Master in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

The Master in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage is taught in English and covers a total of four semesters across two years. At the end of this degree, students will have acquired a total of 120 ECTS credits. The exclusively designed course schedule includes evening classes in Semesters 1 and 3, and Application Seminars in Semesters 2 and 4, providing students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the previous semesters.

Year 1

Modules	Courses
Archaeology and Civilisations-Cultural Areas 1	Near Eastern Archaeology Archaeology of the Gulf area I Archaeology in the Asian World I Classical Archaeology
Tools and Sciences for Archaeology 1	History and methods in Archaeology Material Culture I Digital Archaeology I
From Sites to Cultural Heritage Management	Valorisation – From Sites to Objects Archaeological Project Management in the Emirates Lab Archaeology
Language	French for Archaeologists and Art Historians
Internship Preparation	Internship Preparation and Support
Application Seminar: Fieldwork Project	Academic Archaeological Project (February)
Processing Data and Ongoing Research	Processing Data and Ongoing Research
Scientific Report and Defense	Scientific Report and Defense

Year 2

Modules	Courses
Archaeology and Civilisations-Cultural Areas 2	Archaeology of the Gulf area II Levantine Archaeology/Archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula Archaeology in the Asian World II African Archaeology
Tools and Sciences for Archaeology 2	Landscape Archaeology Digital Archaeology II Ancient Sources in Context Material Culture II
From Sites to Cultural Heritage Management in the Emirates	Exhibition Project Management Archive Project Management Tools for Cultural Mediation and Education
Language	French for Archaeologists and Art Historians
Internship Preparation	Internship Preparation and Support
Application Seminar: Internship	Internship
Processing Data and Ongoing Research	Processing Data and Ongoing Research
Scientific Report and Defense	Dissertation and Defense

Internship

The Master in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage has integrated a mandatory Application Seminar during each Spring semester. These internships will improve students’ critical thinking and reasoning abilities by blending academic theory with real life work experience.

In Master 1 (M1), they will have the opportunity to integrate a 4 week archaeological project conducted by Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.

In Master 2 (M2), students will do an 6 to 12 weeks internship at a partner’s institution, in the UAE or abroad depending on their wishes and level of language proficiency. Students will have the opportunity to join a museum or a cultural institution, or to work in an archaeological or heritage site.

By joining a professional work environment, students develop collaborative learning process and hence expand their professional network which can lead to enduring professional relationships and forge new career paths.

Master’s degree thesis

Students will be required to submit essays based on the mandatory Applications Seminars in Spring semesters. At the end of M1, students are expected to produce a scientific report based on the academic fieldwork they participate in, while an extended essay based on their internship in M2 will be the milestone concluding this master degree.

Admission to this master degree programme is highly selective and competitive where each applicant will be considered based on his/her own merit. The admission process ensures that every course has an ideal mix of people with talent, impressive interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.

General entry requirements

• Bachelor in a relevant field with a CGPA of 3 out of 4 or equivalent.
  Candidates with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99 (or equivalent scores as per the equivalency table) may be conditionally admitted under probation during the first semester. The student will be authorized to continue in the program only if they secure an average of at least 12 out of 20 which is obtained by the end of the first semester. The decision is based on academic performance and will be made official after the completion of the first semester
  or Bachelor with minimum of 2nd class honours
  or Bachelor with an average of 12 out of 20
• Bachelor students with a GPA below 3 may be admitted on the ground of their professional and/or personal experience, in case they are granted a VAPP by SU’s or UP’s VAPP commission
• IELTS certificate with minimum overall band of 6.0 with a validity of 2 years or TOEFL certificate with minimum score of 79 (or equivalent) with a validity of 2 years or Native English speaker who completed 3 full years in an English-medium institution within a maximum period of 3 years or equivalent

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend an interview to assess the candidate’s motivation, career expectations and relevant professional experience in the degree area.

Applicants who earned their undergraduate degrees from universities outside the UAE must present a Certificate of Equivalency for their graduation certificates from the UAE Ministry of Education. Applicants, who are holders of undergraduate degrees issued by a licensed higher education institution in the UAE, are required to submit a copy of their degrees attested by the UAE Ministry of Education. For details on requirements, kindly visit the Ministry’s website: Ministry of Education.

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is committed to considering applications from all students regardless of their country of origin, income, gender, religion or physical condition.

