Program Requirements

The Master of Archaeological and Evolutionary Science (Advanced) requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A minimum of 48 units must come from completion of 8000-level courses.

The 96 units must consist of:

24 units from completion of introductory courses from the following list:

ANTH6064 Anthropology of Environmental Disasters (6 units)

ARCH6004 Australian Archaeology (6 units)

ARCH6005 Archaeology of the Pacific Islanders (6 units)

ARCH6006 The History of Archaeology: Discovering the Past (6 units)

ARCH6022 Study Tour: Cultural Landscapes and Environmental Change (6 units)

ARCH6030 Archaeology of Ritual and Religion (6 units)

ARCH6037 Post-Roman Archaeology of Britain: From Arthur to the Black Death (6 units)

ARCH6041 Introduction to Environmental Archaeology (6 units)

ARCH6043 Analysis of Mammalian Remains (6 units)

ARCH6050 The Archaeology of South East Asia (6 units)

ARCH6058 European Prehistory from Cultivation to the Celts (6 units)

BIAN6120 Culture, Biology and Population Dynamics (6 units)

BIAN6519 Ancient Medicine (6 units)

BIOL6004 Ecology (6 units)

BIOL6201 Big Questions in Biology (6 units)

EMSC6107 The Blue Planet: An introduction to Earth System Science (6 units)

ENVS6015 GIS and Spatial Analysis (6 units)

24 units from completion of any disciplinary courses from any of the following specialisations and courses:

Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology

Environmental Archaeology and Climate change

Human Evolution 

Primate and Human Behaviour

ARCH8038 Graduate Reading Course in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8103 Frameworks for Archaeological Science (6 units)

ASIA6018 Maps and Mapping in Asia and The Pacific (6 units)

BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World (6 units)

HUMN8019 UNESCO and World Heritage: Conserving Heritage Values (6 units)

12 units from completion of ARCH8032 Introduction to Archaeological Sciences

6 units from completion of research project courses from the following list:

ARCH8002 Advanced Field Training in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8029 Supervised Field School Project in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8030 Archaeological Science Research Project 1 (6 units)

ARCH8031 Archaeological Science Research Project 2 (6 units)

ARCH8044 Ancient Biomolecules And Our Past (6 units)

BIAN6013 Human Evolution (6 units)

BIAN6124 Evolution and Human Behaviour (6 units)

BIAN8005 Theory Seminar in Biological Anthropology (6 units)

BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World (6 units)

6 units from completion of research methods courses from the following list:

ARCH6042 Scientific Dating in Archaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Studies (6 units)

ARCH8040 Microanalysis in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8042 Archaeological Science Internship (6 units)

ARCH8043 Archaeological Science Extended Internship (12 units)

BIAN6019 Research Design and Analysis in Archaeological and Evolutionary Science (6 units)

BIAN8010 Ancient Behaviour: Advanced Topics in Bioarchaeology (6 units)

SOCR8001 Statistics for Social Scientists (6 units)

SOCR8002 Survey Data Analysis (6 units)

SOCR8009 Quantitative Data Collection (6 units)

24 units from completion of THES8103 Thesis

Students must have the written agreement of an identified supervisor in order to enrol in THES8103 Thesis in a specified semester one calendar year in advance of the start date of that semester.

Students who do not have the written agreement of an identified supervisor one calendar year in advance, or whose agreed supervisor either subsequently leaves the university or is on leave from the university, will be transferred to the Master of Archaeological and Evolutionary Science.

Unless otherwise stated, a course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.

A minimum of 48 units must come from completion of 8000-level courses.

The 96 units must consist of:

24 units from completion of introductory courses from the following list:

ANTH6064 Anthropology of Environmental Disasters (6 units)

ARCH6004 Australian Archaeology (6 units)

ARCH6005 Archaeology of the Pacific Islanders (6 units)

ARCH6006 The History of Archaeology: Discovering the Past (6 units)

ARCH6022 Study Tour: Cultural Landscapes and Environmental Change (6 units)

ARCH6030 Archaeology of Ritual and Religion (6 units)

ARCH6037 Post-Roman Archaeology of Britain: From Arthur to the Black Death (6 units)

ARCH6041 Introduction to Environmental Archaeology (6 units)

ARCH6043 Analysis of Mammalian Remains (6 units)

ARCH6050 The Archaeology of South East Asia (6 units)

ARCH6058 European Prehistory from Cultivation to the Celts (6 units)

BIAN6120 Culture, Biology and Population Dynamics (6 units)

BIAN6519 Ancient Medicine (6 units)

BIOL6004 Ecology (6 units)

BIOL6201 Big Questions in Biology (6 units)

EMSC6107 The Blue Planet: An introduction to Earth System Science (6 units)

ENVS6015 GIS and Spatial Analysis (6 units)

24 units from completion of any disciplinary courses from any of the following specialisations and courses:

Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology

Environmental Archaeology and Climate change

Human Evolution 

Primate and Human Behaviour

ARCH8038 Graduate Reading Course in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8103 Frameworks for Archaeological Science (6 units)

ASIA6018 Maps and Mapping in Asia and The Pacific (6 units)

BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World (6 units)

HUMN8006 Best Practice in Managing Heritage Places (6 units)

HUMN8019 UNESCO and World Heritage: Conserving Heritage Values (6 units)

12 units from completion of ARCH8032 Introduction to Archaeological Sciences

6 units from completion of research project courses from the following list:

ARCH8002 Advanced Field Training in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8029 Supervised Field School Project in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8030 Archaeological Science Research Project 1 (6 units)

ARCH8031 Archaeological Science Research Project 2 (6 units)

ARCH8044 Ancient Biomolecules And Our Past (6 units)

BIAN6013 Human Evolution (6 units)

BIAN6124 Evolution and Human Behaviour (6 units)

BIAN8005 Theory Seminar in Biological Anthropology (6 units)

BIOL8021 Health and Disease in a Changing World (6 units)

6 units from completion of research methods courses from the following list:

ARCH6042 Scientific Dating in Archaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Studies (6 units)

ARCH8040 Microanalysis in Archaeological Science (6 units)

ARCH8042 Archaeological Science Internship (6 units)

ARCH8043 Archaeological Science Extended Internship (12 units)

BIAN6019 Research Design and Analysis in Archaeological and Evolutionary Science (6 units)

BIAN8010 Ancient Behaviour: Advanced Topics in Bioarchaeology (6 units)

SOCR8001 Statistics for Social Scientists (6 units)

SOCR8002 Survey Data Analysis (6 units)

SOCR8009 Quantitative Data Collection (6 units)

24 units from completion of THES8103 Thesis

Students must have the written agreement of an identified supervisor in order to enrol in THES8103 Thesis in a specified semester one calendar year in advance of the start date of that semester.

Students who do not have the written agreement of an identified supervisor one calendar year in advance, or whose agreed supervisor either subsequently leaves the university or is on leave from the university, will be transferred to the Master of Archaeological and Evolutionary Science.

Unless otherwise stated, a course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.

Master Research

This degree has been accredited at AQF Level 9 with a significant component of Research.

Master Research Training

This degree has been accredited at AQF Level 9 with a significant component of Research. 

Specialisations

Study Options

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements

At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry. 

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 6.0/7.0, and the approval of an identified supervisor for the research project/thesis.

Students must have the written agreement of an identified supervisor in order to enrol in THES8103 Thesis in a specified semester one calendar year in advance of the start date of that semester. Students who do not have the written agreement of an identified supervisor one calendar year in advance, or whose agreed supervisor either subsequently leaves the university or is on leave from the university, will be transferred to the Master of Archaeological and Evolutionary Science.

Cognate Disciplines

Anatomy, Ancient History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Botany, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Human Biology, Indigenous Studies, Marine Science, Medicine, Museum and Heritage Studies, Psychology, Zoology

In line with the university's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors. 

Academic achievement & English language proficiency

The minimum academic requirement for full entry and enrolment is a Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 6.0/7.0. 

However, applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes. 

If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of: 

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or

• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency. 

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Further information: English Language Requirements for Admission

Diversity factors

As Australia’s national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe.

Assessment of qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

 Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

Applications for course credit

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 24 units (one semester) of credit.

Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Bachelor degree with Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 48 units (one year) of credit. 

Cognate Disciplines

Anatomy, Ancient History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Botany, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Human Biology, Indigenous Studies, Marine Science, Medicine, Museum and Heritage Studies, Psychology, Zoology

Fee Information

All students are required to pay the Services and amenities fee (SA Fee)

The annual indicative fee provides an estimate of the program tuition fees for international students and domestic students (where applicable). The annual indicative fee for a program is based on the standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year (unless the program duration is less than 48 units). Fees for courses vary by discipline meaning that the fees for a program can vary depending on the courses selected. Course fees are reviewed on an annual basis and typically will increase from year to year. The tuition fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and the courses selected and are subject to increase during the period of study.

For further information on Fees and Payment please see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Learning Outcomes

1. clearly understand evolutionary processes as they relate to biological anthropology, and/or understand the theories, methods and practice of archaeological science;
2. apply scientific method in archaeological science and/or to paleontological and bioarchaeological specimens, morphological materials and/or primate behaviour and ecology,
3. understand how scientific techniques can be applied to archaeological and/or biological anthropological problems in the field, laboratory and written form;
4. critically analyse data and literature within the discipline of archaeological science or biological anthropology to reach independent conclusions;
5. effectively communicate to others their knowledge of humankind’s place in nature and/or our past; and
6. complete a major piece of research (including research design, undertake research, data analysis and interpretation, and write-up/publication)

Research Strengths

This degree has been accredited at AQF Level 9 with a significant component of Research.

Inherent Requirements

Information on inherent requirements is currently not available for this program