The main goal of this Master’s degree study programme is to expand the skills of students and upgrade their qualifications. The contents of the Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East Master’s degree study programme organically build on the previous Bachelor’s degree and complement it with courses focused on more complex and selected topics from the fields of prehistoric archaeology of the Near East and cultural anthropology.

Furthermore, the students deepen their knowledge of the Arabic language and improve academic communication in English through developing the ability to write the final thesis in English and through intensive communication with foreign lecturers and consultants. Students work on their Master’s degree diploma thesis. They can choose from selective and elective subjects which widen their area of interest and help them finish the thesis. Courses can be selected in prehistoric archaeology of the Near East, Central European archaeology, classical archaeology, museology, and ancient history.

In the Master’s degree study programme, students are given the opportunity to play an active role in the educational process, enabled by their gradual specialization in the process of preparing the Master’s thesis. Their active participation in lectures and seminars is expected in relation to their thesis topic.

During their studies, the students acquire the ability to cope with the demands placed on Near Eastern archaeologists working in difficult terrain and staying in a culturally different environment. In the Master’s degree study programme, they are expected to have enough practical experience to fully meet these challenges and to engage in foreign field research projects (they have the opportunity to participate in various projects of our Centre, for example to process archaeological material in collaboration with Yale University, Freie Universität Berlin, and the University of Tübingen. Students can also arrange their own practice abroad as best corresponds with their professional orientation. At this level, they should be able to clearly understand and articulate their scientific objectives and control the methods to achieve them, which should manifest itself in drawing up personal study plans.

In the Master’s degree study programme, more emphasis is placed on the thesis and its defence. Students should be able to conduct a scientific dialogue on Near East archaeology and cultural anthropology and have a deeper overview of the current social and political issues. They should be able to read, write, and speak Arabic on current topics and issues related to field research in the Near East.