I want to study archeology masters but I did an English undergraduate degree

So what I'm thinking is that I'd love to take on the more research based part of my degree into masters. I've spoken to some unis who offer archeology masters and some say English could count under related degrees but I'm wondering if anyone knows how good my chances of being accepted are because I'd assume a science undergraduate may be preferrable.

Reply 1

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Masters degrees aren’t generally very selective. If you’re willing to pay you get an offer.

There’s no penalty to universities if they accept students who struggle or fail the course. With more mature students there’s more responsibility on applicants to only apply if they think they’re capable of doing well.

Original post by CHRISSIE5

So what I'm thinking is that I'd love to take on the more research based part of my degree into masters. I've spoken to some unis who offer archeology masters and some say English could count under related degrees but I'm wondering if anyone knows how good my chances of being accepted are because I'd assume a science undergraduate may be preferrable.

Hi @CHRISSIE5,

As @PQ says, it might not be getting accepted that's the issue - most universities will allow students to take a Masters programme provided that their undergraduate degree is in 'a related discipline' and there is variance in what they consider to be 'related'.

The difficulty comes in whether you have gained the skills necessary to make a success of a Masters programme in a completely different discipline. The great thing about English as a subject is that it gives you a ton of transferable skills by way of critical thinking, reading, processing information, academic writing etc. However writing an English essay in which you are analysing a literary text is likely to be very different from writing up an account of archaeological fieldwork, which will be more scientific in its approach.

This isn't to say that you can't do it but I would recommend having a good chat with the programme lead at your chosen university - and possibly some other academics/practitioners working in the field - about what the Masters course you are interested in entails. If the programme requires lots of fieldwork and utilises methodologies that you are very unfamiliar with, it could pose a serious challenge.

If there is more training for this built into the course - or an option for you to do something pre-sessional to gain those skills (volunteering on a dig or a project over the summer for example) - then you might find you'll be fine. The key thing is to do your research beforehand to make sure that the Masters you take on is a sustainable choice for you that will deliver the outcomes you want.

Hope that helps!

Amy Louise :smile:

Original post by CHRISSIE5

So what I'm thinking is that I'd love to take on the more research based part of my degree into masters. I've spoken to some unis who offer archeology masters and some say English could count under related degrees but I'm wondering if anyone knows how good my chances of being accepted are because I'd assume a science undergraduate may be preferrable.

Archaeology degrees aren't competitive, as PQ says, unless you're aiming for the absolute top universities.

Do you have a rough idea of what area you want to specialise in? You can approach archaeology from a number of directions, and they don't necessarily have to be scientific. The MA or MSc project will be the most significant component of your degree, wherever you go, so if you can come up with a research topic which you can do without too much extra training, you shouldn't have any issue getting accepted. I know people who've come into archaeology from all kinds of backgrounds, including subjects like drama and philosophy, so English shouldn't be an issue at all.

Reply 4

CHRISSIE5

OP

11

Original post by Keele Postgraduate

Hi @CHRISSIE5,

As @PQ says, it might not be getting accepted that's the issue - most universities will allow students to take a Masters programme provided that their undergraduate degree is in 'a related discipline' and there is variance in what they consider to be 'related'.

The difficulty comes in whether you have gained the skills necessary to make a success of a Masters programme in a completely different discipline. The great thing about English as a subject is that it gives you a ton of transferable skills by way of critical thinking, reading, processing information, academic writing etc. However writing an English essay in which you are analysing a literary text is likely to be very different from writing up an account of archaeological fieldwork, which will be more scientific in its approach.

This isn't to say that you can't do it but I would recommend having a good chat with the programme lead at your chosen university - and possibly some other academics/practitioners working in the field - about what the Masters course you are interested in entails. If the programme requires lots of fieldwork and utilises methodologies that you are very unfamiliar with, it could pose a serious challenge.

If there is more training for this built into the course - or an option for you to do something pre-sessional to gain those skills (volunteering on a dig or a project over the summer for example) - then you might find you'll be fine. The key thing is to do your research beforehand to make sure that the Masters you take on is a sustainable choice for you that will deliver the outcomes you want.

Hope that helps!

Amy Louise :smile: