Archaeology master's research areas

This thesis-based Archaeology Master’s program places particular importance on community-based research, particularly with Indigenous communities, and working with local archaeological societies to ensure our research aligns with community priorities. Our core research areas are:

Bioarchaeology - with a focus on human remains from archaeological and other contexts, explore how social lives are embodied in skeletal and dental tissues and reconstruct past experiences (e.g., diet, activity, behaviour), health, and identities.

Environmental archaeology - investigate human-environment relationships and interaction from time immemorial through the recent past, employing a combination of palaeoethnobotanical and archaeological research methods.

Zooarchaeology - analyze faunal remains from archaeological sites to understand past human–animal relationships, including diet, subsistence, season of occupation, animal processing, domestication, and animal life histories.

Community-based archaeology - collaborate with present-day communities, with a strong focus on working with Indigenous Peoples, to ensure archaeological work aligns with community priorities, including efforts to locate unmarked graves at former residential schools.

Non-invasive archaeology – learn about and employ new technologies oriented toward non-invasive archaeological investigative techniques at archaeological sites and in the search for unmarked graves, including GIS-based research, geophysical analysis, ground penetrating radar, soil spectroscopy, quantitative analysis, computer modelling, photogrammetry, and drone-based applications.

Before applying, we recommend contacting a potential supervisor whose research areas align with your interests. Share your academic background and research goals. If they are accepting students, they will instruct you to begin a formal application.

• Tips for contacting supervisors

Funding

Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.

• Scholarships

Tuition and fees

Thesis or project-based master's program

Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.

Student fees

In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.

Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.

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Master of Arts (M.A.)

• Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
• a cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units)
• a four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in archaeology or anthropology, or a related discipline
• a course in archaeological method and theory
• substantial course work in the area of declared research interest

Deadlines and important dates

Submit an online application

Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.

During the application, you'll be asked for:

• Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
• Contact information of your three referees
  
  • For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
• Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions

The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.

At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable application fee: $125 for domestic students and $145 for international students. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.

• Begin an application
• How to apply

Submit required documents

Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application.

• After you apply