This programme defines maritime archaeology as the study of ships and harbours in their wider social, political and economic context, together with an increased understanding of coastal and submerged cultural landscapes. Our aim is to relate maritime archaeology to the broader body of archaeological knowledge, rather than treating it as a discrete sub-discipline.

The degree programme does not set out to train archaeological divers, but to show the range of approaches and methods used by maritime archaeologists today, and to demonstrate the relevance of maritime issues in wider urban, nautical, social and economic studies, as well as into legislation, conservation and heritage matters

The programme lasts for twelve months (starting in September), although it is also possible to take the course part-time over two years. Most of the structured teaching takes place in the autumn and spring terms, the summer being devoted to work for a dissertation.

For a fuller description of this degree, please also see the Institute's Maritime Archaeology webpages.

Degree Structure

Students are required to take the core courses, choose the equivalent of one whole element Masters option and write a dissertation. These components is described in more detail below.

Core Course - Students are usually expected to take the following three core courses on London:

Global Issues in Maritime Archaeology (ARCLG161, whole element, 22 weeks)
Underwater Archaeology: Techniques and Methods (ARCLG160, whole element, 22 weeks)

Option Courses - Students can choose to follow further option courses up to the value of ONE whole element from an outstanding range of Masters course options available at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, after discussion with the programme co-ordinator. At least ONE of these however should be chosen from the following list of closely related topics:

Archaeological Computing and Statistics (ARCLG021, half element, 11 weeks)
Museum and Site Interpretation (ARCLG034, whole element, 22 weeks)
Themes, Thought and Theory in World Archaeology: Foundations (ARCLG193, half element, 11 weeks)
Themes, Thought and Theory in World Archaeology: Current Issues (ARCLG194, half element, 11 weeks)
Public Archaeology (ARCLG056, whole element, 22 weeks)
Cultural Heritage (ARCLG057, whole element, 22 weeks)
Managing Museums (ARCLG065, half element, 11 weeks)
Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology I (ARCLG090, half element, 11 weeks)
Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology II (ARCLG091, half element, 11 weeks)
Archaeology and Ethnicity (ARCLG092, whole element, 22 weeks)
Archaeological Approaches to the Human Use of Space (ARCLG116, half element, 11 weeks)
Managing Archaeological Sites (ARCLG127, whole element, 22 weeks)
Conservation in Practice: Preventative Conservation (ARCLG149, half element, 11 weeks)
Conservation in Practice: Conservation Management (ARCLG139, half element, 11 weeks)
Issues in Conservation: Context of Conservation (ARCLG141, half element, 11 weeks)
Issues in Conservation: Understanding Objects (ARCLG142, half element, 11 weeks)
Evolutionary Archaeology (ARCLG147, half element, 11 weeks)
Digitisation and Museums (ARCLG149, half element, 11 weeks)
Archaeology and Education (ARCLG186, half element, 11 weeks)
Cultural Memory (ARCLG175, half element, 11 weeks)
Antiquities and the Law (ARCLG185, half element, 11 weeks)

Dissertation - All students are asked to write a 15,000 word dissertation which is the result of an individual research project undertaken during the programme. It can be on any approved topic relevant to the degree and/or its taught components. Students are assigned a supervisor to guide the main stages of work.

Examples of past projects (some of which were thereafter published) include:

the maritime cultural landscape of the coast of Kenya around Malindi
the maritime connections of Late Bronze age Cyprus
the role of the church in managing the landscape of medieval Romney Marsh in SE England
the archaeology of shipwreck survivor camps
the potential of archaeological sites that have been deliberately submerged through reservoir construction.

Facilities and Staff

The Institute of Archaeology provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate study, with over 240 registered Masters students and 120 MPhil/PhD students - see for further details. Its outstanding archaeological library is complemented by University College London's main library, University of London Senate House and other specialist libraries and resources, particularly at the Museum of London's London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre. and the National Maritime Museum.

The teaching staff for this degree bring together a range and depth of expertise that is arguably unparalleled at other institutions.

Joe Flatman specialises in issues relating to cultural resource management and archaeology. His particular research interest at present is exploring the ‘near future’ of maritime archaeology from a global geopolitical perspective in response to anticipated social, economic, political and environmental developments over the next fifty years. Joe has also written recent papers on the ethics and practice of both maritime archaeology.

Visiting speakers for this degree include an array of distinguished archaeologists from around the world, such as Paula Martin (editor of the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology ), David Blackman (Oxford), Nic Fleming (Southampton), Ian Oxley (Head of Maritime Archaeology, English Heritage), Colin Martin (St. Andrews) and Della Scott-Ireton (Florida Public Archaeology Network).

Funding Opportunities

a list of the funding opportunities available for students taking taught Masters programmes is provided by the UCL Graduate School.
UK and EU students who intend to enrol for this degree are eligible to apply for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding. Those who are accepted for this Master's programme may also be eligible to apply to the Institute for English Heritage funded bursaries.

While you are here

After you leave

After completing their studies, MA maritime students have gone on to a range of jobs. Roughly, one third of graduates go on into the archaeology, museum and public heritage sectors, another third continue on to PhD research, and the final third go into non-archaeological careers, including government and industry.

Further Information and Application Forms

There is no specific deadline for this degree.
For further details, please
- see the Maritime Archaeology webpages, or
- email Joe Flatman, or the Institute of Archaeology's Graduate Admissions Tutor.

The information contained on this website is believed to be correct at the time of publication, but no guarantee can be given that it will not be amended before the commencement of, or during, the degree programmes to which it refers.

Please note also that not all options are available every session.

This page last modified 27 April, 2009 by [IoA Webmaster]