PhD Archaeology

Year of entry: 2024

Overview

Degree awarded
Doctor of Philosophy
Duration
3 Year [Full-time], 6 Years [Part-time]
Entry requirements
  • Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent)
  • Master's degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent) 
  • Any strong relevant professional experience will be considered on a case by case basis.

Full entry requirements

How to apply

Apply online 

Please ensure you include all  required supporting documents  at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines 

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by  12 January 2024.

If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self–funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed. 

  • For September 2024 entry:  30 June 2024 
  • For January 2025 entry:  30 September 2024 

Programme options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
PhD Y Y N N

Programme description

Our PhD Archaeology programme will see you undertake substantial original research leading to a thesis that constitutes a genuine contribution to archaeological knowledge. You can undertake your PhD as either a full-time or part-time programme.

Archaeology students often undertake some form of fieldwork as part of their PhD, such as small-scale excavation, survey, rock art recording, and working with museum collections and archives.

You could also carry out qualitative social research in the realm of heritage studies (eg conducting qualitative interviews or participant observation).

Archaeology research at Manchester is characterised by a number of themes, which give a distinctive flavour to our research and teaching. These include the study of:

  • history, theory and practice of Archaeology;
  • the archaeology of cultural identity;
  • landscape, monuments and architecture;
  • technology and society;
  • death and the body
  • archaeological heritage and the contemporary significance of the past.

Our doctoral students participate in a thriving disciplinary research culture with regular research seminars.

Many of our students undertake some undergraduate teaching following appropriate training.

Find out more about what it's like to be an Archaeology PhD student at Manchester and see what our current PhD students are working on.

Open days

Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our  open days. Potential graduate applicants are always welcome to visit the department outside of open days, and these visits can often be arranged to give you a chance to meet existing graduate students and/or to attend one of the graduate seminars. Please contact Dr Ina Berg (ina.berg@manchester.ac.uk ) for more information.

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • PhD (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £4,786
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,500
  • PhD (part-time)
    UK students (per annum): £2,393

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

Please note for the majority of projects where experimentation requires further resource higher fee bands (where quoted) will be charged rather than the base rate for supervision, administration and computational costs. The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive and, therefore, you will not be required to pay any additional bench fees or administration costs.

All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of the course for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the Department if you are unsure which fee applies to your project.

Scholarships/sponsorships

There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below. 

To apply University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered. The deadline for most internal competitions, including AHRC NWCDTP and School of Arts, Languages and Cultures studentships is 12 January 2024. 

All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.  

 For more information about funding, visit our funding page or use our  funding database to search for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.  

Contact details

School/Faculty
School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
Contact name
Humanities Doctoral Academy Admissions
Email
Website
https://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/
School/Faculty

See: About us

Programmes in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

  • Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent)
  • Master's degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent) 
  • Any strong relevant professional experience will be considered on a case by case basis.

English language

International applicants must provide one of the following: 

  • IELTS test minimum score – 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing.
  • TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score – 100 overall, 25 in all sections. 
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum score – 76 overall, 76 in writing. 
  • To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years. 
  • Other tests may be considered.

Please note, CAS statements are only issued when all conditions of the offer have been satisfied, offer accepted, and a PDF copy of passport received. 

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the programme. 

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country.

 The University requires you to reside within a commutable distance from Manchester during your time as a registered student, unless you are on approved fieldwork/a formal placement or are on a period of Submission pending. This is to ensure that you are able to meet attendance expectations and participate in wider research activities within your discipline area and/or School.  

Other entry requirements

The University requires you to reside within a commutable distance from Manchester during your time as a registered student, unless you are on approved fieldwork/a formal placement or are on a period of Submission pending. This is to ensure that you are able to meet attendance expectations and participate in wider research activities within your discipline area and/or School. Should you be unable to do this at any point during your programme, a formal case must be made to the Faculty office, together with the full support of your supervisor(s). The University reserves the right to reject such a request where it is considered that your residency could have a detrimental impact on the progression and engagement of your studies.

Application and selection

How to apply

Apply online 

Please ensure you include all  required supporting documents  at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines 

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by  12 January 2024.

If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self–funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed. 

  • For September 2024 entry:  30 June 2024 
  • For January 2025 entry:  30 September 2024 

Advice to applicants

Before you start your application, you should: 

  1. Develop your own research proposal and project title. 
  2. Find a supervisor by browsing our academics’ profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research. 
  3. Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.

When you submit your application, you must include each of the below required documents: 

  • A 1,500 word PhD research proposal
  • Copies of the academic transcript and certificate from both your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. If your Master’s degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript. 
  • An up to date academic CV, detailing your education and qualifications; employment history; publications; and any other relevant information. 
  • You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process. 
  • International applicants must additionally provide English Language evidence (e.g IELTS). 

Interview requirements

As part of the offer making process applicants will be required to undertake an interview assessment. This may be in the form of an in–person interview, or video call. 

The interview is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the broad topic area, the viability of your proposed research and its intellectual contribution, alongside the fit of your project with the supervisory team. You also may be asked to identify and address any potential ethical considerations in relation to your proposed research, and discuss how best to progress your ideas in line with University of Manchester ethics guidance.

The interview panel will consist at minimum of your primary supervisor and an independent interviewer. 

