Study at Cardiff | Postgraduate

European Neolithic (MA)

This is one of four pathways for the MA Archaeology programme. For details other pathway options please see the MA Archaeology course.

Course Aims

The Neolithic is at the forefront of research in many European countries; its academic profile is very high indeed. As an academic theme, it provides excellent material for postgraduate study at Masters level, either as a challenging end in itself, or as a stepping-stone towards PhD research and a career as a specialist in European prehistory. Studying Cardiff's MA pathway in the European Neolithic, you will also acquire valuable transferable skills, from research methods and the handling and presentation of data to public speaking and writing for professional audiences.

Special Features

• Training in research methods and skills
• Wide choice of regional options for detailed study (covering Greece and the Balkans; central Europe; Western Europe; and Britain and Ireland).
• Expert supervision of dissertation on European topics by research-active staff.

Course Description

The Neolithic encompasses some of the most important transformations in prehistory: people settling down, adopting and developing agriculture and animal husbandry, taking on new forms of material culture, extending networks of exchange, establishing long-lived sites and building monuments. These new practices were not just the result of new technologies or subsistence economies; they were deep rearrangements of the ways in which people lived their lives and how they structured their communities. The Neolithic therefore sets a series of unanswered questions about origins and identity, what people believed about the world, their past and themselves, the nature of their relations with others, and the rate and kind of change over several millennia.

Course Structure

Students take a total of 180 credits of modules, consisting of:

• 40 credits of core skills modules
• 80 credits of option modules selected by the student
• 60 credit dissertation (topic or theme chosen by the student in consultation with academic staff)

Please see the Archaeology and Conservation website for more course and module information.

Skills Acquired

Upon completion of the MA in Archaeology (and all other MA and MScs offered in Archaeology and Conservation at Cardiff), students will have acquired the following skills.

Intellectual skills, including the ability to critically evaluate evidence and its interpretation and to be tolerant of differing interpretations; to sustain a logical argument and reach a conclusion that can be defended; to synthesise and analyse information; to compare and contrast theoretical explanations and to integrate different methodologies.

Communication skills, including the ability to communicate orally in an appropriate professional medium; to make presentations both as an individual and as part of a group; to write effectively at an advanced level.

Numeracy skills, including the ability to display and present numerical data in appropriate formats; and to analyse numerical data and solve basic mathematical and statistical problems.

Information technology skills, including the ability to produce and calculate values using a spreadsheet; to produce and query databases; to use e-mail, the Internet and the World Wide Web; to find, manage and utilise information and data.

Personal skills, including the ability to manage workloads; to adapt and apply skills to new contexts; to assess and formulate priorities, constraints and goals and to adapt to changing circumstances.

Entry Requirements

1st or upper 2nd class UK Honours degree in an appropriate subject. Suitable for graduates in Archaeology and related humanities and social science disciplines.

Students whose first language is not English will be required to pass an IELTS test (minimum 6.5) or equivalent.

Note: International students pursuing part-time programmes of study are not eligible for Tier 4 (General Student) visas and must have alternative leave to remain in the UK if they intend to study at the University in person.

How to Apply

Applications can be made for this course via our Online Application Service selecting the MA European Neolithic option from the list. Applicants should use the Personal Statement section of the form to outline their area of interest and, if possible, the topic that they hope to research for their dissertation.

Funding

For information on funding available for Masters students at the School of History, Archaeology and Religion please see the school's funding information.

Next intake: September each year

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