MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology
About this course
MA (Hons) in Archaeology and Social Anthropology, an anthropology and archaeology degree examining past and present human societies. Core topics include Research Methods, Fieldwork, and Human Behaviour. Students complete three weeks of archaeological fieldwork at the end of the first year and finish the programme with a supervised dissertation. The first year introduces site discovery, excavation, artefact analysis, and anthropological themes such as gender, work, and the body. The second year explores Scottish archaeology and the ways environments shape human behaviour, alongside practical group work involving participant observation and interviews. The third year covers the history of archaeology, archaeological theory, contemporary professional practice, and anthropological theory. In the fourth year, students complete a dissertation which can be focused on archaeology, social anthropology, or a topic bridging both disciplines.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB (required: no specific A level subjects required) IB: 34 points with 655 at HL
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Admissions (2022 entry, home applicants)
Offer rate 64%: 55 offers from 86 applications, from the university's Freedom of Information return.
What students say
Based on about 6 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 93%
- Learning opportunities: 87%
- Assessment and feedback: 67%
- Academic support: 91%
- Organisation and management: 91%
- Learning resources: 91%
- Student voice: 79%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 80%
- Left higher education: 20%
What graduates do next
Based on about 33 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 76%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 2%
- Unemployed: 4%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 5%
- Customer service occupations: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 65%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 15 graduates, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- North West: 5%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 5%
- East Midlands: 5%
- London: 15%
- Scotland: 75%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 65%
- Baccalaureate: 10%
- Other HE qualification: 10%
- No formal qualifications: 10%
Modules
- methods of site discovery
- excavation
- recording and analysing artefacts
- scientific analysis of animal and human remains
- gender
- personhood
- work and making a living
- the house
- consumption and exchange
- health
- the body
- climate change
- hunger
- wellbeing
- body modification
- human rights
- further fieldwork
- projects in heritage management and public engagement
- lab-based analysis of archaeological remains
- the recolonization of Scotland after the last ice age
- the world heritage sites in the 'heart' of Scotland (such as Neolithic Orkney)
- the ways the environment shapes human behaviour
- the lasting impact activities like farming had on the Scottish landscape
- the Roman advances into Scotland
- practical group work involving participant observation
- writing of field-notes
- conducting interviews
- Study the history of archaeology from its antiquarian beginnings in the 18th and 19th centuries and its development as an academic discipline.
- Consider the theories that archaeologists have used to understand and interpret the remains that they have found and examine how these ideas have changed over the past 150 years.
- Study the contemporary practice of archaeology in the UK and beyond. You will gain insights into the roles and activities of professional archaeologists, and the practical and transferable skills sought by employers in the cultural heritage sector.
- Mesolithic and Neolithic Europe
- the prehistoric Mediterranean
- ancient Egypt
- archaeology of human remains
- archaeological illustration
- conflict archaeology
- ritual and monumentality
- scientific methods in bio-archaeology
- anthropological theory
- kinship
- ritual and religion
- consumption, exchange and technology
- Choose two archaeology courses and two social anthropology courses from a wide range of honours-level options.
- Complete a dissertation, which can be written and supervised in archaeology, social anthropology, or on a topic bridging these disciplines.
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh earn?
The median salary is £30,000 after 15 months, £19,000 after 3 years, £23,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £19,500 and £29,000. The £23,000 median after five years is £7,500 less than the UK median for Anthropology.
What do graduates of MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh do next?
87% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh?
93% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 147 UCAS points.
What is the offer rate for MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh?
64% of home applicants received an offer for 2022 entry: 55 offers from 86 applications, according to the university's Freedom of Information return.
Does MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on MA Archaeology and Social Anthropology at University of Edinburgh?
80% of students continued into their second year, and 20% left higher education.