Deferrals

It is normally possible to defer your offer to a later entry point, with the approval of your supervisory team and Department PGR Director, and if applicable, funder. Please be aware that the University of Manchester permits applications to be deferred only once, for a maximum of two years. Your English Language evidence must be valid on the date of registration. 

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful, you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard programme entry criteria for that year of entry. 

 In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen programme. 

Programme details

Programme description

Our PhD Archaeology programme will see you undertake substantial original research leading to a thesis that constitutes a genuine contribution to archaeological knowledge. You can undertake your PhD as either a full-time or part-time programme.

Archaeology students often undertake some form of fieldwork as part of their PhD, such as small-scale excavation, survey, rock art recording, and working with museum collections and archives.

You could also carry out qualitative social research in the realm of heritage studies (eg conducting qualitative interviews or participant observation).

Archaeology research at Manchester is characterised by a number of themes, which give a distinctive flavour to our research and teaching. These include the study of:

  • history, theory and practice of Archaeology;
  • the archaeology of cultural identity;
  • landscape, monuments and architecture;
  • technology and society;
  • death and the body
  • archaeological heritage and the contemporary significance of the past.

Our doctoral students participate in a thriving disciplinary research culture with regular research seminars.

Many of our students undertake some undergraduate teaching following appropriate training.

Find out more about what it's like to be an Archaeology PhD student at Manchester and see what our current PhD students are working on.

Special features

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Find out more about the Graduate School

Graduate School

All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Manchester. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.

Additional programme information

Equality, diversity and inclusion  is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. 

We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact. 

We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status. 

All appointments are made on merit. 

The University of Manchester and our external partners are fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Teaching and learning

Supervision

The PhD programme is based on supervised independent research. The student-supervisor relationship thus sits at the heart of this programme.

Doctoral supervision is on a one-to-one basis, with meetings usually fortnightly in the first year.

Each student has a main supervisor, a co-supervisor and an additional panel member who acts as an independent reviewer. The Department's Postgraduate Research Officer provides more general academic advice and support.

In addition to regular personal supervision, our graduate research students each have a research panel which meets a minimum of two times per year (on more occasions if necessary).

The research panel increases the breadth of expertise available to the student and widens the informational and networking opportunities accessible to them.

In addition the panel reviews the development of the student's research proposal, provides feedback on draft chapters and conference papers, discusses research progress, and provides guidance on the formulation of realistic objectives.

Training opportunities

During the course of your programme, research postgraduates need to develop both broad generic research skills and specialised skills relevant to your specific discipline and field study.

Some of these skills will be acquired as part of our skills training, as well as a range of courses available across the University.

artsmethods@manchester  is a programme of talks, workshops and events running throughout the academic year, which explores approaches to arts research, research methods and the dissemination of arts and languages research at Manchester.

Archaeology students, especially those working on heritage research projects, also find the equivalent programme of workshops and training sessions offered by the School of Social Sciences useful.

Some training in archaeological approaches and techniques is provided through the AHRC Northwest Doctoral Consortium.

Additional bespoke training specific to the needs of individual projects is provided by PhD supervisory teams with the support of the Department's Laboratory Technician.

Finally, in conjunction with the Manchester Centre for Archaeology and Egyptology (MACE) there is increasing collaboration across the University in the area of archaeological science and support in the form of training and equipment is available to PhD students, to be negotiated on an individual basis through the supervisory team.

Coursework and assessment

The maximum length of the PhD thesis is 80,000 words. Assessment is based on the thesis and an oral examination.

Programme unit details

There are no compulsory taught units as part of the PhD programme.

However, where appropriate, you may audit undergraduate and master's course units subject to advice and approval by your supervisory panel.

You will also select from a range of research training workshops and short courses as appropriate to your doctoral research project.

Facilities

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Alan Gilbert Learning Commons Fly Through

The Manchester Museum , which is part of the University, has outstanding collections of Egyptian, Classical and prehistoric archaeology. Our students can also draw upon the resources of museums in Chester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Carlisle.

Many academic staff have close connections with national heritage bodies such as English Heritage and Historic Scotland, and postgraduates studying the conservation, management and representation of archaeological heritage often engage with these institutions, as well as with the museums mentioned above, and many more beyond the region.

Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.

Its resources for archaeology have been built up over several decades and, as a consequence, there is a substantial collection in this area.

Likewise, the social anthropology collection provides an excellent resource for postgraduate students working in the realm of anthropological archaeology.

We share a reference library with Art History, which contains key high demand texts and provides a quiet working environment. As part of the Dept of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology & Egyptology we also share a common room and library.

There are two laboratories, one of which is dedicated to postgraduate and staff research. PhD students also benefit from the support of the Department's Laboratory Technician. We also share an illustration room with Art History, which provides access to specialised illustration software and other specialised software relevant to archaeological research.

Locked storage facilities for archaeological materials are available on request.

We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.

Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.

The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

You will undertake a range of training and career development activities throughout your PhD.

The supervisory team will help you to review and develop both your generic and disciplinary skills.

You will also benefit from a wide range of opportunities to build up your CV, for instance, through participation in staff fieldwork projects, contributing to public engagement, collaboration with Manchester Museum, and participation in the University's widening participation activities, such as working with schools.

We have an excellent track record in terms of graduate employment, and many of our former doctoral students have successful and exciting careers working in universities and museums, as well as positions in local and national governments. Some have set up their own companies.

Find out more about our PhD alumni .

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help support you with your goals for the future.