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Bioarchaeological and Forensic Anthropology MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Get first-hand experience studying human remains in both bioarchaeological and forensic anthropological contexts. This one-year master’s covers all the bases – from intensive skeletal, dental anatomy, procedures for assessing and analysing human skeletal material, to identifying diseases in the skeleton, and the legal context when dealing with modern forensic human remains. It’s the ideal springboard for a career in bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology or archaeology.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
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 related subject from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Ordinarily, students applying for admission to this programme should have taken an undergraduate level human osteology module or human anatomy module (or similar). Alternatively, students could have attended an osteology related field school or have undertaken archaeological field work involving human remains. Students with other types of experience should contact the degree coordinator for advice.

The English language level for this programme 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

The human skeleton is a complex and dynamic structure. It retains a person's physiological experiences gained throughout life, as well as after death. Bioarchaeologists and Forensic Anthropologists have the opportunity to explore those experiences through the study of human skeletal and dental remains.

You will learn how to identify, analyse and report on human remains from archaeological and forensic contexts. Students will be able to identify evidence for disease and trauma through case studies and hands-on practical experience.

Who this course is for

This degree would suit students from many backgrounds. We would recommend an undergraduate degree in the following subjects: 

  • Archaeology
  • Anthropology
  • Biology or related fields

If your undergraduate degree is in a different field, please contact us to discuss whether this Master's programme is appropriate for you.

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 in Britain and ranked 3rd in the QS World Rankings by Subject 2024. It brings archaeology, cultural heritage, and museum studies together under one roof, making it a special and exciting place to study. 

This programme offers you many benefits and opportunities:

  • Learn from leading experts in their fields. 
  • Use of the Institute’s dedicated Osteology Laboratory, equipment, archives, and teaching collections.
  • Proximity to British Museum, British Library, and the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
  • Links with the British Museum and the Department of Security and Crime Science.

Students further benefit from access to extensive collections of skeletal material for study, including dental and palaeopathology reference collections. Access to sophisticated equipment and techniques (laser scanner, Scanning Electron Microscopy [SEM], thin sectioning, radiography) is also available.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Graduates will have a unique set of skills and knowledge that prepares them for work across many sectors:

  • Archaeology within Higher Education, museums, and private companies.
  • Environmental and sustainability sector.
  • Police
  • Journalism.
  • Civil Service and government.
  • Tourism and heritage management.

The practical training provided by this degree is particularly well suited to a career in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology.

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.
  • Practical osteoarchaeological skills.

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

Networking

The institute organises an annual "Careers in Ruins" event. Here students can get career advice from professionals in the Heritage and Archaeology sectors. 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

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical classes and field trips.

Assessment is through essays, class tests, reports and the dissertation.

Contact time takes various forms:

  • Lectures.
  • Seminars.
  • Project supervision.
  • Assessment feedback sessions.

The credit value of the module indicates the total learning hours you will spend to achieve its learning outcomes. One credit is often equated to 10 hours of notional learning, which includes all contact time, self-directed study, and assessment.

The contact hours per module are normally around 2-3 hours a week with additional self-directed study time. For this programme you will need to dedicate additional self-directed study time in our Osteology Laboratory. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

Your dissertation module is 90 credits. The learning hours will mainly be spent researching and writing your final dissertation. You will also have regular contact with your supervisor(s). They will guide and support you throughout your work.

Modules

This is a one year programme consisting of core and optional modules including a compulsory research project. Students will undertake taught modules that give a detailed foundation in the methods and theory used to analyse and interpret human skeletal remains, from both Bioarchaeological and Forensic Anthropological contexts. 

The programme will provide an in-depth grounding in skeletal and dental anatomy and physiology, methods for establishing the biological profile (age, sex, biological affinity), and an understanding of bone metabolism and bone/dental histology. Further, the degree also considers diseases that can be diagnosed from bones and teeth and the palaeoepidemiological insights we can draw from them, as well as the impact of violence on the human skeleton. 

You will learn procedures for recording skeletonized human remains and apply these methods to a small group of previously excavated skeletons, including the preparation of a report. Students undertaking the optional advanced module in forensic anthropology will also be provided with a unique insight into processes that impact the body after death and the influence of the environment on those processes.

Students complete the programme by undertaking an original research project under the supervision of an academic supervisor; this research is presented as an extended piece of writing in the form of a dissertation.

Compulsory modules








Optional modules


Funerary Archaeology




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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Bioarchaeological and Forensic Anthropology.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders 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.

There are no additional costs for this programme.

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 £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. 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 taught Master's. 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 1 March 2025.

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 programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology at graduate level
  • why you want to study Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging academic environment
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree
  • your previous experience with working with human remains

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.

Applicants must have studied at least one Human Remains or Osteology module, which had a practical or hands-on component. 

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (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: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology

l.daniel@ucl.ac.uk

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