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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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Masters MA in Funerary Archaeology
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Postgraduate Diploma PG Diploma in Funerary ArchaeologyPlease indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Postgraduate Certificate PG Certificate in Funerary ArchaeologyPlease indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:2020
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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University of York University of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead Department Archaeology
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Other contributing Departments:
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PMARCSFUN1
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Admissions criteria
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A good honours degree (upper second or first class) in a relevant subject, or an equivalent qualification from an overseas institution in archaeology, anthropology or a related field. Graduates in a biological subject will also be considered, as will mature students or those with less conventional qualifications but with relevant experience. For foreign language speakers, Level 6.5 IELTS is required.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months) Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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MA in Funerary Archaeology1 yearFull-timeSeptemberPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNo
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2 yearPart-timeSeptemberPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNo
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3 yearPart-timeSeptemberPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNo
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N: Noif No move to section 3
if Yes complete the following questions
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, provide details
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Dr Penny Bickle is the programme leader. There is also significant input from Malin Holst, leader of one of the core modules, and other related programme leads.
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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Funerary Archaeology combines the analysis of human remains with their archaeological context to examine how past societies responded to and treated their dead. It is therefore interdisciplinary in its nature, blending socially aware research questions, with established and new bioarchaeological methods. This Masters programme will equip you with cutting edge theoretical and methodological skills to analyse and interpret human remains and their burial contexts, opening the door to new insights into the past. The MA in Funerary Archaeology allows you to focus your studies and your dissertation on the social and cultural questions archaeology asks of the burial record.

The programme draws on the York Archaeology Department interdisciplinary strengths in both archaeological method and theoretical approaches, offering the chance to develop skills in a range of different methods and techniques. You will be focusing on a range of topics from identity, landscape, osteology, palaeopathology, social structure, commemoration and memory, ritual and belief, and the body. The programme covers attitudes and responses to death from the first evidence for the special treatment of human remains by hominids up to the place of funerary rites in modern day societies, but with a particular focus on the interpretively challenging evidence from Prehistory. The analysis of human remains and their archaeological context are taught in a flexible modular system that allows you to tailor the programme to your particular methodological or period interests.

This degree is for anyone interested in studying Funerary Archaeology from a wide range of perspectives, which are at the frontiers of both archaeological method and theory. It is primarily for students with previous experience in archaeology, anthropology, history, art history, biology or related fields, but students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The programme provides a range of transferable skills and is a solid foundation for a wide range of careers in research or professional settings.

MA and MSc students differ specifically in their dissertation research. MA students take a humanities-based perspective, using appropriate skills and knowledge from humanities-based modules. You will decide on whether the MA or MSc route is appropriate for you in consultation with the Programme Leader, and you will discuss appropriate module choices for each route before you begin your programme and during regular supervision meetings across the degree. Our graduates have pursued academic and teaching careers, gained positions in museums, local authorities and national heritage bodies, and work in commercial archaeology.

