| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time 2 years part time |
| Entry year | September 2025 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Discipline | Archaeology |
| Contact |
| Typical offer | 2:2 Honours degree |
|---|---|
Overview
- Our collaborative programme, led by our departments of Archaeology and Classics and Ancient History, gives you advanced grounding in the main themes and methods in Roman Archaeology
- Balancing core elements that bring together theoretical sophistication with the latest digital methodologies
- Tailor your learning through modules which suit your requirements and aspirations
- Our location is surrounded by sites of archaeological interest and you may have opportunities for international fieldwork
Top 50 in world subject rankings for Archaeology
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Top 5 in the UK for Archaeology and Forensic Science
5th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 10 in the Complete University Guide
Ranked 9th for Archaeology in the UK
4th in the UK for internationally excellent Archaeology research
Research Excellence Framework 2021
Top 50 in world subject rankings for Archaeology
QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Top 5 in the UK for Archaeology and Forensic Science
5th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
Top 10 in the Complete University Guide
Ranked 9th for Archaeology in the UK
4th in the UK for internationally excellent Archaeology research
Research Excellence Framework 2021
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree with 53% or above in their first degree in archaeology, history, ancient history, anthropology, biology, geography, geology, chemistry, heritage, classics, classical studies, or environmental science.
While we normally only consider applicants who meet these criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.
For applicants from different academic backgrounds or with relevant work experience, please use your Personal Statement to provide additional information. This might include:
- Why you want to study this course at the University of Exeter and what personal qualities make you suitable for postgraduate study.
- Relevant background (work/degree experience).
- Lecturers/modules you are particularly interested in and why.
- Career/future ambitions and how the course will help you achieve them.
Feel free to informally contact the Programme Director (see above) for advice before submitting your formal application.
Entry requirements for international students
Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The programme is divided into units of study called modules which are assigned 'credits'. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work.
The MA in Roman Archaeology programme is a one year full-time programme of study at National Qualification Framework level 7. The programme can also be studied part time. The programme includes 120 compulsory credits, including 30 credits of general archaeology modules (Research Design and Themes in Archaeological Theory and Practice), 30 credits of specialist modules and 60 credits of Dissertation. You must also choose 60 credits of optional modules from those available from the Masters Programmes within the Department of Archaeology or the Department of Classics and Ancient History.
Interim awards
After successful completion of 60 Masters Level credits, you are eligible for a Postgraduate Certificate in Roman Archaeology. After successful completion of 120 Masters Level credits, you are eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma in Roman Archaeology.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
120 credits of compulsory modules and 60 credits of optional modules
a - You must select either ARCM700 or CLAM043 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARCM700 | Dissertation in Roman Archaeology [See note a above] | 60 |
| CLAM043 | Dissertation in Classics and Ancient History [See note a above] | 60 |
| ARCM010 | Roman Archaeology in the Digital World | 15 |
| ARCM110 | Research Design in Archaeology | 15 |
| ARCM120 | Themes in Archaeological Theory and Practice | 15 |
| CLAM108 | Rome: Globalisation, Materiality | 15 |
Optional modules
b - If you are beginning a classical language, you must take 15 to 30 credits from CLAM088, CLAM089, CLAM090, CLAM091
c - If you have a classical language at beginners' level, you must take 30 credits from either CLAM252 or CLAM202.
d - If you have a classical language at intermediate level, you must take 30 credits from CLAM254, CLAM255 or CLAM204, or CLAM205.
e - If you have a classical language at Degree level, you must take 30 credits from or CLAM068 or CLAM012A.
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MA Roman Archaeology Optional Archaeology Modules 2024-5 | ||
| ARCM005 | Professional Skills in Archaeology | 15 |
| ARCM007 | Advanced Project | 15 |
| ARCM011 | Musculature Anatomy | 15 |
| ARCM012 | Skeletal Anatomy | 15 |
| ARCM106 | Plants and Animals as Craft Resources | 15 |
| ARCM107 | Digital Pasts | 15 |
| ARCM108 | Experimental Archaeology: Research and Public Engagement | 15 |
| ARCM109 | Practical Pasts | 15 |
| ARCM111 | Approaches to Pottery: Archaeology, Archaeometry, and Experimental Archaeology | 15 |
| ARCM130 | Discovering the Past with Molecular Science | 15 |
| ARCM200 | Field Study | 15 |
| ARCM225 | Landscape Archaeology: Understanding the Historic Environment | 15 |
| ARCM300 | Material Culture | 15 |
| ARCM403 | Advanced Zooarchaeology | 15 |
| ARCM407 | Zooarchaeology | 15 |
| ARCM412 | Funerary Osteoarchaeology | 15 |
| ARCM415 | The Archaeology of Humans and Other Animals | 15 |
| ARCM501 | Researching the Historic Environment Online | 15 |
| ARCM602 | Forensic Anthropology: Principles and Practice | 15 |
| MA Roman Archaeology Optional Classics Modules 2024-5 | ||
| CLAM046 | The City of Rome | 30 |
| CLAM077 | Ancient Texts and their Interpretation | 15 |
| CLAM078 | Classical Reception: An Introduction | 15 |
| CLAM079 | Cultures of the Body in the Roman Empire | 15 |
| CLAM101 | The Western Dragon in Lore, Literature and Art | 15 |
| CLAM106 | Ancient Philosophy | 15 |
| CLAM108 | Rome: Globalisation, Materiality | 15 |
| CLAM111 | Ancient Drama in its Social and Cultural Context | 15 |
| CLAM261 | Homers Odyssey and the Caribbean | 15 |
| CLAM262 | Pandemics and disease in the ancient Mediterranean | 15 |
| CLAM259 | Ancient Epigraphy | 15 |
| CLAM263 | Magic and Folklore in the Greek and Roman Worlds | 15 |
| CLAM107 | Roman Myth | 15 |
| CLAM088 | Classical Language and Texts Greek I (A) [See note b above] | 15 |
| CLAM089 | Classical Language and Texts: Greek I (B) [See note b above] | 15 |
| CLAM090 | Classical Language and Texts: Latin I (A) [See note b above] | 15 |
| CLAM091 | Classical Language and Texts: Latin I (B) [See note b above] | 15 |
| CLAM252 | Classical Language and Texts: Latin II [See note c above] | 30 |
| CLAM202 | Classical Language and Texts: Greek II [See note c above] | 30 |
| CLAM254 | Latin III [See note d above] | 30 |
| CLAM255 | Latin IV [See note d above] | 30 |
| CLAM204 | Greek III [See note d above] | 30 |
| CLAM205 | Greek IV [See note d above] | 30 |
| CLAM012A | Latin Epic [See note e above] | 30 |
| CLAM068 | Supervised Independent Study in the Humanities [See note e above] | 15 |
Fees
2025/26 entry
UK fees per year:
£12,500 full-time; £6,250 part-time
International fees per year:
£25,300 full-time; £12,650 part-time
Scholarships
We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.
