With the new degree structure, the Master’s Programme is being renewed, strengthening the link between study, research, and career opportunities, while building on its most well-established areas of expertise.
From a.y. 2026/27, the Programme will be called simply Archaeology, while Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient World will become the name of the Italian-taught curriculum. This change makes the Programme easier to identify and helps to highlight more clearly the distinctive features of the Italian curriculum, which is based on a broad and interdisciplinary approach combining theoretical study, fieldwork, and the analysis of material and historical sources.
A key innovation is the strengthening of the Programme’s methodological and applied framework. Greater emphasis is placed on archaeological methodologies, stratigraphic and contextual documentation, materials analysis, and data management, with increased attention to digital tools for the production, analysis, and presentation of archaeological information.
The updated degree structure also more explicitly promotes the integration of archaeology with historical and epigraphic disciplines and with the technical-scientific area, offering a truly interdisciplinary education. Written and epigraphic sources are increasingly integrated into the study of material contexts, while scientific and legal-administrative skills are more clearly oriented towards the protection, management, and enhancement of archaeological heritage, in line with current regulatory and professional frameworks. Particular importance is also given to the strengthening of practical activities, which are integrated from the first year in both curricula. Laboratories, archaeological excavations, non-invasive surveys, internships, and seminars are conceived as structural components of the Programme, with specific pathways dedicated to contexts, materials, bioarchaeology, and heritage protection practices. This structure allows students to develop advanced practical skills, the ability to work both independently and in teams, and effective communication skills for both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Another important innovation concerns the clearer distinction and profiling of the two curricula:
- Italian-taught curriculum: ACMA – Archeologia e Culture del Mondo Antico.
ACMA strengthens its organisation around learning areas and cultural fields, offering greater flexibility in designing autonomous study pathways and a stronger focus on professional training, particularly in preventive archaeology and in the protection and management of archaeological heritage.
- English-taught curriculum: ACRA – Applied Critical Archaeology and Heritage.
ACRA consolidates its international focus through thematic modules dedicated to archaeological heritage, social approaches, and material and written culture, within a broad chronological and geographical framework spanning the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The curriculum also strengthens cross-cutting scientific and comparative legal skills, preparing students to work in multicultural and globalised contexts.
Overall, the innovations introduced with the new degree structure aim to make the Programme even more responsive to developments in archaeological research and to changes in the professional landscape, significantly strengthening training in areas that are now central to the profession of the archaeologist.
The reorganisation of the Programme will take effect from the 2026/27 academic year and includes the new Programme title “Archaeology” and a new degree code (6244).
Students enrolled in the 2025/26 academic year should refer to degree code 6702 for information related to their study plan, while students enrolled in 2024/25 should refer to degree code 8855.
Students are therefore advised to pay particular attention when making changes to their study plan during the designated period (7 January – 10 April 2026), as many course units will no longer be active or selectable in the 2026/27 academic year due to the reorganisation of the Programme.
The new admission call for the 2026/27 academic year will be available and published from February 2026.
