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Archaeology

MPhil/PhD

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Key information

Key information for 2026-27

Start date:
January 2027 | April 2027
Study route:

  • Four years full-time, on campus

  • Seven years part-time, online

  • Seven years part-time, on campus

Status:
Fully approved
Location:
ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | On campus | Online

Key information for 2027-28

Start date:
October 2027 | January 2028 | April 2028
Study route:

  • Seven years part-time, on campus

  • Four years full-time, on campus

  • Seven years part-time, online

Status:
Fully approved
Location:
ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | On campus | Online

Course Overview

Our research areas include: Early and Later Prehistory, Classical Greek, Hellenistic and Roman Republican archaeology; Roman provincial archaeology; and late antique and early medieval archaeology, with a focus on the eastern Mediterranean and western Indian Ocean. Key specialisms include: archaeology of human evolution, archaeology of prehistoric architecture, archaeology of urban settlement, archaeology of cult and ritual, death and burial, port archaeology, social archaeology, archaeology and photography, attitudes to the past, post-colonialism and archaeology, and interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies in history and archaeology.

A research degree offers you the opportunity to acquire a highly advanced set of conceptual skills developed in the pursuit of new knowledge, which can be applied within or beyond an academic or scholarly context. Research training in any academic discipline helps to channel creativity into critical innovatory reasoning. The legitimate authority of original, independent research depends upon persuasive analytical arguments supported by critically evaluated evidence.

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. .

This programme is also available via distance learning, which makes it ideal if your work, family or personal commitments make coming into ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú difficult, if you are living in another country, or if you live near an archive, museum or site that is central to your research. You can conduct all of your supervisions via other virtual meeting software. You will have to visit the main ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú campus in Bloomsbury, central London at the end of your first year (full-time students) or your second year (part-time students), during MPhil/PhD Induction Week. You will also need to visit London for your upgrade from MPhil and to present a paper (these may be scheduled to coincide), and you will also usually need to be present in London for your PhD viva, at the end of your programme.

If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you will only be able to apply for the on-campus study option for this course. The online option will not be available to you because it may affect the conditions of your visa.

Attendance

Regular meetings with your supervisor(s).

More Highlights

  • ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú was ranked in the top eight universities in the UK for its History research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.Ìý
  • ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú’s research excellence overall was confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
  • We work closely with staff at the British Museum and the British School at Rome, as well as with archaeological superintendents in Italy, and can give advice about summer schools in both Athens and Rome.
  • This programme is also available via distance learning, allowing you to study outside London.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirement for this MPhil/PhD Archaeology is a confirmed (or predicted) Merit or above at MA level in ancient history, archaeology, classical studies, classics, history or a related discipline, with a distinction in the dissertation. Students applying for the MPhil/PhD by distance learning will need a distinction at MA level (or equivalent) in the aforementioned disciplines.

  • What are the English language requirements?

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each of the sub-tests and at least 7.0 in writing.

    If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

    Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

  • What are the visa and funding requirements?

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú (with the exception of some modules).

    As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study  (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

School of Historical Studies

The school is intensively interdisciplinary and its research and teaching covers every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century.

Visit the school

Fees

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in January 2027

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £2,780 per year
Full-time home students: £5,238 per year
Part-time international students: £8,230 per year
Full-time international students: £16,285 per year

MPhil/PhD: Seven years part-time, online, starting in January 2027

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £2,780 per year
Full-time home students: £5,238 per year
Part-time international students: £8,230 per year
Full-time international students: £16,285 per year

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in April 2027

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £2,780 per year
Full-time home students: £5,238 per year
Part-time international students: £8,230 per year
Full-time international students: £16,285 per year

MPhil/PhD: Seven years part-time, online, starting in April 2027

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £2,780 per year
Full-time home students: £5,238 per year
Part-time international students: £8,230 per year
Full-time international students: £16,285 per year

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2027

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

MPhil/PhD: Seven years part-time, online, starting in October 2027

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

MPhil/PhD: Seven years part-time, online, starting in January 2028

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in January 2028

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

MPhil/PhD: Seven years part-time, online, starting in April 2028

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

MPhil/PhD: Four years full-time or seven years part-time, on campus, starting in April 2028

Academic year 2027-28

To be confirmed

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.

Lifelong Learning Guarantee

If you’ve studied at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

Fees and finance

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £30,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: . Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú.

Do you offer international scholarships?

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship.

ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú's campus is located in the historic and vibrant Bloomsbury area of central London - named one of the best places to live in London 2025 by .

Our Research Culture

We are located just five minutes' walk from the British Museum and 10 minutes from the British Library.

Other nearby specialist centres of research include the , the  and the , all of which offer .

Study resources include a regular work-in-progress seminar for research students and staff, and various courses on ancillary skills, including how to read medieval and early modern documents, how to locate sources in various fields, languages and computing. We also offer PhD thesis-writing workshops and methodological masterclasses, in which historians discuss how they produce their work and overcome particular challenges. Increasingly ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú is funding student-organised conferences and sponsoring special courses that teach non-English languages for reading and research. Research students also have access to events offered by the Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, which includes UCL, King’s College London, LSE and SOAS, among others.

Besides over 30 regular research seminars at the Institute of Historical Research, there are also numerous specialist lectures and talks at neighbouring institutions during term-time.

Through our international links, it is now possible for ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú PhD Archaeology students to visit the following partner institutions: Columbia University, USA; Queen's University, Canada; Università di Pisa, University of Verona and European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy (one-term exchange). Research students from these institutions may also spend six months studying at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú.

Find out more about our vibrant research culture.

Finding a Supervisor

A crucial factor when applying for postgraduate study in archaeology is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors.

Find out more about the research interests of our academic staff:

For details of other staff working in related areas, see the MPhil/PhD History.

How to Apply

Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú:

  1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.
  2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. Check the ‘Find a Supervisor’ area on this page or search our staff directory.
  3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the school they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish  if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.) Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research.
  4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding.
  5. Apply directly to ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú, using the 'Apply Now' link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe.

What are the application deadlines?

You can apply, and start studying, at any time during the year.

If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.

Related courses

Study routes for Archaeology (MPhil/PhD)

Please select a study route below to continue your application.

Please note that international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK can only apply for full-time, on campus routes.

Starting in January 2027

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in April 2027

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in October 2027

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in January 2028

Full-time

Part-time

Starting in April 2028

Full-time

Part-time