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Faculty of Chemistry and Earth SciencesGeoarchaeology – Master

Facts & Formalities

DegreeMaster of Science
Type of programmeConsecutive
Start of programmeWinter semester only
Standard period of study4 semesters
Language(s) of instructionGerman
Fees and contributions151.05 € / Semester
Application procedureConsecutive master’s programmes with access restriction
Application deadlinesInformation about deadlines can be obtained after you have put together a degree program.
Part-time optionYes

Course Content

The knowledge acquired in a Bachelor’s degree programme in geography, earth sciences or pre- and protohistory/archaeology is furthered during the Master’s degree programme in Geoarchaeology, whereby students also gain insight into additional subject areas. Having successfully completed their Bachelor’s degree in a related area, students are able to select lectures and courses at Master’s level according to their own interests. Topics fall into the fields of analysis and environmental archives, geoarchaeological field work, and current cultural spatial research, all of which are considered in view of the most up-to-date, international research.  

Field and laboratory work are highly relevant to the current research projects being carried out by one or more of the relevant University institutes, including the Geography Institute, the Institute of Earth Sciences, and the Institute of Prehistory, Protohistory and Near-Eastern Archaeology, as well as the Institute of Classical Archaeology and Byzantine Archaeology.

Course Structure

Depending on the nature of the student’s Bachelor’s degree, the consecutive, research-orientated Master’s degree programme in Geoarchaeology has been developed to avoid any repetition of material which students will have acquired at Bachelor’s level. 

  • A: Course selection for Master’s students with a Bachelor’s degree in geography or earth sciences 
  • B: Course selection for Master’s students with a Bachelor’s degree in pre- and protohistory or in another field-based, object-orientated form of archaeology 
  • C: Course selection for Master’s students with a Bachelor’s degree with a 50% weighting in pre- and protohistory or an equivalent qualification in archaeology, and a 50% weighting in geography and/or earth sciences. 

In the first and second semester, students receive an introduction to the new subject areas. They subsequently gain advanced knowledge and specialise via the selection of compulsory elective modules. Parallel to this, students gain deeper knowledge about the topics covered at Bachelor’s level. As a backbone during the masters program, students work within an interdisciplinary “research group” on a current research topic. 

Because Geoarchaeology involves research and analysis in the field, archaeological training excavations, practice field work, as well as work in the laboratory, hands-on experience forms a key part of the academic programme. In addition to compulsory course elements, students may also participate in additional lectures and courses in this area. This widens the students’ field of experience and their horizons and is therefore strongly recommended.