The master’s (and possible PhD follow-up) program in Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology (BEMA) is a joint project of the Department of Archaeology at New Bulgarian University and the Balkan Heritage Foundation. It presents a mix of specialized courses in the archaeology of Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean and more general courses covering important topics in archaeological method and theory that enable students to conduct research worldwide. Part of our courses prepare students for archaeological fieldwork, although others, such as Geographic Information Systems and Reflectance Transformation Imaging, are broadly applicable in fields outside of archaeology.
The online platform allows students to attend lectures by international faculty from Bulgaria, Great Britain, the United States, Denmark and other countries, which in turn exposes them to diverse perspectives and research traditions from across the globe. The two-year master’s program requires students to participate in two field schools. They may choose from a broad range of projects in archaeology and conservation offered by the Balkan Heritage Field School. The courses are taught in English and most are online, delivered weekly via the ‘Digital Classroom’ software. Students come to Sofia, Bulgaria two times (in June) for practical courses at the Archaeometry Lab at New Bulgarian University. After the two weeks of lab courses in Sofia, students take part in the field schools of their choice – either in Bulgaria or in another Balkan/Eastern Mediterranean country.
After successfully graduating from the master’s program, a 6-Semester PhD degree is possible. Upon completion of the program, students have the necessary qualifications for the following jobs: archaeologist, museum curator, cultural heritage manager, field archaeology manager and field archaeology technician.
You can find more detailed information about the graduate program here.
Student testimonial of graduate student Melissa Helm
