Master of Studies in Archaeology

The final intake to the Master of Studies in Archaeology was in Michaelmas term 2019; no further cohorts will begin this course and the course will be discontinued at the end of the 2019/20 academic year. 

• 1. Within the Division of Social Sciences, the course shall be administered by the Committee for the School of Archaeology. The regulations made are as follows:

• 2. Candidates for admission must apply to the Committee for the School of Archaeology. They will be required to produce evidence of their appropriate qualifications for the proposed course, including their suitable proficiency in relevant ancient or modern languages.

• 3. Candidates must follow for three terms a course of instruction in Archaeology.

• 4. The registration of candidates will lapse on the last day of the Trinity Full Term in the academic year of their admission, unless it shall have been extended by the committee.

• 5. The written examination shall comprise three subjects: Not more than one subject of the three selected may normally be taken from either one of Schedule C or D.

  • (a) one subject selected from Schedule A below to be sat examinedas bya written paperexam in Trinity Term of the academic year of their admission; 

  • (b) one further subject selected from Schedules B––D, to be examined by two pre-set essays (each of no more than 5,000 words). These subjects Candidates will bepropose examinedessay topics in consultation with their supervisor or relevant course provider. The proposed essay titles, duly approved by twothe pre-setsupervisor, essaysmust (eachbe ofsubmitted 5,000for words) except that further subjects from Schedule Aapproval of the M.St.Chair of Examiners by no later than noon on Friday of the eighth week of the term in Classicalwhich Archaeologythe willinstruction onlyfor bethat examinedsubject is completed. Candidates must upload their essays to the Assignments section of the course WebLearn site by writtennot paperlater than noon on Monday of the first week of the term following that in which the instruction for that subject was completed. 

  • (c) a dissertation of not more than 10,000 words (excluding bibliography and descriptive catalogue or similar factual matter, but including notes and appendices) the subject to be selected from Schedules A––D.

  • The title topic  of the dissertation must be approved by the candidate’’s supervisor and by the SchoolChair of ArchaeologyExaminers. CommitteeThe forproposed Graduatedissertation Studiestopic and provisional title, duly approved by the supervisor, must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners no later than noon on Friday of the first week of Hilary Term.   The final dissertation title, duly approved by the supervisor, must be submitted to the Chair of Examiners by noon on Friday of the first week of Trinity Term. The topic   of the dissertation must be clearly distinct from the topics covered by pre-set essayessays titlessubmitted by the candidate under 5(b). The dissertation must be the work of the candidate alone, and aid from others must be limited to prior discussion of the subject, bibliographic advice, help with access to study material and advice on presentation. The dissertation must be a new piece of work, substantially different from any dissertation previously submitted by the candidate for a degree of this or another university. When the dissertation is submitted, it must be accompanied by a statement, signed by the candidate, confirming that these conditions have been met. TheCandidates proposedmust titleupload their dissertations to the Assignments section of the dissertation,course countersignedWebLearn by the supervisor, must be submitted for approval by the committee by noon on the Tuesday of the eighth week of the Michaelmas Full Term preceding the examination. Two copies typed or printed (the second may be a photocopy) in double spacing on one side only of A4 paper and bound simply or filed securely, must be delivered in a parcel bearing the words ‘Dissertation for the M.St. in Archaeology’ to the Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford,site not later than noon on the Friday of the sixth week of Trinity Full Term and should bear the candidate’’s examination number but not his or her name.

  • With Candidatesrespect willto preset essays and dissertations, only the file submitted via WebLearn constitutes a valid submission;  no concomitant hard-copy submission must be requiredsubmitted tofor depositany onepurpose.  copyEach ofsubmission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the dissertationcandidate's withown the Examination Schoolswork.

Schedule A: Core Paperssubjects

• Ancient Maritime Societies

  Archaeological Method and Theory

  Chinese Archaeology of Asia 

  Environmental Archaeology

  European Prehistory from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age

  Europe in the Early Middle Ages A.D. 400-900

  Landscape Archaeology and Spatial Technology

  Transformation of the Celtic World 500 BC-A.D. 100

  Visual Cultures of the Ancient World

Not all Core subjects may be available in any given year.

Schedule B: Options

• Archaeology of Colonialism

• Archaeology of Eurasia

• Archaeology of Early Anglo-Saxon England

• Archaeology of Late Anglo-Saxon England

• Archaeology and Geographical Information Systems

• Archaeology and Material Culture

• Archaeology of Southern African Hunter-gatherers

• Body and Adornment Material Culture of Later Medieval Britain, A.D. 1000-1500

  Chinese Archaeology

• City, country and economy in the Late Roman Empire (fourth-seventh centuries A.D.)

  Coinage and Society in Anglo-Saxon England

Cultural Heritage and Law: History

• Farming and States in Sub-Saharan Africa

  Formation of the Islamic World

• Hunter-gatherers in World Perspective

• Maritime Archaeology up to A.D. 1000

• Methods and Techniques in Maritime Archaeology

  Object Analysis and Research Methods

• Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Europe

• Palaeolithic Archaeology

  Palaeolithic Asia

• Practical Archaeobotany

• Regional studies in Australian and Pacific prehistory

• Topics in Aegean Prehistory

Not all Schedule B Options may be available in any given year.

Schedule C: Archaeological Science

• Any subject offered  and available in the M.St. in Archaeological Science.

Schedule D: Classical Archaeology

• Any subject offered and available from Schedule B in the M.St. in Classical Archaeology.

Candidates may apply for other subjects, to be taken under Schedule B, to be approved by the committee, which shall define their scope and inform both the candidate and the examiners of this definition in writing. Not all course options may be available in any given year.

• 6. Candidates will be expected to show a general knowledge of the appropriate history and geography, appropriate soto far as they are concerned with  their subjects.

• 7. Candidates must present themselves for an oral examination if as  required by the examiners.

• 8. The subjects to be offered by the candidates and their chosen method of examination, duly approved by their supervisors, must be submitted for approval to the School committee  inof timeArchaeology's forGraduate itsStudies meetingCommittee inby eighthnoon of Friday of seventh week of the Michaelmas Full Term preceding the examination. Notice of optionssubjects to be offered by candidates must be given to the Registrar (via Student Self Service) not later than Friday of the eighth week of that same term.

• 9. Where options are examined by pre-set essays as specified in 5 (b) above, candidates will normally select essay topics from a list offered by their supervisor.  The proposed essay titles, countersigned by the supervisor, must be submitted for approval to the Chair of Examiners by noon on Friday of the seventh week of the Hilary Full Term preceding the examinations. Candidates must submit two copies of their essays by not later than noon on Monday of the second week of Trinity Full Term to the Examination Schools. Essays must be typed or printed.

• 10. The examiners may award a distinction for excellence in the whole examination.

• 1110. In the case of failure in just one part of the examination, the candidate will be permitted to retake that part of the examination on one further occasion, not later than one year after the initial attempt. Written papers would be retaken the following year.