Programme Overview:
- Duration:
- 1 Years
- Attendance:
- Full Time
- Mode of Delivery:
- Blended
- Next Intake:
- 2024/2025 September
- Contact Name:
- Graeme Warren
- Contact Number:
- 01 716 8613
- Fees:
- Fee Information
The MSc and Graduate Diploma in Hunter- Gatherer Archaeology is for students interested in the fascinating and remarkable world of hunter-gatherers. It is often claimed that humans have spent 90-99% of their existence as hunter-gatherers. Understanding these ways of life provides vital perspectives on human identity and the challenges and opportunities societies face today. Anthropology provides information about recent hunter-gatherers, but archaeology is the only discipline that can understand our hunter-gatherer past, and hunter-gatherer archaeology therefore has a particular significance. Our programme will introduce students to key themes in the archaeology of past hunter gatherers, the relationship between past and present hunting and gathering communities, and the contemporary context of knowledge production about hunter-gatherers. Our primary focus is the archaeology of Homo sapienshunter-gatherers: we will include some discussion of non-Homo sapiens, but this is not a course on human evolution.
You will develop skills in project design and independent research, data analysis and interpretation, communicating the past to different stakeholders, as well as how to develop different perspectives on the past. You will be part of a dynamic, friendly and international postgraduate community in a School with a 160-year history of exceptional archaeological research and you will form part of the UCD Hunter Gatherer Research Group.
Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology students have the opportunity to volunteer on many of our hunter-gatherer research projects, potentially including two weeks of excavation in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. Contact the course director (graeme.warren@ucd.ie) for details.
The MSc and Graduate Diploma will provide you with the skills required to develop a career in the archaeological profession or the heritage sector, or to go on to further academic study. Transferable skillsets such as critical thinking and project management will also provide you with an excellent grounding for future employment in other sectors. Graduates of this programme may progress to careers in:
• Further research, whether academic or professional
• Commercial archaeology and cultural resource management
• The heritage sector & Tourism
• State sector bodies
• NGOs
• Education
Curricular information is subject to change
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
The MSc and GradDip programmes are intended for applicants with a degree in archaeology, anthropology, or cognate disciplines such as geography, history, environmental studies, or professionals working in museums, heritage management or related areas. Contact us for advice and information, especially to consider relevant archaeological experience.
MSc in Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology
Programme co-ordinator: Professor Graeme Warren
Contact: graeme.warren@ucd.ie
The programme will ask you to consider two fundamental questions:
The aim is for you to find your own answers to these questions, and consequently, core modules place a strong emphasis on student-led activities and discussion. This will require a global consideration of key themes in the archaeology and anthropology of hunter-gatherers and a critical perspective on the contexts of knowledge production. The very idea that there are types of societies that can be defined as ‘hunter-gatherers’ is a product of particular contexts: a problematic blend of colonialism, racism and social evolutionary models that lies at the centre of modern Western thought. We will confront the issues that arise from this legacy. Our perspective is global, and from the deep past to the present. The main focus is on Homo sapiens – although we will consider other species of humans. This is not a course on human evolution, although the perspectives developed will be of value to those who study this.
The programme is based around a spine of modules allowing you to focus on hunter-gatherer archaeology, with options providing the opportunity to develop complementary specialisms in: Archaeology; Experimental Archaeology; and World Heritage Management. Field and practical opportunities are provided throughout the programme.
In Trimester One, the core modules include Material Culture, which is foundational to archaeological perspectives and Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology 1: key themes.This module provides an opportunity for you to generate a high-level introduction to the archaeology of hunter-gatherers and the range of interpretative frameworks, methods and techniques which have structured our practice. Your options are as outlined above.
Trimester Two includes two core modules. Research Skillswill help you design and develop your dissertation project on hunter-gatherers, supporting you in identifying research questions, topics and methods. Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology 2: knowledge production in the present asks you reflect on the relationship between archaeology and indigenous communities, the colonial legacy of archaeological thought and practice, the integration of different types of data and world views, and the communication of the results of our practice. The aim is to encourage a critical, self-reflexive awareness of how we practice our craft. This is then embedded in your capstone project, the MSc Thesis which is carried out in Trimester Three. This independent project is supervised by a member of UCD School of Archaeology staff.
It is anticipated that students will form part of the UCD Hunter-Gatherer Research Group. The HGRG host seminars, workshops etc. The aim is to provide an informal environment for researchers to meet and discuss themes of interest (and eat cake).
The MSc and Graduate Diploma in Hunter Gatherer Archaeology is for students interested in the fascinating and remarkable world of hunter-gatherers. It is often claimed that humans have spent 90 or 99% of their existence as hunter-gatherers. Understanding these ways of life provides vital perspectives on human identity and the challenges and opportunities societies face today. Archaeology is the only subject that can provide this information. Our programme will introduce students to key themes in the archaeology of past hunter gatherers, the relationship of past and present hunting and gathering communities, and the contemporary social context of knowledge production about hunter-gatherers. Our primary focus is the archaeology of Homo sapiens hunter-gatherers: we will include some discussion of non-Homo sapiens, but this is not a course on human evolution.
You will develop skills in project design and independent research, data analysis and interpretation, communicating the past to different stakeholders, as well as how to different perspectives on the past. You will be part of a dynamic, friendly and international postgraduate community in a School with a 160-year history of exceptional archaeological research and you will form part of the UCD Hunter Gatherer Research Group.
Graduate attributes
Graduates from the MSc/GDip in Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology will have
They will be
Core modules:
Autumn Trimester: Hunter-Gatherers 1: key themes
Spring Trimester: Hunter-Gatherers 2: producing knowledge
Material Culture
Research Project Skills
Optional modules:
In discussion with the Programme Coordinator, students will be advised to choose their options from one thematic area available in our other graduate programmes:
- Archaeology
- Experimental Archaeology & Material Culture
- World Heritage Management
Graduate Dissertation
(30 credits, MSc only)
Modules and topics shown are subject to change and are not guaranteed by UCD.
MSc Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology (W501) Full Time
EU fee per year - € 7990
nonEU fee per year - € 21520
***Fees are subject to change
Tuition fee information is available on the UCD Fees website. In terms of higher education, notwithstanding Brexit, UK students will still be eligible for the EU fee rate.
Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please see International Scholarships.
Students on this programme are also eligible to apply for the Kay Mahon bursary, valued at €3,000 to be set against fees. See School of Archaeology website for details.
- entry to MSc based on an Upper Second Class Honours (2H1) undergraduate degree (GPA 3.2, NFQ Level 8, or the international equivalent) in archaeology or anthropology, or other cognate disciplines (to be discussed with programme coordinator)
- entry to GradDip based on a Lower Second Class Honours (2H2) undergraduate degree (GPA 2.7, NFQ Level 8, or the international equivalent) in archaeology or anthropology, or other cognate disciplines (to be discussed with programme coordinator)
- If English is not your native language, proof of proficiency in English will be required, unless you took your primary degree through English. The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL Internet Based Test is 90, on the IELTS system it is 6.5
Deborah Buchanan
MSc Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology student, UCD School of Archaeology
“I can honestly say that the Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology programme has far exceeded my expectations. The practical
side of things really surprised me- we’ve spent a lot of time doing, not just sitting listening to lectures.
The style of teaching at UCD has also been a pleasant surprise to me. In the past I didn’t feel like I could approach lecturers, but at UCD I feel like everyone is trying to help me learn and genuinely wants me to do well.”
The following entry routes are available: