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Archaeology of the Mediterranean, Egypt and Middle East MA

London, Bloomsbury

Spend a year digging into the archaeology and cultural heritage of the Mediterranean, Egypt and Middle East, working with UCL’s renowned researchers. Explore UCL’s own museums and internationally-significant collections; interact with the British Museum. You’ll go away with invaluable experience and skills to forge a successful career in the public, museum and heritage sector.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£16,800
£8,400
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£35,400
£17,700
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor’s degree in archaeology or a related subject from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this course is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students will develop an understanding of ancient societies of these regions from prehistory through to the early medieval period and of our current critical perspectives on the archaeology of these regions. A specific focus will be given to major interpretative paradigms and principal investigative techniques - from fieldwork and archaeological practice to heritage and museum studies - applied to these broader regions. 

Comparative perspectives across time and space are to be encouraged: the unparalleled diverse range of expertise that the Institute offers across these regions and in diverse aspects of archaeological research and practice means that students can fully benefit from that expertise, either regional and/or chronological, of members of staff. This expertise ranges from the prehistory, Iron Age, Late antiquity and Islamic period of the Mediterranean basin and Western Asia; the comparative history of ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese art; museum archaeology, disciplinary and collection history, and critical heritage studies of Egypt and Sudan; the archaeology, social history and written evidence of third and second millennium BC Egypt and Sudan, as well as critical Egyptology studies; zooarchaeology and early pastoral societies of Western Asia.
 

Who this course is for

This programme is particularly suitable for graduates with a first degree in:

  • Archaeology 
  • Anthropology
  • History.

The Department is looking for students, with suitable archaeological experience, who want to develop their skills further if their first degree is in a cognate discipline other than archaeology (e.g. anthropology, history). If you do not have any archaeological experience, please contact the department for further advice. 

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

UCL Institute of Archaeology is one of the largest centres for archaeology and heritage in Britain and ranked 3rd in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2025. It brings archaeology, cultural heritage, and museum studies together under one roof, making it a special and exciting place to study.

The broader macro-regions of the Mediterranean including Egypt and Western Asia are one of the major crucibles of cultural, economic and political change in world history, a focus of scholarship from prehistory to the Middle Ages, and where the past plays a critical role in the present, as well as in the creation of a viable future.

This programme offers you benefits and opportunities such as:

  • in-depth and comparative understanding of the archaeology of the Mediterranean, Egypt and Middle East, analysis and interpretation of archaeological data
  • use of the Institute’s exceptional laboratories, equipment, archives, and teaching collections
  • training towards a career in archaeology
  • use of UCL’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology and UCL’s own collections
  • interaction with the British Museum, its collection and staff.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Upon completing this degree, you will have skills well suited for jobs in sectors such as: 

  • tourism and heritage management
  • policy development
  • environmental and sustainability sector
  • archaeology within museums and private companies
  • preparation for PhD degrees.

Employability

The programme is designed to enhance career prospects by giving students transferable skills attractive to employers in a wide range of businesses and sectors, such as:

  • theoretical and critical analysis
  • ability to design and carry out original research

You will also learn to solve problems and issues and to build positive working relationships.

“My time at the Institute of Archaeology was invaluable. Being global in focus and nature truly refined my thinking and prepared me well to overcome the challenges that I encountered as part of my professional career” - Laurence Maidement-Blundell (PhD Student)

Networking

The Institute organises a series of careers events with invited panels to discuss career opportunities and experiences in Archaeology, Research, Heritage and Museums as well as applying skills in careers outside disciplinary specialisms. Here students can get career advice from professions in relevant sectors who are often pulled from our world-wide network of alumni. They can also network with professionals from other sectors such as Business, Law and the Civil Service. Many of our alumni also return as guest lecturers on core modules and seminars.

Teaching and learning

Modules on Master's degrees are usually taught through seminars, though depending on the module, lecturing may also be involved. Some modules will also have associated practicals, laboratory sessions, or field trips.

The majority of modules are assessed through coursework essays. All students submit a piece of research writing in the form of a 15,000 word dissertation.

Contact time takes various forms:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • practical sessions or site/museum visits
  • assessment feedback sessions.

The contact hours are normally 6-8 hours per week with additional self-directed study time. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials, full-time students use their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments (approximately 20-25 hours).

The learning hours during the dissertation will mainly be spent researching and writing. You will also have regular contact with your supervisor(s). They will guide and support you throughout your work.

Modules

Teaching is carried out in Terms 1 and 2. 

In Term 2 you identify a dissertation topic and supervisor and begin work on it; then, in Term 3, you concentrate on researching and writing for your dissertation, which continues over the summer. Along with your supervisor, research skills sessions provide support for this work; you have to make an oral presentation of your dissertation plans to staff and your student colleagues to obtain feedback.

Students can select from a wide range of optional modules including: Themes and Debates in Egyptian Archaeology (ARCL0147); The Mediterranean World in the Iron Age (ARCL0138); Aegean Prehistory: major themes and current debates (ARCL0135).

Teaching takes place during Terms 1 and 2. Those who undertake part-time study will discuss their pathway through the degree with the degree coordinator. Typically students will take the compulsory core modules in Year 1 and select their optional modules in order to spread these out to Year 2. The dissertation is discussed in Year 1 and completed at the end of Year 2. 

We endeavour to be flexible to the needs of part-time students in designing their pathway through the degree.

Students can select from a wide range of optional modules including: Themes and Debates in Egyptian Archaeology (ARCL0147); ; Aegean Prehistory: major themes and current debates (ARCL0135); Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age in the Near East (ARCL200). See the Modules section below and the Institute of Archaeology website for more information.

Compulsory modules





Optional modules




















Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £16,800 £8,400
Tuition fees (2026/27) £35,400 £17,700

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Some modules include fieldtrips which take place within London, and mostly within walking distance of UCL. A Day Off-Peak travelcard for zones 1-9 costs around £17.00, but visits will be within zones 1-3. 

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

UCL Institute of Archaeology International Masters Student Award

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor the scholarship will enable one Overseas fee paying student to undertake a year of study on an eligible MA or MSc degree in Archaeology or Archaeological Science. It will provide support of up to £26,000 for the duration of their degree to cover fees. Further details can be found here. The deadline for applications is 2 March 2026.

Institute of Archaeology Master's Awards

The UCL Institute of Archaeology has one studentship of £10,000 available to support a graduate student who is an ordinarily resident in the UK or Ireland and eligible to pay home fee rate. The deadline for applications is 2 March 2026. For further information and to download an application see here.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (equivalent to 1yr full-time) (1 year)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Institute of Archaeology International Masters Student Award

Deadline: 21 March 2025
Value: Up to £26,000 (1 year)
Criteria Based on academic merit
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Institute of Archaeology Masters Award

Deadline: 21 March 2025
Value: £10,000 (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of Mediterranean Archaeology, Egyptian and Middle Eastern Archaeology
  • why you want to study the Archaeology of these regions at graduate level
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree and how this programme meets these needs.


Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology

l.daniel@ucl.ac.uk

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