Master of Science in Digital Archaeology

at University of York United Kingdom

Philosophy and Linguistics come together to create a fascinating and challenging degree which will provide you with a deeper understanding of what language is, while also enabling you to form carefully considered opinions, and think seriously and independently about major philosophical questions.

You will immerse yourself in the study of language examining syntax, phonetics, phonology and semantics. This will culminate in the realisation of how we express ourselves through language - an important aspect of what makes us human, and a key to examining your own nature and that of the world around you.

The Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS) is the UK’s oldest and largest centre for the interdisciplinary study and research into the Middle Ages. Our expertise spans over 1,000 years and multiple disciplines and faculties, offering dedicated skills training in palaeography, diplomatic and medieval languages.

New disciplines will complement your existing experience, offering you bespoke interdisciplinary modules as well as world-class teaching in the subjects of Archaeology, Literature and Language, History, History of Art and History of Science. You'll learn to recognise how geographies, chronologies and sources of evidence are interrelated, while exploring the fields of study that most interest you. Our global range of research and teaching extends across medieval Britain, Scandinavia, Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and Islamic Cultures, from 500-1500.

Our new interdisciplinary pathway examines the cultures of the Islamic world through the prism of literature, history, archaeology, art and architecture. Drawing on the wide ranging experience of our staff, you can create a bespoke programme that demonstrates the close connections across the medieval Mediterranean and beyond into Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Anatolia, Central Asia and east Africa.

In the medieval city of York, inspiration is everywhere, and you'll have access to some of the UK's most important medieval archives and museums, including York Minster Library and Archives, the Borthwick Institute for Archives, the Yorkshire Museum, and Jorvik Viking Centre.

Our distinctive MA in Early Modern History combines thorough research training with opportunities to explore new approaches to the history of early modern Britain, other European countries and their overseas empires.

You can take advantage of the research strengths of the Department, which include the political, religious and cultural history of early modern England and Europe, gender and social relations, science and material culture and the history of ideas. With full access to our excellent library, the Borthwick Institute for Archives and the York Minster library, specialist resources will be available at your fingertips.

Combine the study of French with investigations into major philosophical questions.

You'll be taught the language component of the course in French, and will become confident using French as a means of communication, as well as for critical thinking. You'll gain an understanding of French culture and society which will underpin your abilities as a high-level communicator in the language.

By combining the study of the French language with philosophy, you'll gain an unparalleled insight into the work of thinkers such as Descartes and Sartre. You'll study the philosophical relationships between our language, our world and our minds and develop your skills in writing, reasoning and analysis.

The course has flexibility in terms of how much French and philosophy content you study over the four years. Your skills and understanding of how a language works, how we communicate and how we reason will give you a solid foundation for a huge variety of careers.

Physics is the study of the fundamental forces of the Universe, understanding the nature of waves and particles, and the structure of matter.

You will gain a thorough grounding in physics, scientific principles and methods. You'll investigate subjects like nanosystems, semiconductors, fusion plasmas, biophysics, and quantum computing.

You'll learn to analyse real-life problems, write scientific reports, communicate complex concepts, and design and perform experiments.

Work with world-renowned physicists with access to unique facilities like our Astrocampus and the York Plasma Institute. On graduation, you’ll possess key career skills demanded by employers across a huge range of sectors.

‌Politics is all around us, and it’s moving fast. With our internationally renowned experts you’ll get to the very heart of political thinking.

Explore the principles of power – how it’s won and how it’s used to drive the decisions that influence our daily lives. You’ll discover how issues such as poverty, debt, terrorism, conflict and environmental change affect us all, and investigate emerging powers like China and India.

Art law is an exciting and fast-developing area, tackling issues surrounding the legal treatment of fine art and cultural heritage. Our LLM in Art Law is a unique collaborative and interdisciplinary course, co-taught by academic specialists from York Law School and the Department of History of Art.

You'll gain a deep understanding of the complex legal, artistic, social and ethical issues in the art world and learn essential skills of analysis and negotiation.

A wide range of networking opportunities and masterclasses - in addition to a compulsory field trip - means you'll gain practical, in-depth knowledge of the field, invaluable for careers in the trade or further academic study.

Chemistry is often referred to as the 'central science' as it covers topics as diverse as quantum mechanics and the study of atomic particles, to the molecular nature of biological systems and the Human genome project.

Environmental change raises important concerns over the future well-being of our planet. Although it is apparent that some changes result at least in part from human activities, it is equally clear that natural variations also play a major role.

This course will give you the opportunity to learn about the chemical basis of the environment and to understand our impact upon it. 

 Course Highlights

• Chemical evolution of the Earth
• Chemical oceanography
• Meteorology and climate change
• Archaeological environments in the geological past
• Atmospheric modelling and measuring techniques
• Impact of air pollution on climate and human health 

The vast chronological and geographical range of medieval cultures has been constantly rethought, reinterpreted and reinvented in subsequent epochs.

You'll explore the extraordinarily rich material legacy of the period, including urban structures, places of worship, sites of government, and universities. At York you'll be able to study in one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe.

Our flexible course enables you to learn about art geographically across much of Europe and the Islamic world. You can investigate a wide variety of art objects and their related visual practices, and take modules from related disciplines.

We have developed successful partnerships with museums, churches and galleries that will enrich your studies, and may offer you placement opportunities and privileged access to collections of medieval art.

The MA in Global Literature and Culture is a wide-ranging exploration of the cultural manifestations of colonial conquest, national identities, anti-colonial resistance and post-colonial struggles.

You'll have the opportunity to study these interconnected experiences from the beginnings of European imperialism to the present day. You can construct a distinct, individually chosen programme of study from a wide range of options all of which involve questions of culture, history and politics.

Taught and supervised by world-leading scholars, the course will develop your research skills which you'll apply to a substantial piece of independent research. This will provide you with a foundation for doctoral research, as well as transferable skills for related careers in teaching, publishing, arts management and journalism. ?