For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.
Teaching and research
Learning and teaching
Most of the formal classes that you attend will be based on a mixture of lectures, seminars, and workshops. The precise mix will vary between modules. These aim to outline the principal issues of the module, to explore some detailed issues, and, where relevant, to give you experience of working with a particular technique or data set.
Modules
Through a range of optional modules you will learn and understand advanced techniques for methodological study in modern archaeology applied to the Roman World, appreciate their major advantages and disadvantages, understand the main strands of current thinking in Roman archaeological method and theory and demonstrate an advanced understanding of specific areas and assemblages from the Roman Empire.
Practical skills
You will have a wider choice in the acquisition of practical skills in collecting and analysing relevant evidence in the field, laboratory, archives and libraries both formally in the class room and informally through fieldwork and/or access to other facilities.
The assessment of these skills is through a combination of essays, other written reports/projects, oral presentations, visual presentations, and you will be given an opportunity to develop your own study skills through a piece of individual research, a dissertation.
Research areas
This MA course draws directly on the internationally-recognised research and teaching expertise located in the Departments of Archaeology and Classics & Ancient History. In particular, it builds on the recent success of the vibrant cross-departmental Centre for Connectivity in the Roman World, which has a strong archaeological emphasis in its research activity, as well as drawing upon recent developments in Digital Humanities.
Research culture
The research culture in the Departments of Archaeology and Classics & Ancient History at Exeter is characterised by world-leading and internationally excellent research projects and publications in a wide range of sub-disciplinary fields. Interdisciplinary work is an increasingly important part of funded research and we regularly work with colleagues from across the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and the wider University.
Societies
You will be also welcome to join our Centre for Hellenistic and Romano-Greek Culture and Society, where academic staff and Postgraduate students work together to develop cutting-edge research in this area.
Find out more about our research on the Classics and Ancient History and Archaeology websites.
Dr. Ioana Oltean specialises in the archaeology of the Roman Empire, particularly in its European provinces, and in aerial archaeology.
She is interested in the reconstruction of ancient landscapes, the analysis of settlement pattern evolution and in social changes from the Late Iron Age to the Roman period in the Lower Danube area and in Britain, in order to quantify the nature and extent of their change through Roman imperialist expansion. She has been involved since 1998 in establishing aerial reconnaissance as a standard method of archaeological prospection in Romania (browse online photo archive).
Read more from Dr. Ioana Oltean
Dr. Ioana Oltean
Senior Lecturer
Facilities
As a member and key part of our Postgraduate community you will have full access to the exceptional, modern facilities available in the Archaeology Department. We have dedicated Experimental Archaeology laboratories and workshop spaces. We have a clean lab with fume cupboards for chemical work, wet labs for sample processing, a kiln room and a microscope room equipped with high specification microscopes and image processing facilities.
We have a landscape archaeology project office with a giant scanner for maps and plans, market-leading software for processing and mapping aerial photographs and satellite imagery, and we have state of the art surveying equipment which includes resistivity equipment, magnetometers, differential and hand-held GPS, and a total station theodolite; a drone can also be provided by the Digital Humanities team.
Collections
On top of all that, we also have extensive reference collections of artefacts.
You will also have access to the wider resources of the University too, including the Library and Special Collections.
We have also invested £1.2 million into Digital Humanities to create a new lab and research space for the examination and preservation of important historical, literary and visual artefacts. The lab will allow you to use high-tech equipment to find out more about our cultural heritage, examine items in greater detail and share discoveries with the public. For more information visit our Digital Humanities Lab page.
Careers
Our programme develops your specific competences and research skills required in Roman Archaeology at an advanced level through extensive engagement with primary evidence. You will also acquire advanced competence in core academic, personal and key skills, to provide a solid basis for career progression in the academic world of doctoral research or for a specialist career.
Skills
Of course doctoral study is not the only option available to you, you will graduate with a full range of skills that will make you competitive in the job market. You will be encouraged to become a productive, useful and questioning member of society.
You will be well placed to go onto work in either Archaeology or the wider Heritage Sector.
Employment support
While studying at Exeter you can also access a range of activities, advice and practical help to give you the best chance of following your chosen career path. For more information visit our Careers pages.
