Archaeology - Experimental Archaeology & Material Culture

GradDip Experimental Archaeology & Material Culture
Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 60)

Course Description
UCD School of Archaeology has a growing momentum and international reputation in experimental archaeology and material culture studies. The School organised and hosted the 9th International Experimental Archaeology Conference (EAC9) in January 2015, with 200 attendees from 28 different countries.

Students of the GDip in Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture will be integrated into UCD School of Archaeology's European and global experimental archaeological and museum networks, particularly through Prof Aidan O'Sullivan's Board Membership of EXARC, the ICOMOS-affiliated worldwide network of AOAMs and experimental archaeologists.

The MSc in Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture will be based at the UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (CEAMC), the only university campus-based facility of its type in the world for dedicated experimental archaeological research and teaching.

Students who achieve a GPA of 3.2 or higher can apply to upgrade from the GDip to the MSc programme.

Who should apply?
Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

Study in an exciting, new multidisciplinary programme, with lectures by UCD staff and international experts, with practical training in laboratories and the Centre for Experimental Archaeology, and fieldtrips.

Explore and investigate though lectures, seminars, and practical project learning how people in the past understood and worked with stone, flint, clay, pottery, wood, leather, woolen and vegetal textiles, and other materials, and how they constructed and inhabited buildings developed different technologies, and made and used things.

Gain key professional skills in object and materials analyses, including the use of artefact photography, 3D laser scanning, photogrammetric modeling and visualization technologies, and GIS, and the use of optical microscopes and Scanning Electron Microscopes.
Through the MSc programme you will have access to training in Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray Diffraction, thus gaining insights into how we investigate past material culture through detailed elemental analysis.

Minimum Academic Criteria

A Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelors in Archaeology/Anthropology or a cognate area with a minimum 2.2 (NFQ Level 8 ) or international equivalent is required. Candidates from cognate disciplines (e.g. History, Classics, Art History, Geography, etc) will have demonstrated previous experience and/or awareness of Archaeological or Experimental Archaeological methods and thought, by attending during their primary degree a number of Archaeology modules and/or working for a period on an Archaeological Excavation and/or working in a Museum, or Open-Air Museum. Previous academic education and/or experience in aspects of Crafts and/or Material Culture Studies will also be considered by the School. The School would reserve the right to assessing the extent and quality of such previous studies and experience. Applicants are required to submit original academic transcripts.

Additional Essential Criteria

A statement outlining the applicant's previous experience in Archaeology,, and/or cognate disciplines and the reasons for pursuing the degree, and the reasons why UCD is being chosen. Every applicant should complete this part of the application which should be approximately 300-500 words. Applicants whose first language is not English are also required to submit evidence of their English Language proficiency. It is expected that applicants will normally have reached on overall 7.0 in IELTS or equivalent. Foreign Language documentation must be accompanied by an official translation. If applicants are unable to provide final transcripts or any other required documentation by the closing date, they should contact the School directly by e-mail prior to this date.

References

For non UCD students and for UCD students who have not yet completed their Undergraduate degree, TWO references must accompany your application: one MUST be academic from the institution where your primary degree was awarded; the second reference can either be academic or from a professional employer in archaeology or from a cognate profession.

Please submit, or have your referees submit, a copy of a reference on your behalf via the Student Desk connector or email it to documentverification@ucd.ie

The following entry routes are available:

Grad Dip in Experimental Archaeology & Material Culture FT (W373)

Deadline
Rolling*

Grad Dip in Experimental Archaeology & Material Culture PT (W374)

Deadline
Rolling*

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.