Postgraduate study
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Human Osteoarchaeology MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Human Osteoarchaeology

Human skeletal remains are the most direct evidence of past lifeways and their scientific investigation gives unique insights into human history.

Bioarchaeology, also known as osteoarchaeology (the study of archaeological human remains), is a subdiscipline of biological anthropology. It is an exciting interdisciplinary field that draws on a variety of techniques, ranging from visual examination of the whole skeleton to the biomolecular analysis of small bone samples. Demographic shifts, environmental changes, migrations, lifestyles, numerous diseases and the impact of violence and conflict all leave traces on the skeleton.

This MSc provides the skills required to:

  • identify human remains, through detailed analytical skills
  • apply a wide-range of methods employed in the study of human remains
  • quantify and analyse scientific data
  • understand skeletal biographies
  • apply social theory
  • interpret human remains within their cultural context at both an individual and a population level

Combining theoretical learning with hands-on practice, we will provide you with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential to your handling and analysis of remains recovered from archaeological sites.

Breadth of expertise

We have a  wide range of expertise covering different areas, time periods and themes, including:

  • Bioarchaeology and isotope studies
  • Egyptology
  • Roman and ‘Celtic’ archaeology
  • The Byzantine World and Late Antiquity  
  • Megalithic monuments
  • Prehistory of Europe, the Mediterranean and North-East Africa
  • Early civilisations and urban societies
  • The archaeology of Scotland
  • Cultural heritage and sustainability
  • Digital heritage and heritage policy
  • Archaeomaterials analysis  
  • Human evolution
  • Conflict archaeology
  • Medieval archaeology
  • Computational archaeology
  • Marine and coastal archaeology
  • Buildings archaeology
  • Archaeological survey-Landscape Archaeology

Focal areas of research include:

  • Bioarchaeology/ Human Osteoarchaeology/ Biological Anthropology
  • Human–environment interactions
  • The transition from hunter-gatherer to farming communities
  • The development of complex societies
  • Cultural heritage perspectives on the past, present, and future

Throughout the programme, you’ll take part in lectures, seminars and practical work with archaeological skeletal assemblages and reference collections.

Drawing on Edinburgh’s long history in the study of the human body, you will also have the opportunity to visit Surgeons’ Hall Museum and the University's anatomy department, which provide unique collections of pathological and anatomical study remains.

Assessment

You will be assessed through:

  • reports
  • class tests
  • oral and poster presentations
  • essays

Courses

You will complete six compulsory courses and select one further option.

The compulsory courses on this programme are:

  • Human Musculo-Skeletal Anatomy
  • Analytical Methods in Human Osteoarchaeology
  • Quantitative Methods and Reasoning in Archaeology
  • Skeletal Pathology
  • Bioarchaeological Analysis and Interpretation
  • Research Sources and Strategies in Bioarchaeology

Option courses change from year to year and those available when you start your studies may be different from those shown in the list:

  • Practical Zooarchaeology
  • Archaeological Illustration
  • Social Bioarchaeology: Living Conditions, Lifestyles and the Impact of Disease in the Past
  • Biomolecular Archaeology: the appliance of science

Dissertation

You will also submit a dissertation on a research topic of your choosing. Past dissertations have ranged from experimental projects on violence in prehistory, to dietary studies of Chalcolithic Turkey and considerations of disease and impairment in post-medieval England.

On successful completion of the programme, you will be able to:

  • identify and interpret human skeletal remains from archaeological sites
  • develop hypothesis-testing skills
  • carry out relevant scientific analyses, often in cooperation with experts in other disciplines
  • engage in theoretical and methodological discussions relevant to osteoarchaeology
  • design research strategies based on transferable skills providing a basis for advanced studies (PhD and beyond)

Examples of career paths available to archaeology graduates (although some may require additional training) include:

  • higher education
  • heritage management and agencies
  • commercial archaeology
  • research
  • consultancy
  • tourism industry
  • government agencies and institutions
  • broadcasting
  • laboratory work

An archaeology degree does not, of course, restrict you to a career in archaeology. The programme also equips you for advanced study.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, a minimum US 3.25 GPA or international equivalent, in a relevant subject such as Archaeology, Anthropology, Anatomy, Medical Sciences and related fields. No previous knowledge of human osteology is required. Depending on the number of eligible applicants, we may need to limit the number of students admitted, based on academic merit.

We will also consider relevant experience, or professional or other qualifications.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Additional programme costs

Additional costs may be incurred if your dissertation involves fieldwork or specialist laboratory analysis.

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

Featured funding

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK government loan schemes.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your residency status.

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • School of History, Classics & Archaeology
  • William Robertson Wing
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and be complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Round Application deadline Places awarded by
1 09 January 2024 13 February 2024
2 06 March 2024 17 April 2024

Please read the application guidance for more information:

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • School of History, Classics & Archaeology
  • William Robertson Wing
  • Teviot Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9AG