The programme is offered full-time, or part-time to suit those in employment, and can be tailored for early- and mid-career professionals or to offer entry-level learning for those at the beginning of their careers.
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5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters
Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do.
If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate.
Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1DEPTH AND BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE: Demonstrate an applied, systematic, in-depth understanding of essential disciplinary knowledge of funerary archaeology, and awareness of its breadth and its relevant academic, professional and socio-economic contexts
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2CRITICAL THINKING AND EVALUATION: Engage critically with current debates and advanced scholarship in local and international research and practice within funerary archaeology in order to evaluate the field of practice
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3THEORETICALLY/ METHODOLOGICALLY INFORMED DECISION MAKING: Inform decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations by assessing and applying advanced, professional-level funerary archaeology theories and methodologies to diverse problems or forms of data
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4SYNTHESIS AND COMMUNICATION: Confidently synthesise research findings and key scholarly debates, and communicate (through a variety of forms and media) to peers, public or professional audiences in such a way that demonstrates an ability to consider and adapt to their respective needs
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5INDEPENDENCE: Demonstrate originality in rigorous and imaginative independent inquiry, using advanced research skills, and a clear contribution to the work of a team
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6APPLICATION OF THEORY, ETHICS AND REFLEXIVE PRACTICE: Confidently apply current theoretical, ethical and methodological debates in funerary archaeology to relevant case studies and contemporary practice
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7ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR FUNERARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Apply an advanced understanding of human skeletal anatomy, growth and pathology, and explain its relevance to archaeology
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8APPLIED SKILLS IN FUNERARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Assess and evaluate the role of relevant disciplinary and interdisciplinary specialisms in the analysis and interpretation of human remains and their funerary contexts as applied to research, public and/or commercial practice
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
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The learning outcomes for this programme provide students with opportunities to engage with different methods and techniques used to investigate death and burial in the past. Students will be part of a stimulating learning community and will gain practical experience handling, identifying, and analysing remains and will experience the full spectrum of techniques used to analyse and interpret funerary archaeology. Students will deploy these skills and knowledge via practical workshops and innovative research exercises. The learning outcomes also allow students to specialize in specific dimensions of funerary archaeology and their assessments push their learning further, challenging them to produce work which mirrors standard professional outputs and expectations. Students will receive support and guidance to extend their understanding of particular aspects of funerary archaeology through an independent study project, in which they conduct research to deepen their understanding and develop their own interests.
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ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
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These learning outcomes produce a programme that is distinctive and flexible, allowing students to not only deepen their understanding about the study of funerary archaeology but also to develop interests to take their engagement further through supported independent research and study. Students gain a broad range of relevant practical experience based within the Department of Archaeology as the programme draws on the breadth of expertise available at York to offer a uniquely holistic approach to the study of the past. Students are able to guide their own specialisms and tailor the programme in ways that most appropriately prepare them for work in the commercial sector or to go on to conduct doctoral research. This will importantly enable graduates to contribute to public, institutional and individual action and debate on pertinent and current archaeological issues and thus facilitate their involvement in decision-making. Students will undertake a range of written assessment reports, take part in group presentations and have the opportunity to engage with a range of teaching and research collections. They will graduate from the MA with a series of transferable skills including the handling and management of diverse data sets, project planning and assessment, and communication to professional and public audiences. Students thus prepared to make a difference both within the archaeological sector and beyond, including local government, computing and IT services, business and administration, marketing and public relations, education, the civil service, law and police authorities, and accountancy and financial services.
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iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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Students from all backgrounds are welcomed onto the MA in Funerary Archaeology, enabling their successful transition by the provision of a wide range of support. An optional half-day field visit in the Autumn-term is organised by the programme leader. Our extensive induction programmes lay the foundations for understanding the taught PG experience in archaeology, and the non-assessed Essential Skills module which runs throughout the Autumn and Spring terms, prepares students for all aspects of M-level research and practice, including understanding larger research and professional expectations (e.g., academic integrity, time management, citation, ethics), preparing them for their ISM (e.g., dissertation conception), and honing specific skillsets (e.g., archiving, imaging), including M-level digital literacy. Our PG student handbook, to be launched in 2018, provides a one-stop directory to the department and the PG experience overall. Our extensive internal webpages, our VLE, our mailing lists and use of specific technologies in individual modules (e.g., Google Groups), further connects students and staff. Formative assessment exercises provide students with feedback on their written work and assignment planning. Refresher sessions related to certain skills are also held in the Spring or Summer terms to prepare students for their ISM research. English language training is offered to students whose first language is not English. Most core and options modules combine lecture and seminar or discussion formats to allow input of the theory from lectures to be complemented and discussed in smaller group formats. Our TPG programmes provide extensive pastoral and academic supervision support across the whole academic year (including summer). We also host a departmental mature students network that convenes at least once per term, on a flexible schedule to accommodate diverse timetables.
