MSc Palaeopathology
As archaeologists we attempt to investigate the way past people lived, for example what they ate. This is usually achieved by studying cultural remains such as pottery, buildings and a multitude of other archaeological evidence; the actual people who created these cultural remains are often forgotten. Furthermore it should be remembered that people’s ill health can compromise how societies functioned, past and present. Palaeopathology is part of the discipline of Bioarchaeology and is defined as the study of past disease. This MSc will equip you with the theoretical and practical knowledge of how to study and interpret data collected from human remains. The emphasis is on health and well-being using a multidisciplinary approach, linking biological evidence for disease with cultural data (the bioarchaeological approach). This course is unique in the U.K. with its focus on trauma and disease in human skeletal remains and it takes a holistic view of disease, as seen in a clinical context today, and prepares students for undertaking significant research projects in this subject, or working in contract archaeology.
What will I be studying?
The MSc uses lecture, laboratory, and seminar sessions for teaching and a variety of forms of assessment including a research dissertation. It provides students with a wide range of skills essential for working in the profession or undertaking future research. The course at Durham benefits from excellent learning resources and cross-collaborative links with other departments. You will be working in a department with a large number of PhD students and staff actively engaged in a broad range of Bioarchaeological research projects. We welcome applications from graduates in archaeology, anthropology and related disciplines.
Staff
The main staff teaching on the course and researching in this area are:
Professor Charlotte Roberts and Dr Rebecca Gowland
Please note that Professor Charlotte Roberts is on research leave during the academic year 2011-2012. Dr Rebecca Gowland, Lecturer in Archaeology, will be directing and teaching the course for that academic year.
There are also staff who teach in some of the modules and may research in the field of bioarchaeology; they are, as follows:
Professor Ian Bailiff
Dr John Chapman
Dr Mike Church
Dr Marga Diaz-Andreu
Dr Pam Graves
Mr Phil Howard
Dr Derek Kennet
Dr Greger Larson
Dr Andrew Millard
Dr Tom Moore
Professor Peter Rowley-Conwy
Dr Sarah Semple
Mr Jeff Veitch
Professor Tony Wilkinson
Dr Rob Witcher
Not all may be teaching every year due to Research Leave. Details of their areas of expertise can be found via the Durham Archaeology website.
There are also a number of guest lecturers who include :
Richard Annis (Archaeological Services, Durham University)
Don Brothwell (University of York)
Keri Brown (University of Manchester)
Terry Brown (University of Manchester)
Andrew Chamberlain (University of Sheffield)
Jacqueline McKinley (Wessex Archaeology)
Piers Mitchell (University of Cambridge)
Life after the MSc
This degree will provide you with a wide range of transferable skills for a variety of professions or future research. Many of our graduates have continued working with skeletal remains and have found employment in universities, museums, and as bioarchaeologists in the field. A number have continued their research at doctoral level and beyond. To see the destinations of, and quotes from, past students click here.
Download the Course Information here 
For application details please contact:
Postgraduate Admissions Secretary,
Dept of Archaeology,
Durham University,
South Road,
Durham
DH1 3LE, UK
tel: 0191 334 1109 (Monday - Thursday)
fax: 0191 334 1101
email: pgarch.admissions@dur.ac.uk
For informal discussions about the course and visits to the Department, please contact the course convenor Dr Rebecca Gowland.
I am impressed with the rigor and breadth of the MSc course in Paleopathology at Durham University. It should be of interest to any serious student of ancient health and disease.
Professor Jane Buikstra, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, USA
