MSc Bioarchaeology

Core units:

• Principles & Methods in Human Osteology: This unit will introduce you to human osteology and the principles of analysis and interpretation involved in the study of skeletal remains of modern humans from archaeological and forensic contexts, focusing on the anatomy of hard tissues and related soft tissue structures and the principles and application of biological profiling from the skeleton. Specific characteristics covered include age at death, biological sex, stature, metric and non-metric variation. You’ll also gain an understanding of the differences between human and non-human animal bone.
• Principles & Methods in Zooarchaeology: This unit provides a solid foundation in the principles and practice for identification of skeletal remains of mammals and birds and the recording and analytical methods currently employed in the study of animal bones from archaeological sites. You’ll also develop your knowledge of the principles and scope of zooarchaeological studies and an appreciation of how zooarchaeological data inform our understanding of past human societies and how animal bone studies are integrated with other aspects of archaeology.  
• Research Project: You’ll explore in detail core aspects of your subject area while developing methodological, research and presentation skills. You may develop a research paper suitable for publication in an externally recognised journal, or a dissertation.

Option units:

• Palaeoanthropology and Palaeolithic Archaeology: This unit covers the global record of hominin evolution from the divergence of the human lineage from that of the chimpanzees, until the end of the Pleistocene. You will explore the many lines of evidence which contribute to our understanding of the evolution of hominins and their relevance for understanding hominin evolution, earth sciences and ancient DNA to name a few

• Applications of Zooarchaeological Science: On this unit you’ll develop advanced faunal identification skills and a firm foundation in the identification and interpretation of skeletal remains from a diverse range of taxa, including: large mammals; small mammals; amphibians and reptiles; birds; and fish. You’ll also explore case studies to promote your understanding of the potential applications of zooarchaeological science in order to investigate past human societies

• Archaeology of the Dead: Disease,Decay and Funerary Interpretation: The unit considers changes that take place both during an individual’s life and after death that produce variations in the nature and appearance of the skeleton. Such sources of variation during life include disease processes and injuries affecting bone, whilst relevant post-mortem events include decomposition processes, changes caused by aspects of the burial environment and alteration by burning. Themes include demography, health and disease, care, violence and conflict, with subsequent consideration of funerary theory and archaeothanatology, informed by fundamental considerations of taphonomy and degradation.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:1 in a required subject.
• Required subjects include: Archaeology, History, Biological sciences, Biological Anthropology, Anthropology, Forensic Investigation, Forensic Biology, Forensic Science

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55% 
• Nigeria:  Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4
• China:  Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above 
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0 
• Vietnam:  Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or 2.25/4, or a Master’s degree/Thac si. 
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade of 2.5 or above
• USA: US Bachelor's degree (4 years), with a 2.5 GPA or above

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

There are lots of exciting careers you can embark on once you've graduated from BU. Below is a list of what some of our graduates are up to now.

Russel Harris

Russel graduated from BU with an undergraduate degree BSc (Hons) Archaeology in 2002 and stayed at BU to complete a MSc degree in Forensic Archaeology which he graduated from in 2004. Russel then went on to be employed by Lincolnshire Police as a Crime Analyst before specialising as an Financial Investigator.

Bernice Jones

Bernice is a former undergraduate obtaining a BSc (Hons) Archaeological and Forensic Sciences degree in 2019 and a recent MSc Bioarchaeology degree in 2020. Her MSc dissertation focused on Zooarchaeology. Bernice now works for Oxford Archaeology which is one of the biggest Commercial archaeology companies in the UK.

Sam Walker

Sam is a former BU Archaeology undergraduate and obtained his MSc Osteoarchaeology degree in 2014. Sam was a student member of one of our Zooarchaeology research projects in Russia. Sam also worked for Bournemouth Archaeology on commercial projects before starting his PhD in Norway (some of which he has spent as a visiting PGR here at BU). He specialises in bird bone remains. 

Gabrielle Delbarre

Gabrielle graduated from BU in 2014 with an MSc in Osteoarchaeology. While completing her MSc she worked part-time at the National History Museum in London as a Curation Assistant and Documentation Officer within the Anthropology Collections in the Earth Sciences Department. She went on to work as a Curator and Collection Manager at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre and Kingfisher Barn Visitor Centre in Bournemouth. Gabrielle has returned to work at BU in the Archaeology & Anthropology Department as a Demonstrator where she manages the Anthropology and Zooarchaeology laboratories, one of the largest collections of human remains and faunal skeletal material in the South of England.

This course selects candidates by looking at their applications. There are no interviews or additional selection activities and therefore we suggest that you make your application stand out from the crowd. For more information, take a look at our postgraduate how to apply pages.

