• Background needed for applying

When considering applying for a masters or a PhD in archaeological sciences, you have to prove that you have an interest and experience in both the sciences and archaeology. In my department, the majority of people come from a scientific background (predominantly chemistry and physics) and then moved to archaeological sciences either during their PhD or later in their career. If your background is in the sciences, an easy way to show your interest in archaeology is to volunteer at digs, museums or attend local archaeological societies and talks. The challenge in taking this route is that during your course you have to learn the terminology and theory of archaeology, as well as familiarising yourself with the caveats of working with ancient material in comparison to modern.

 

You can also enter this area with an arts degree. The challenges here are making sure you can pick up scientific and statistical principles required to complete scientifically rigorous research. Everyone I know who has an arts background has been exposed to archaeological sciences in their studies, either through a taught course or their dissertation topic. This can be tricky if your university does not have an archaeological sciences department, however you could do a computational analysis or literature review for an undergraduate dissertation to show your interest in the scientific side. Alternatively, see if you can collaborate with another department such as: geography or earth sciences which may have a tephra or luminescence lab, biology who may have a group who work on ancient genetic analysis or chemistry which may cover isotopic or material analysis.

 

Taking a masters course in archaeological sciences, or a sub-discipline within it (materials, dating or bioarchaeology) makes you an attractive candidate for a PhD. It is also possible to have a masters in a different discipline, as long as your research interests overlap with that of your new departments. Whilst in theory you can technically start a PhD straight from undergraduate, in practice this is highly unlikely. A master’s degree proves that you are capable of completing a research project independently and gives you a competitive edge over an undergraduate student.

​

• Funding options

I can not emphasise enough how important funding is. Do not apply to a course until you have considered this. For masters, stipends are hard to come by so be prepared to take a loan or save. If you are English or have lived in England for at least three years (though some exceptions may apply) you can now get a government loan to fund your studies up to £10,000 pounds, starting from September 2016. For more information please follow this link: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/funding-postgraduate-study/postgraduate-loans. Sadly, there is no loan system to support international students and if you live outside the EU, the cost of your course will also be higher.

 

Whilst there are some opportunities for funding Masters courses, these are very competitive and you may hear back quite late in the year so do not only rely on these during your application. Most universities will have a means tested fund and/or a fund for excellent students however these are especially competitive as anyone from any discipline can apply. Some funding can come from your (non-UK) country of origin, but many of these have caveats such as what you must do on the completion of your degree. Alternatively, some universities have very specific grants based on either the subject area, the applicants background or the institution that you currently attend so check out the scholarship and exchange information at your current university and at the universities you wish to go to. There are some charitable bodies that will fund masters but again these are limited and definitely won’t cover all your fees.

 

Whilst a PhD student can self-fund, this is generally recommended against. A career in academia requires constant funding applications. By having funding for a PhD, you prove that you have the skills to obtain funding throughout your career. This makes you a better candidate for a postdoc position. If you are a UK resident, the research councils are a key way of being funded. Two are particularly applicable to archaeological science: the Arts and Humanities Research Council (http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/) and the Natural Environment Research Council (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/). European students can also apply for research council funding however this will not provide you with a maintenance grant but just cover course fees. Where the research council funding is not applicable, there may be some university wide funding which can be won by a student of any nationality. If you want to be in with a good chance of the university funding, it is advantageous to talk to members of the funding board or your potential supervisor who can then recommend you. Finally, there may be funding for specific projects. These are positive as they are usually well designed projects however they limit the scope of what you can research during your PhD. Most stipends are equivalent to what the research councils provide (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/skills/training/) and this is constant across the UK apart from London, where there is slightly more to compensate for the high living costs.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

• Application Process

An application to a UK institution requires several factors. First and most importantly for PhD students, you must have a detailed research proposal. If you are applying to a project specific PhD then this is easy to complete. For those who are embarking on a project of their own choosing, make sure you have considered factors such as time scale, access to samples, costs and whether the work you want to do is novel enough to warrant a PhD. The best applications are very specific in what their research question is, rather than attempting to investigate a general area. You also need an academic who is willing to supervise you on this project. Once you have figured out what you are interested in, look up academics whose research interests overlap with yours. Whilst you can have a supervisor who does not directly work in your area, this can be tricky when you come across technical problems during your thesis. Generally, an academic is more likely to supervise someone they know (either from conferences or earlier studies) however email contact can be enough as long as they display a specific interest and enthusiasm for that academic’s research area. A supervisor who is interested in collaborating with you is likely to suggest alterations to your project and provide ideas and approaches that you may not have previously considered. In addition, they may also provide advice on where to access funding or alternatively have their own funding that they wish to spend on a PhD student. The latter is relatively unusual. When applying to a masters, you do not need a supervisor or a research proposal but will need to provide a ‘statement of purpose’. This should describe why you want to study archaeological sciences in that particular institute and what skills you have which will help you to complete the course.

 

In addition to a project proposal or statement of purpose, you will also need to provide evidence of funding. During your initial application this will be speculative, but before you confirm your place you have to prove that you have funding for at least the first year. This is usually in the format of a letter from your funding body or, if you are self funding you need a bank statement that shows you have the money for the whole year. You will also need 2/3 academic references, copies of relevant written work, copies of your undergraduate transcript and university certificate, and possibly a CV. If English is not your native language you will also have to pass a standardised English test before the course starts. Some examples include: IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English.

 

Technically you can apply at any time for a graduate place, and if the department has spaces they will consider you for the following academic year. An academic year will usually start in September or October. If you want to be considered for funding by your university, or if you are applying to an external funding body, their deadlines are usually very early. Many of these fall between November-January. Another aspect of note is that graduate applications are usually free except for some select Universities. I know that the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and University College London all charge a fee for applying so check this before deciding where you want to apply. Finally, if you are a national of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, you need no visa to study in the UK. Otherwise, if you are studying in the UK for over 6 months you need to apply for a Tier 4 (general) student visa, for details visit https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa

​

NB: Some of the information here is likely to change if the UK leaves the European Union. Currently it is uncertain when this will happen, how it will effect funding and whether there will be restrictions on the movement of people. Students who already have funding and a place will be unaffected by future amendments. Anyone applying for 2017 however, should keep an eye out for legislative changes. As Article 50 has not yet been activated at the time of writing, it will be several years before the UK leaves the European Union entirely.