PhD Archaeology

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.

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.

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 

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). 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.