Home

Research Methods for Archaeology MA

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Research Methods for Archaeology MA (2025/26), click here

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 a relevant 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

This programme offers a comprehensive and challenging introduction to theoretical issues faced by modern archaeology. Students will develop critically aware perspectives on archaeological practice and research processes. They will also gain an in-depth understanding of approaches to the collection, analysis and interpretation of data.

Who this course is for

The programme is aimed at students who have already chosen a research topic, but need to acquire research skills before embarking on a higher degree. Students without a clearly defined research project in mind would normally find one of the other Master's programmes at the Institute of Archaeology more suitable.

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 2025. 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 exceptional laboratories, equipment, archives, and teaching collections
Proximity to British Museum and British Library, as well as UCL’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology.

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

The foundation of your career

Upon completion of this degree, students have skills well suited for jobs in sectors such as:

archaeology within Higher Education, museums, and private companies
environmental and sustainability sector
Journalism
Civil Service
tourism and heritage management

“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 Maidment-Blundell (PhD Student)

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 archaeological skills.

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

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

The two theory core courses each involve two contact hours per week during the teaching weeks. Skills courses will also involve a number of contact hours, depending on what is chosen. Students will also have regular meetings with their supervisor. However, the vast majority of the time on this degree will be spent in self-study, following a programme agreed with the supervisor.

The core programme is taught within a seminar framework based on set readings. A tailor-made programme of other work is designed in consultation with the student's research supervisor. Student performance is assessed on the basis of the core module assessments, a research proposal and a piece of research writing (dissertation).

The contact hours are normally around 6-8 hours a 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).

Students will also have regular meetings with their supervisor. However, the vast majority of the time on this degree will be spent in self-study, following a programme agreed with the supervisor.

Modules

You will undertake two compulsory theory modules and any modules you need to gain relevant skills for your project, e.g. quantitative methods. All taught modules are completed within Terms 1 and 2. During this time, you will also begin working with your supervisor to develop your research proposal. In Term 3 you will begin work on your dissertation, which continues over the summer. Research skills sessions will support this process and you will be required to make an oral presentation of your dissertation plans to staff and your colleagues to obtain feedback.

The emphasis on developing a specific research proposal right from the beginning distinguishes this MA from the Institute's other Master's degrees remits and provides a much narrower focus.

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 over two years.

Compulsory modules

Portfolio of Coursework

Research Proposal

Piece of Research Writing

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 MA in Research Methods for Archaeology.

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.

Visit us

All open days and events

21 February 2026

Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Archaeology

11:00 — 13:00

Interested in studying Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Geography, History, History of Art, History, Politics & Culture of the Americas or Political Science? Join us to learn more about our impressive range of postgraduate programmes offered by the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences.

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

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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 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.

There are no additional costs for this programme.

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

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^nd 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

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:

why you want to study Research Methods for Archaeology at graduate level
why you want to study Research Methods for Archaeology at UCL
what particularly attracts you to this programme
how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging academic environment
your proposed area of research

Together with essential academic requirements and your research proposal, 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.

This course only requires one reference in support of your application. Your reference should be academic unless you have been out of university education for more than four years. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.