Bioarchaeology (MSc)

Course content

Through a combination of academic studies, practical training and dissertation research, this course provides a thorough grounding in all aspects of bioarchaeology theory, investigation and practice:

• Semester 1 - two cores and one option module
• Semester 2 - two options and an 80 credit dissertation
• Summer Semester - 80 credit dissertation continued

Modules Dissertation Modules Core modules Ancient Biomolecules The Archaeology of the Human Skeleton Option modules You'll choose option modules from examples including: Animal bones for Archaeologists Biomolecular Laboratory Techniques Caring for Collections: Principles of Practice Data Science for Archaeology Practical Skills in Virtual Anatomy and Morphology Professional Practice: Zooarchaeology or Human Osteology Skeletal Evidence for Health in the Past Zooarchaeology in Context You'll also have the opportunity to choose options from our full module catalogue. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available will confirmed after you begin your course. Archaeologies of Colonialism in the British Atlantic World Artefacts and Materials Analysis Becoming Human Building Conservation Projects Buildings Recording Contemporary Issues in Museums Critical Approaches to Archaeological Practice Death, Burial and Commemoration in the Roman World Debates in Funerary Archaeology Digital Creativity Digital Approaches to Archaeology Experimental Archaeology GIS and spatial analysis Heritage Principles and Concepts Histories of Conservation Landscape survey and geophysics Life and Death in Iron Age Britain and Ireland Making the Nation Medieval Settlement and Communities Mesolithic Life and Death Museums, Audiences & Interpretation Presenting Historic Houses Project Management Researching & Analysing Historic Buildings Roman Archaeology: Ancient pasts, current issues Roman Europe Sustainability I: definitions of sustainability & methods of assessment Sustainability II: understanding sustainability as change through time Sustainable Buildings: Carbon, Retrofit and Reuse Sustainable Conservation Challenges The Ancient Celts: Archaeology and Identity in Iron Age Europe The Archaeology of Roman Religion The Viking Age: People, Places, Things Thinking through Material Culture Understanding & Interpreting Historic Buildings Virtual Reality and 3D Modelling Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Dissertation You'll complete a 10,000-word dissertation on your research. You will receive support, advice and guidance from your dissertation supervisor throughout your project. The range of expertise of our staff means we can provide you with guidance on a wide range of topics. You will have one-to-one meetings with supervisors across Semester 2 and the Summer Semester. Examples of previous dissertations include: Specialised Processing of Aquatic Resources in Prehistoric Alaskan Pottery? A Lipid-Residue Analysis of Ceramic Shards from the Thule-Period Site of Nunalleq Alaska. Arctic 51, 86–100 Application of proteomics to mummies and dental calculus Pathogens and host immunity in the ancient human oral cavity. Nat. Genet. 46, 336–344. Direct evidence of milk consumption from ancient human dental calculus. Sci. Rep. Roman Leicester and York: a stable isotope investigation Violence or Accident: Trauma among Anglo-Saxon populations of Norton Examining the existence and extent of tuberculosis in two Roman Leicester populations