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Program Overview

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"Being a PhD student at The Cyprus Institute has offered me many opportunities of professional growth, thanks to a well-prepared faculty staff and a rich program with interdisciplinary courses. This enabled me to deepen my skills in my research field and to pave the ground of what I hope will be the start of a long and productive career."

Paula Ronzino, PhD
Alumna 

 

This interdisciplinary program aims at preparing doctoral students for research careers in the broader fields of archaeology and cultural heritage based on scientific and technological methods. The program’s structure and content are designed to immerse PhD candidates in research that lies at the crossroads between Science, Technology and the Humanities and the Social Sciences. It focuses in preparing students to deal with significant research problems in Cultural Heritage and Archaeology that make effective use of advances in digital technologies and scientific methods.

In its essence, this program aspires to educate students in the integration of science and technology in archaeology and cultural heritage. Combining theoretical with practical aspects, the PhD in Science and Technology in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage will provide a comprehensive learning experience for students who wish to advance in the field at its broadest meaning, while engaging with most up-to-date scientific and technological techniques and research approaches. More specifically, this program will:
 
       Prepare students to deal with significant research problems in applying digital technologies and a range of scientific methods for research in archaeology and cultural heritage, helping them to become leaders in this emerging research field. 

  Founded upon cutting-edge cross-disciplinary research by CyI faculty, it is the only such program in Cyprus to focus on solving archaeological and cultural heritage research questions through science and technology, while at the same time challenging science and technology to develop new methods and approaches for solving questions in archaeology and cultural heritage.

  Finally, the program will provide the necessary educational setting where excellence in education and research are fostered through interdisciplinary collaboration on regional problems of global significance.
 

At the most fundamental level, during the program students will become independent researchers able to produce a distinct and original contribution to knowledge in their chosen field, or a substantial revision of existing views, or to the development of new methods of research and analysis.


Specifically, students will learn to critically engage with published literature, recognising and evaluating primary data and their interpretation. Students will be able to apply scientific methods together with research approaches from the humanities in order to advance knowledge in their chosen field. Emphasis will be placed on the critical evaluation of the quality of their sources and the data generated during the research, on the appropriate documentation and publication of their own methods and outcomes of the research, and an unbiased and reasoned interpretation of such data and outcomes in view of previously existing knowledge and current thoughts.

Moreover, during their studies, students will learn to situate their research within a relevant theoretical framework or school of thought, develop awareness of alternative models, arguments and practices, and demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the limitations and possibilities of each of these.  In addition, program participants will gain a strong hands-on experience in the use of scientific and technological applications in archaeology and cultural heritage. This is a particularly important aspect of the program making use of the availability of CyI’s state-of-the-art laboratory facilities as well as benefitting from a broad range of ongoing research activities.
They will learn to present their work in a variety of academic and public settings, as oral presentations and in written form, and to engage in open discussions about their own views and interpretations and those of others.

Successful students will be fully equipped for a career in academia, research and development, or leading professional positions in their field.
 

Program Structure and Requirements

The Science and Technology in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage PhD is a 3-year program, structured in six semesters. It is primarily based on research leading to a written thesis, with taught elements being restricted to the beginning of the program.Students can also apply for a part-time PhD program path which can accommodate students who are employed in a related field.

The language of instruction and communication of the program is English.

To satisfy the requirements of the program, students require a total of 180 ECTS, of which 160 ECTS derive from research and 20 ECTS derive from the taught component. Specifically, 20 ECTS are earned through a mandatory course worth 10 ECTS, taken during the first semester, and through elective course(s) worth 10 ECTS, taken during semesters 1-3. The mandatory course is general and covers the different research activities that are related to the program and the elective course(s) are selected out of a large interdisciplinary pool of advanced and specialized courses. Through the integration of the curricula of the programs, interdisciplinarity is greatly enhanced.

At the end of the first year, the students need to successfully complete the Advancement to Candidacy Examination. Towards the end of their studies they need to submit their PhD thesis and successfully complete the PhD Defense Examination.

 

YEAR 1

Fall
Semester 
YEAR 1

Spring
Semester 
YEAR 2

Fall
Semester 
YEAR 2

Spring
Semester 
YEAR 3

Fall
Semester 
YEAR 3

Spring
Semester 

Course Requirements Component
(20 ECTS)

1 Mandatory Course
(10 ECTS) 
taken during
Semester 1

         
1 or 2 Elective Courses
(total 10 ECTS) 
taken during Semester 1-3   
     
Research Component
(160 ECTS)
Research conducted throughout program      
  At end of Year 1
students take
Comprehensive
Examination
      At end of
program
students must
pass their 
Doctoral Examination*
* Before the student can defend their PhD thesis, they must have successfully completed their coursework, completed the Comprehensive Examination and have submitted two scientific publications (one submitted, one accepted) in appropriate for each doctoral program international journals.


The information provided in this table is indicative

 

Program Courses 

The list of courses below is not exhaustive. Students will have the option to select elective courses from any one of the other five degree programs offered by the Graduate School of The Cyprus Institute.

Course Code Course Name ECTS Course Type
ACH 500 Frontiers and Methodologies in Science and Technology in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage  10  M
ACH 502 Advanced Methods in Archaeobotany: from the field to the interpretation of the data  5  E
ACH 504 Advanced Challenges in Archaeological Sciences  5  E
ACH 506 Advanced Research Topics in Built Heritage and Cultural Landscapes  5  E
ACH 508 Advanced Methods in Human Osteoarchaeology  5  E
ACH 509 Advanced Research Topics in Human Bioarchaeology: Contributing to Key Questions within the Archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean and South West Asia  5  E

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