Assessment & graduation requirements

Throughout the year, there will be frequent assessments and evaluations. Students will be evaluated on individual assignments, presentations, reports and examinations. Attendance to all classes is mandatory and it is important that students are punctual and observe university regulations at all times.

•    Programme tuition fees (over 2 years):	AED 166,400 (approximately US$ 45,344)
•    Payment of fees:	Click here

Guidelines

Postgraduate scholarships may be combined with both preferential tuition rates and additional discounts.
The calculation is as follows:

• Scholarships and additional discounts are applied to the full tuition fees.
• Preferential rates are then calculated on the remaining amount after the scholarships and additional discounts have been deducted

40% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible for a 40% scholarship on tuition starting from the first semester, which will remain valid for the entire academic year.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• A Bachelor’s CGPA between 3.6 and 3.79
• A Bachelor in French system with a score between 14/20 and 15.99/20
• For other systems: Graduation within the top 30% of the class

For programmes taught in English, applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL iBT score of 94.

50% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible for a 50% scholarship on tuition starting from the first semester, which will remain valid for the entire academic year.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• A Bachelor’s CGPA between 3.8 and 3.99
• A Bachelor in French system with a score between 16/20 and 17.99/20
• For other systems: Graduation within the top 20% of the class

For programmes taught in English, applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL iBT score of 94.

75% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible for a 75% scholarship on tuition starting from the first semester, which will remain valid for the entire academic year.
To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• A Bachelor’s CGPA of 4
• A Bachelor in French system with a score between 18/20 and 20/20
• For other systems: Graduation within the top 10% of the class

For programmes taught in English, applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency, with a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL iBT score of 94.

20% Alumni preferential rate

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi alumni are eligible to a 20% waiver on tuition fee. The waiver is valid for the 2 years of master.

30% Fresh graduate preferential rate

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi current L3 students are eligible to a 30% waiver on tuition fee when they apply for a M1. The waiver is valid for the 2 years of master.

Guidelines

For students enrolled before the September 2025, the previous scholarship scheme apply. In this scheme, postgraduate scholarships are not compatible with postgraduate preferential rates; however, they may be combined with the early bird discount or student ambassador.
In such cases, both the scholarship and the early bird discount or student ambassador discount will be calculated based on the full tuition fees.
For more information, please contact admissions@sorbonne.ae

25% academic excellence scholarship

New joiners are eligible to 25% scholarship on tuition starting from the 1st semester. To be eligible, applicants are required to meet one of the below criteria:

• Bachelor CGPA average of 3.6/4.0 and above, or equivalent.
• Bachelor with Final Average of 15/20 above.
• Bachelor with first class honors.
• Candidates graduating as the top of class, despite the average.

A minimum average of 14/20 is required to maintain the scholarship for the following semesters.

For programmes taught in English: an English Proficiency level with a minimum of 7.0 for IELTS or 94 for TOELF IB.

20% Alumni preferential rate

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi alumni are eligible to a 20% waiver on tuition fee.

25% preferential rate upon enrolment on a second master’s degree

Applicants holding a master degree from SUAD and enrolling for a second master degree at SUAD are entitled to a 25% waiver on tuition.

5%-15% corporate rate

Companies and organizations benefit from a special discount, based on the number of employees enrolling in programmes. For more details, please contact +971(0) 2-6569311

10% Family discount

Students who have a first-degree relative currently enrolled in an undergraduate or a postgraduate programmes are eligible for a 10% discount.

These additional discounts may be combined with any scholarship. The calculation will be based on the full tuition fees.

Early birds

A 10% discount applies to students who register and pay the first installment of tuition fees before April 30. First semester fees must be fully paid by May 10

Student ambassador

A Student Ambassador is a current student who successfully refers a new student to enroll at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.

• The referring student (Student Ambassador) receives a 5% discount on their full year’s tuition fees for each new student referred.
• The referred student also receives a 5% discount on their full year’s tuition fees.

In exceptional cases to encourage deserving students and provide them with better study conditions, financial aid can be awarded by in case of financial hardship (subject to funds availability). For more information, please contact admissions@sorbonne.ae

*Conditions apply

There are abundant rewarding career opportunities on local, regional and global levels in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, which require various areas of expertise and hence a variety of job opportunities.
At the end of this programme,graduates would have acquired technical skills and knowledge that are desirable to pursue a career as an Archaeologist, a Collections and Records Manager in cultural institutions, an Archaeological / Heritage Sites Manager, or as a Cultural Heritage and Archaeology consultant for private and public sectors.