Please note: I originally wrote this post a few years ago in order to outline the available human osteology/bioarchaeology postgraduate courses in the United Kingdom as a guideline for the degree fees and availability. However since then a number of substantial national and international changes have occurred. These include, but are not limited to, the increase of undergraduate tuition fees to £9000.00 per academic year; the general increase of the price of Masters degrees; the new availability of student loans for Masters students; changes to Disabled Students Allowance from the 16/17 academic year onward; the transfer of some Student Finance grants to loans; the Government White paper released in May 2016 outlining challenges and changes needed in higher education, etc. There is also ongoing discussion between the government and the educational sector regarding the pricing of courses according to economic worth and employability.
One of the more important changes was the outcome of the referendum in the United Kingdom whether it to remain or not a part of the European Union. The resultant outcome led to the voting majority opting to leave the European Union. This is due to happen in 2019, with a probable period of transition that has yet to be agreed in parliament, but the Government of the United Kingdom recently stated that it would guarantee European Union funding for projects signed before the Autumn Statement until 2020.
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Whilst I was doing some light research for another article I made a quick list of every course in the United Kingdom that offers human osteology as a taught masters (either as an MA, Masters of Arts, or as an MSc, Masters of Science) or offers a distinctive human osteology module or component within a taught masters degree. Human osteology is the study of human skeletal material from archaeological sites. Human osteologists study bones to identify age, biological sex, pathology and pre- and post-mortem trauma alongside other avenues of research in human behaviour and activity, such as investigating diet and mobility of post populations. The subject is generally only taught at a Masters level within the United Kingdom, although some undergraduate courses in archaeology offer the opportunity to take individual modules during the third year of study.
Within the list England as a whole is well represented within the universities highlighted, Scotland only comes in with three entries, Wales has two courses coming online in 2019, and finally Northern Ireland, as far as I know, offer no distinctive osteological courses at the Masters level. Further to this, the reader should be aware that some universities, such as the University of Leicester, offer commercial or research centers for human and animal osteology yet run no specific postgraduate courses that provide the training in the methods of osteoarchaeology. Thus they are excluded from this list.
This information is correct as of March 2018, but please expect at least some of the information to change, especially in relation to course fees for United Kingdom, European Union, and international students. It should be noted here that the higher education sector in the United Kingdom is internationally well-regarded and the educational institutions are often in the top 10% in world league tables; however it can be very expensive to study here, especially so in the consideration of prospective international students. Please also take note of the cost of renting (especially in London and the south of the country generally) and the high cost of daily living compared to some countries. The list is not an exhaustive attempt to collate all British post-graduate courses in human osteology and bioarchaeology and I am happy to add any further information or to correct any entries.
Other Sources & Prospective Student Advice
The British Archaeological Jobs and Resources (BAJR) site, ran by David Connolly, also has a plethora of useful resources to check as well as an active Facebook group which is a great place to ask for advice. The British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) site contains a page with a useful link of current human osteology and bioarchaeology courses in the United Kingdom accessible in the Student Hub area, however it is only view-able for paid up members of BABAO. If you are interested in human skeletal remains and are keen to learn more about the human osteology profession in the United Kingdom I heavily suggest joining BABAO for their support, annual conference and access to grants for students.
I’ve also written a second post to compliment this one which entails what you, as a prospective student, should keep in mind when looking at degree courses to pursue. You can check out that post by clicking the title here: Questions to remember when considering a postgraduate course in human osteology. Since the posting of this blog entry it has come to my attention that a number of universities now offer postgraduate courses as diplomas, which enable prospective students to undertake either practical modules or assignments or instead offer commercial certification in place of the typical formal requirement of the dissertation thesis. This may be something to think on if you are seeking to work in commercial osteology for archaeological units or forensic companies, rather than heading into academic research or academia itself.
An example of an archaeological skull. Image credit: source.
Please note that the fees stated are for full-time students only. For part-time students the price is normally halved and the course carried out over two years, instead of the usual one year that is common for Masters within the United Kingdom. Several universities also have stipulations that international students are barred from taking MSc/MA course part-time.
MA/MSc Degrees in England
Bournemouth University:
- MSc Forensic Anthropology (UK/EU £6250 and International £15,000).
- MSc Biological Anthropology (UK/EU £6500 and International £15,000).
University of Bradford:
- MSc Archaeological Science (UK/EU £7960 and International £18,480).
- MSc Forensic Archaeology and Crime Science Investigation (UK/EU £7960 and International £18,480).
- MSc Forensic Archaeology and Crime Science Investigation Diploma (UK/EU £6370 and International £17,800).
- MSc Human Osteology and Palaeopathology (UK/EU £7960 and International £18,480).
- MSc Human Osteology and Palaeopathology Diploma (UK/EU £6370 and International £17,800).
University of Cambridge:
- MPhil Human Evolution (amazingly there are 18,000 skeletons in the Duckworth Collection!).
Cranfield University:
- MSc Forensic Investigation (UK/EU £10,000 and International £20,000).
- MSc Forensic Investigation Diploma (UK/EU £8000 and International £16,200).
- MSc Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology (UK/EU £10,000 and International £20,000).
- MSc Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology Diploma (UK/EU £8000 and International £16,200).
