# Archaeology

**Source**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate/archaeology
**Parent**: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/graduate

46.03.01 
*In Russian*

Level of education Master

Type of instruction Full-time

Duration 2 years

Programme description

The Master’s degree programme in ’Archaeology’ instils traditional values and develops competencies that enable students to understand fundamental concepts in archaeological science and the history of archaeological knowledge. It introduces them to archaeological cultures, as well as the agrarian and nomadic civilisations of Eurasia—from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Classical period, the Migration Period, the Middle Ages, and the modern era.

Alongside theoretical training, significant emphasis is placed on practical studies aimed at in-depth mastery of archaeological techniques. This includes processing and integrating archaeological sources into academic discourse, describing and classifying archaeological materials, and other methods of desk-based research. Students also learn field research methodologies, gain skills in working with electronic equipment and software for 3D modelling of archaeological sites, and study the legal framework for preserving archaeological heritage.

Main courses

- Stone Age: Periods and Cultures
- Current Issues in the History and Historiography of Archaeological Science
- Field Archaeology: From Data Recording to Scientific Hypothesis
- Rescue Archaeology and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites
- Gods and Heroes of the Bronze Age in Eastern Europe
- Landscape Archaeology
- Centre and Periphery: Cultural Interaction in the Early Iron Age
- The Classical City and Its Rural Surroundings
- Interpretations in Archaeology
- Scandinavians in Eastern Europe
- Old Russian Archaeology as ‘Historical Archaeology’ (Interpreting Written and Archaeological Sources)
- Archaeology in the Context of Modern Culture
- Archaeology of the Modern Era

Our Advantages

- Developing a comprehensive understanding of archaeology as an academic discipline with its own distinct sources and research methods
- Studying the archaeology of Eurasia and Russia’s cultural-historical uniqueness, as well as its place in global and European civilisation
- Gaining systematic knowledge of the key patterns in the formation of archaeological cultures and the characteristics of world-historical processes, along with archaeological and historical issues relevant to future professional work
- Training specialists capable of applying these competencies in expert and practical roles within museums, academic and educational institutions, state and private archaeological organisations, and governmental bodies responsible for protecting cultural and archaeological heritage

Teaching staff

- S. Vasiliev — Doctor of Historical Sciences, Academic Director of the Institute for the History of Material Culture (Russian Academy of Sciences), one of Russia’s leading specialists in Palaeolithic studies
- V. Sedykh — Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Archaeology; research interests: Finno-Ugric, Slavic-Russian, and Scandinavian archaeology, numismatics
- K. Stepanova — Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Institute for the History of Material Culture (RAS), Associate Professor of Archaeology; research interests: Palaeolithic archaeology
- I. Tikhonov — Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Archaeology; specialist in the history of archaeological science and archaeological museology
- E. Cherlenok — Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of Archaeology; research interests: Caucasian archaeology, archaeology of the modern era, art of the Ancient Near East

Career opportunities

##### Work placements

- Institute for the History of Material Culture (RAS)
- The State Hermitage Museum
- Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera, RAS)
- Kursk Archaeological Museum
- 'Neapolis Scythian' Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve
- Research Centre 'Current Archaeology'

##### **Professions**

- Archaeologist
- Researcher
- Academic, museum, or educational staff in archaeological organisations
- Officer in state heritage protection agencies
- Archivist
- Librarian
- Media editor
- Academic publishing editor
- Specialist in historical, cultural, and educational tourism
- Educator in cultural and educational centres
- Teacher in secondary and vocational schools

##### **Notable employers of programme's graduates**

- Institute for the History of Material Culture (RAS)
- Institute of Archaeology (RAS, Department of Archaeological Heritage Preservation)
- Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera, RAS)
- Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences
- Southern Scientific Centre (RAS)
- Institute of Oriental Studies, Crimean Federal University
- Government of St Petersburg ('Committee for State Control and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments')
- Federal Service for Supervision of Compliance with Cultural Heritage Legislation ('Rosokhrankultura'), St Petersburg
- State Hermitage Museum
- Russian Ethnographic Museum
- State Russian Museum
- State Museum of the History of Religion
- 'Grabar' All-Russian Art, Scientific, and Restoration Centre
- Museum-Reserve 'Staraya Ladoga'
- Novgorod State Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve
- Pskov State Historical Museum
- St Petersburg University
- Moscow State University
- 'PERAHU, School of Humanities', Griffith University (Australia)
- NGO 'Nasledie' (St Petersburg)
- NGO 'Laboratory of Prehistory' (St Petersburg)
- NGO 'Current Archaeology Research Centre' (St Petersburg)

[This webpage may contain outdated information. The programme descriptions and admission requirements for the 2026/2027 academic year are currently being updated. For the latest information on 2026/2027 admission, please visit the Admissions Office website.](https://abiturient.spbu.ru/en/)

[Tuition](https://english.spbu.ru/admission/tuition)

[Create Your Personal Account](https://cabinet.spbu.ru/)