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

These courses have compulsory elements involving working with dangerous substances in laboratory conditions and/or undertaking field trips in less accessible environments.  Students must complete a health and safety risk assessment taking part in these activities, for their safety and that of others.  As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible.  You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application.  We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need.  Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans. 

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety.  If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course, including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibilty restrictions.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• You will need to meet the costs of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

We offer a range of scholarships to students who are beginning their studies at BU. Our fees and funding also provides details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. For September 2025 entry, a £5,000 deposit is required. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Martin Smith is a Biological Anthropologist with particular interests in prehistoric populations. His past work has covered a range of periods with a particular focus on the Neolithic. His interests centre principally on areas of taphonomy and trauma with relevance to both forensic and archaeological remains.

Martin has strong interests in the study of conflict from prehistoric to modern times. A question that continues to fascinate him is the extent to which war /organized conflict is ‘hard-wired’ in human beings rather than simply a practical response to environmental or social circumstances.

I am an archaeologist specialising in the study of animal remains. After studying Archaeological Science at Sheffield, I obtained a NERC research studentship at Durham University and completed my PhD in 1998. My doctoral research involved a comparative study of archaeological faunal assemblages to investigate animal husbandry regimes in Iron Age Britain. I continue to research in this area. I was Principal Investigator for the review of late Bronze Age and Iron Age faunal remains from Southern England, commissioned by English Heritage and I am co-director of a BU project investigating the social, political and economic landscape of the Durotriges in later Prehistoric and Roman Britain. I am interested in the exploitation and social significance of animals and animal products to past societies.

Since joining Bournemouth University in 1998, I have worked on a range of animal and human osteoarchaeology research projects. I have completed assessments and reports on archaeological faunal material from a wide range of periods and sites around Britain and have undertaken research and consultancy for leading archaeology field units, museums and government bodies, including English Heritage and CADW

Melie Le Roy is a specialist in biological anthropology with particular interest in the study of funerary practices related to children.

Melie graduated at the University of Bordeaux in France, her PhD (awarded in 2015) concerned social consideration to children through the study of funerary practices in Neolithic France – a project that involved applying GIS techniques to funerary sites to enable a deeper understanding to be gained in relation to burial practices at both site and regional levels.

She is also a field archaeologist and is currently leading two projects in the South of France, involving the excavation of a cave and a dolmen, both of which date to the Late Neolithic. Her research extends beyond France and she is a member of an international team excavating a Roman necropolis in Egypt.

Dr Emma Jenkins is an Associate Professor in Archaeology and Director for the Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions (IMSET). Her research specialisms lay in environmental archaeology and she has a focus on how societies in the past interacted with their environment; how they responded to past climate and environmental change; and what we can learn from this that can inform on adaptation strategies to our current climate change crisis. Emma has worked extensively in the Neolithic of southwest Asia, exploring how and why people made the transition from mobile hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers.She is interested in the impact that this change in lifestyle had on the environment-particularly in relation to landscape change and biodiversity loss-and also how this transition altered our societal structure and relationship with material culture.

Emma has an undergraduate degree in Archaeology from the University of Bristol and an M. Phil and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.

Dr Fiona Coward is an archaeologist whose work focuses on the multidisciplinary study of the evolution of human social life and cognition. She has a BA (Hons) in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Osteoarchaeology and PhD in Palaeolithic Archaeology from the University of Southampton. Fiona is co-Deputy Director of and Director of Research for the Institute for Modelling Socio-Ecological Transitions (IMSET).

Fiona's research focuses on how and why humans were able to scale up their social lives from the very small social groups we lived in for much of our prehistory to the global social networks which characterise people’s lives today. Her work takes a multidisciplinary perspective which emphasises the interrelations between the physical and social environments in which human evolution has taken place, and she is particularly interested in the role played by material culture in human social life.

Within this broad area she is pursuing two interlinked areas of research which focus on earlier and later periods of human social development. In the first she looks at the relationship between physical and social environments during human evolution, and particularly the social changes that allowed our ancestors to expand out of African environments into Eurasia after around 1.7 million years ago. Her second area of research focuses on the social developments which formed part of the shift from mobile hunting and gathering to settled village life from around 20,000BCE in the Near East.

I am a member of the Institute for the Modelling of Socio-Environmental Transitions (IMSET). As an archaeologist working on Holocene Europe, my research interests include population (pre-)history, long-term human-environment interactions, and modelling. I have conducted fieldwork in Belgium, Syria, the UK, Bosnia&Herzegovina, and Montenegro where I am still actively working.