University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN):
- MSc Forensic Anthropology (UK/EU £6500 and International £13,950).
University College London:
- MSc Bioarchaeological and Forensic Anthropology (UK/EU £10,410 and International £21,440).
- MSc Palaeoanthropology and Palaeolithic Archaeology (UK/EU £10,410 and International £21,440).
University of Durham:
- MSc Bioarchaeology (UK/EU £8000 and International £18,500).
- MSc Palaeopathology (UK/EU £8000 and International £18,500).
University of Exeter:
- MSc Bioarchaeology (Offers choice of one of three core pathway topics, including human osteology, zooarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology) (UK/EU £7995 and International £16,995).
Universities of Hull and York Medical School:
- MSc Human Evolution (A very interesting course, combining dissection and evolutionary anatomy) (UK/EU £7940 and International £20,910).
University of Liverpool:
- MSc Palaeoanthropology (UK/EU £6200 and International £14,050).
Liverpool John Moores University:
- MSc Bioarchaeology (UK/EU £6500 and international £14,450).
- MSc Forensic Anthropology (UK/EU £6500 and international £14,450).
University of Manchester:
- MSc Biomedical and Forensic Studies in Egyptology (course under review).
University of Oxford:
- MSt/MSc Archaeological Sciences (UK/EU and International please inquire).
University of Sheffield:
- MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology (includes human dissection) (UK/EU £9100 and International £20,500).
- MSc Osteoarchaeology (UK/EU £9100 and International £20,500).
- MSc Palaeoanthropology (includes human dissection) (UK/EU £9100 and International £20,500).
University of Southampton:
- MSc Archaeology (Bioarchaeology) (UK/EU £9250 and International £17,546).
- MSc Archaeology (Palaeoanthropology) (UK/EU £9250 and International £17,546).
- MA Osteoarchaeology (UK/EU £9250 and International £17,546).
University of Winchester:
- MRes Human Bioarchaeology (UK/EU £5500 and International £12,950).
- MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Studies (UK/EU £5500 and International £12,950).
University of York:
- MSc Bioarchaeology (UK/EU £7580 and International £16,780).
- MSc Early Prehistory (UK/EU £7580 and International £16,780).
- MSc Zooarchaeology (UK/EU £7580 and International £16,780).
- MA Field Archaeology (UK/EU £7580 and International £16,780).
- MA Mesolithic Studies (UK/EU £7580 and International £16,780).
MA/MSc Degrees in Scotland
University of Aberdeen
- MSc Osteoarchaeology (UK/EU £6300 and International £16,900).
University of Dundee:
- MSc Anatomy and Advanced Forensic Anthropology (includes human dissection using Thiel cadavers) (UK/EU £15,950 and International cost £17,950).
- MSc Forensic Anthropology (UK/EU £15,950 and International cost £17,950).
- MSc Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology (UK/EU £15,950 and International cost £17,950).
- MSC Human Anatomy (includes human dissection using Thiel cadavers) (Both UK/EU and International cost is £15,950).
University of Edinburgh:
- MSc Human Osteoarchaeology (UK/EU £11,500 and International £21,300).
MA/MSc Degrees in Wales
Wrexham Glyndwy University*:
- MRes Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology (UK/EU £7000 and International £15,000).
- MSc Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology (UK/EU £7000 and International £15,000).
*In conjunction with Cyprus Institute of Sciences and Humanities (CYPISH) and the Centre for Forensic Anthropology & Bioarchaeology (CeFAB), from 2019. No current course pages exists, this post will be updated when there is a dedicated MRes and MSc web-pages.
The following universities offer short courses in human osteology, osteology, forensics or zooarchaeology
Short Courses in England
Cranfield University:
- A 5 day long course in Fundamentals of Forensic Anthropology: Osteology (Company £1750, Individuals £766 or Students £383).
- A 5 day long course in Further Forensic Fundamentals: Identification (Company £1750, Individuals £766 or Students £383).
University of Bradford:
- On occasion run a palaeopathology course, please check the university website for details.
University of Sheffield:
- A 3 day Human Osteology short course (awaiting website updates).
- Understanding Zooarchaeology short course (£140 to £240 dependent on status).
Note: I am still genuinely surprised there are not more short courses. If you find any in the United Kingdom please feel free to drop a comment below.
A University of Hull and Sheffield joint excavation at Brodsworth carried out in 2008 helped to uncover and define a Medieval cemetery. Image credit: University of Hull.
A Few Pieces of Advice
A piece of advice that I would give to prospective students is that I would strongly advise researching your degree by visiting the universities own webpages, finding out about the course specifics and the module content. If possible I’d also visit the department and tour the facilities available and seek advice from the course leader with regards to potential research interests. I would also always advise to try to contact a past student and to gain their views on the course that they have attended previously. They will often offer frank advice and information, something that can be hard to find on a university webpage or from a course leader. Also please do be aware of the high cost of the United Kingdom higher education as prices have been raised considerably in the past few years and are likely to rise again, especially so in comparison to cheaper courses on the European continent.
Finally, if you know of any other human osteology or bioarchaeology Masters or short courses in the United Kingdom please do comment below or send me an email and I will add it to the list here.
