranked Top 30 in the world for archaeology (QS World University Rankings, 2019).

Your specialist bioarcheology learning will cover:

• analysing human bones to understand age, sex, diet, health and migration
• identifying mammals, birds and fish through skeletal remains
• understanding fossilisation and bone modification
• interpreting archaeology from collections of remains

Beyond your specialist modules you can personalise this MSc bioarchaeology degree to your areas of interest through a range of optional modules.

This archaeological science master's is a very practical degree, but you don’t need prior knowledge of biology or anatomy. You’ll spend a lot of time in our dedicated archaeology laboratories and you’ll have access to specialist isotope labs and a scanning, imaging and micro-CT suite.

You’ll work closely with experts in our Centre for Learning Anatomical Sciences and benefit from opportunities to apply your learning in real-world settings.

There's an opportunity to apply your learning on a 4-week placement, where you’ll gain valuable real-world experience of the archaeology sector and heritage industry. Previous placements have included Historic England, Wessex Archaeology and The Nautical Archaeology Society.

We bring expertise together from across the University, including Medicine, Humanities, the National Oceanography Centre, Engineering and Winchester School of Art, to enable you to gain both scientific skills and cultural understanding.

This bioarchaeology master's offers a balance between vocational and research skills. During your dissertation you’ll be able to embed with one of our research groups to do original research on a topic that you choose. There is the possibility that this work will be published.

Southampton is close to the World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Avebury and we have research projects engaged with both sites, as well as a range of other archaeological projects across the Globe.

Combine the study of film with a knowledge of cultural management on this MA Film and Cultural Management degree at the University of Southampton. You'll gain in-depth understanding of the film industry, film theory, and the modern cultural sector, focusing on how cultural management affects visual media. Prepare for a career in film, media or the arts.

On this UK master's course in film and cultural management you'll examine the importance that film has on society.

Depending on your choice of modules, you could study film-related topics such as:

• Festivals and specialist programming
• Policy
• Exhibition
• Marketing and audience development
• The role of film agencies

You'll gain real-world insight through case studies that draw on local, national and international examples, and study the subject in both national and global contexts.

The cultural sector plays an increasingly significant role in political, social and economic policy because of its potential to enhance cultural life while generating wealth.