Research degrees in Archaeology and Ancient History

Are you a graduate looking to delve deeper into the human past through doctoral study? We would like to invite you consider joining a major centre of research into these fields. The University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History is one of the UK's premier departments in both of these disciplines, with a top RAE* Grade 5 rating for research. Doctoral students constitute a vital part of this vibrant research community, and we are always looking to recruit more.

• PhDs are available full time or part-time, campus-based or by distance learning
• Subjects covered range from archaeology of early prehistory to the modern era
• We cover all areas of ancient history
• We help develop PhD students' skills at all levels, including teaching

Our expanding community of research students is currently approaching sixty, of whom more than half are campus-based. The others are undertaking PhDs by Distance Learning, another mode of study in which the School is a world leader.

Campus-based research degrees are available full time (normally comprising three years study, plus some 'writing up time') or part-time (five years, ditto). Graduate Teaching Assistant posts are occasionally advertised; these rate as full-time PhDs which must be completed in four years.

The University and the School

The University of Leicester is a leading research university with one of the largest graduate schools in the UK: more than half its 18,000 students are taking graduate degrees. Both the University and the School take pride in the high quality of support offered to students; this is reflected in the top-ranking scores consistently achieved in the National Student Survey.

Research in the School

With more than twenty research-active staff, every major period is covered, from human evolution to post-medieval and historical archaeology. Our regional archaeological expertise includes Europe, Africa, Asia and America. The grouping of ancient historians within the School is currently expanding, and is complemented by an exceptionally large grouping of archaeologists specialising in the Roman world and related areas such as later prehistoric and early medieval Europe, and the pre-Islamic Middle East. 

Currently, the School is home to several  thematic inter-disciplinary research groups exploring common issues within shared theoretical frameworks, and strong intellectual links between them. We possess particular research strengths in prehistory, landscape archaeology, historical archaeology, material culture, theory, identity and representation. We believe that studying the past is a continuous dialogue of interlinked prehistoric and historic archaeologies and contemporary concerns. Ancient History is fully integrated into the work of the School, which offers exciting possibilities for joint projects. Research covers most areas of ancient Greek and Roman cultures, with geographical foci in Italy, southern Greece, Magna Graecia, North Africa and the eastern Roman empire and specialisations ranging from historiography, epigraphy and civic institutions to landscape, geography and agricultural and monetary economies.

Find out more about the School, its staff, and the rich variety of their current research areas and field projects, visit our research pages and staff pages. For more information about current postgraduate researchers and their topics visit our postgraduate research page.

A FEW WORDS FROM A CURRENT PHD STUDENT:    I am a Spanish student currently developing a PhD thesis at the University of Leicester. I gained my first, undergraduate degree and then MA in Ancient History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Two years ago, I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship from a Spanish private funding body (Fundación Caja Madrid) in order to fulfil a research project whose main focus is on Romano-Barbarian military interactions in North-Western Europe, with special attention to different national archaeological traditions and the ‘filters’ applied by the European nations involved in my study (especially Denmark and the Netherlands).   I decided to come to Leicester to complete this study due to its well deserved fame for high quality research and leading scholars. I could not have made a better choice: here I have found all the encouragement and support needed to complete my research project, with friendly and supportive staff and fellow postgraduates. I have enjoyed the city and the opportunities to visit sites locally and nationally. So much to do!
                                                                       Sergio Gonzalez Sanchez

Entry requirements

We expect prospective candidates to have a good honours degree or its equivalent in archaeology, anthropology, classics/ancient history or a related discipline. You should also have an appropriate Masters degree, or be able to provide equivalent evidence of preparation for advanced research, and writing skills.

Still interested?

The most common reason for declining applications is the lack of suitable staff to supervise. That is why we ask prospective students to complete a 'pre-application form' outlining their background and interests. Acceptable thesis topics can be virtually anything relating to the wide-ranging research interests of the School's substantial staff of archaeologists and ancient historians, who constitute potential PhD supervisors.

However, selection has to be extremely careful to ensure that the right students, supervisors, research topics and resources are all properly in place together. At doctoral level we can only undertake to supervise topics for which we have staff with appropriate expertise. If we think you and the outline topic look suitable, then we will initiate discussions and ask you to write a much fuller research proposal.

The next step

Informal inquiries are always welcome. However to begin with we ask you to complete and send a pre-application form to enable you to enter into a dialogue with appropriate members of staff about your proposed research topic. This process can take a little time, but this is valuable to ensure a clear, workable and rewarding topic is determined upon. If and when an appropriate research topic, suitable approaches and supervisors have been agreed, a formal application can be made to enable you to register with the university and begin the programme.

Further information

For further information please contact Rachel Godfrey, Postgraduate Administrator:

• School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
• Tel: +44(0)116 252 2611
• Fax: +44(0)116 223 1267
• arch-pgr@le.ac.uk 

There are four intakes for research degrees each academic year: October, January, April/May and July.