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iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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Core modules allow fundamental knowledge to be covered, which is then further developed through students’ choices of specialist Options modules with clear guidance provided by the Programme leader. Students also study two 5-credit core skills modules where the summative assessment is linked (revisiting the same skeleton) and select two 5-credit skills modules to familiarize them with particular practical aspects of archaeological practice, and to complement their in-depth theoretical learning from the Core and Options modules. The Essential Skills module runs in parallel with the Core, Options and Skills modules, developing students’ capacities with larger and generic research and professional expectations (e.g., academic integrity, time management, citation, ethics), preparing them for their ISM (e.g., dissertation conception), and honing specific skillsets (e.g., archiving, imaging), including M-level digital literacy. From the start of the Spring term, aspects of the ISM are introduced in non-assessed, formative fashion, including preparation of a research proposal, matching of students with dissertation supervisors, and familiarization with the Assessed Lecture component of the ISM. This then leads students seamlessly into the ISM, where research proposals are confirmed, ethics approved (where necessary), and Assessed Lecture conducted.
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v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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Through the two-term compulsory Essential Skills module, all Masters students are introduced to key concepts in digital literacy, including critical thinking through/with digital technologies, use of core technologies like Google Docs and Word, and key skills including digital archiving and imaging. Student learning is supported through live-streaming of our YOHRS and York Seminar Series on Facebook and YouTube, respectively. Individual core, option and skills modules may prioritise technology-enhanced learning through use of Google Groups and experimentation with public-facing communication strategies.
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vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employability objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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Skills related to employability are integrated into the Essential Skills module for all taught PG students, including specific Careers-focused and PhD application-focused sessions. The ISM further exposes students to real-world settings, for example those settings within which they collect data. Emphasis on employability is evident in key induction and dissertation development activities, where consideration of long-term goals is prompted by session leaders. Personal supervision meetings at the start and end of term also see supervisors asking students directly about career development and post-degree aims. Special events, including talks on job opportunities, are arranged across the year by commercially-based members of staff and by our Employability Officer.
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viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
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All Masters programmes are directly linked to the Department's research priorities and themes. Students are invited to attend both our YOHRS and York Research seminars, which run across terms 1 and 2 and are also live-streamed and accessible online. All teaching and learning content is designed on the latest research. Most of the teaching staff are recognised experts in their research and professional fields and use their specialist knowledge to inform their teaching.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to:
If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Successful completion of 2 x 20-credit Core modules, plus 4 x 5-credit Skills modules. No more than 30 credits of failed modules (marks less than 50) and no more than 20 credits of outright fail (marks less than 40). Modules with outright fails must be passed at reassessment for students to be awarded the certificate. Students will have progressed through their two core modules and completed all skills modules to earn this certificate, meaning that their engagement with all PLOs has been fully assessed.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to:
If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Successful completion of 100 credits of taught modules, plus a 20-credit ISM extended essay in the summer term. No more than 60 credits of failed modules (marks less than 50) and no more than 40 credits of outright fail (marks less than 40). Modules with outright fails must be passed at reassessment for students to be awarded the diploma. Students will have progressed through their two core modules and a combination of Option and Skills modules, as well as fulfilled an abbreviated version of the ISM module, to earn this diploma, meaning that their engagement with all PLOs has been fully assessed.
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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points
Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
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As noted above.
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each individual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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Full time structure
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20ARC00033MThe archaeology of Human Bones (Core 1)SEA
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20ARC00077MDebates in Funerary Archaeology (Core 2)SEA
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20Option 1SEA
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20Option 2SEA
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5ARC00046MHuman Bone Practical Skills 1SEA
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5Skills 2SEA
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5Skills 3SEA
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5ARC00050MHuman Bone Practical Skills 2SEA
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80ISMSSSASEA
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Please indicate when the Progression Board and Final Exam board will be held and when any reassessments will be submitted.
NB: You are required to provide at least three weeks notice to students of the need for them to resubmit any required assessments, in accordance with the Guide to Assessment section 4.9
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Progression Board
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Reassessment
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Exam Board
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Part time structures
Please indicate the modules undertaken in each year of the part-time version of the programme. Please use the text box below should any further explanation be required regarding structure of part-time study routes.
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Year 1: Students have some flexibility in the arrangement of their programmes, allowing for family, personal and professional commitments. The ideal models for 2 year and 3 year Masters degrees are outlined below. Students must take 20-credit Core 1 in the Autumn term of Year 1, and ideally Core 2 in Spring term, plus the two 5-credit core skills modules at some point in Year 1 (denoted as Skills 1 and Skills 4), ideally one in Autumn, one in Spring (as decided in discussion with their personal supervisor and based on their other commitments).

The ISM begins in Year 1, from the start of the Autumn term, via attendance of some or all of the Essential Skills lectures over the course of the year. In Year 2, students will attend any remaining or missed Essential Skills lectures and refresher sessions, followed by submission of non-assessed dissertation proposal in Week 7 Spring term, supervision allocation by the end of Week 9 Spring term, Assessed Lecture in Week 6 of Summer term, non-assessed ethics applications submitted in Week 7 of Summer term, Dissertation submission in Week 13 of Summer Vacation

NB: Skills 1 should be pursued in either the first or second half of the Autumn term. Skills 2 should be pursued in either the first or second half of the Spring term, as represented in the chart below.
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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20ARC00033MThe archaeology of Human Bones (Core 1)SEA
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20ARC00077MDeath and Burial (Core 2)SEA
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5ARC00046MHuman Bones Practicals I: Skills 1 or...SEA
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5...Skills 1SEA
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5ARC00050MHuman Bones Practicals 2: Skills 4 or...SEA