Birkbeck’s MA Archaeological Practice offers hands-on postgraduate training that is grounded in the latest theories and techniques. The course meets the need for work-based professional training in archaeology and it will help you understand how contemporary archaeologists think, draw and write about archaeology. You can take advantage of the expertise of world-leading academics across the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

We will introduce you to the major techniques, principal bodies of evidence, research themes and concepts of archaeology. The curriculum addresses the perceived divide between theory and practice in archaeological fieldwork and cultural resource management. It aims to produce a new kind of professional: one who is theoretically aware but also grounded in the craft of archaeology. In doing so, the course will also develop your capacity for interdisciplinary, innovative research, based on the critical, integrated study of landscape, architecture and material culture. Context, and an engagement with its material and historical conditions, is crucial to this training.

• In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), History at Birkbeck was ranked sixth in the UK for the percentage of our research deemed world-leading or internationally excellent. Of our eligible staff, 94% submitted research, and we achieved 100% for a research environment supporting world-leading and internationally excellent research.
• All master’s students are eligible to apply for our prestigious Eric Hobsbawm Scholarships, subject to availability. One of the most influential historians of the twentieth century, Eric Hobsbawm taught at Birkbeck for over five decades and embodied what is central to our teaching and research: a continued commitment to critical enquiry and public engagement.
• Our department is home to thriving student societies and a number of affiliated research centres that actively run seminars, conferences and other events where some of the world's best scholars present their latest research. These include the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism, the Raphael Samuel History Centre and the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities.
• We are also at the heart of academic London with access to world-class research resources. We are five minutes' walk from the British Museum and the British Library, and the Institute of Historical Research - with its internationally renowned library collection and seminars that you can attend - is nearby. The Museum of London is a short tube ride away.
• Birkbeck Library has an extensive history collection, including the major specialist journals, and access to online materials.

Graduates go into careers in developer-funded archaeology, heritage and conservation, or museums. Possible professions include archaeologist, researcher, or heritage manager. This degree may also be useful in becoming a historic buildings inspector/conservation officer, higher education lecturer, social researcher, or tourism officer.

We offer a comprehensive Careers Service to help you advance your career, while our in-house, professional recruitment consultancy, Birkbeck Talent, works with London’s top employers to help you gain work experience that fits in with your evening studies.