ARMMAP: Managing Archaeological Projects: From Inception to Publication

Module code: ARMMAP

Module provider: Archaeology; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Mr Thom Hayes, email: t.j.hayes@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 27 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will introduce students to the professional standards of archaeological project management and provide an overview of the inception, planning and delivery of archaeological projects. The module builds on the industry standards set out in the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE - Historic England 2015) and will explore the stages of archaeological work from project inception and funding, through fieldwork and post-excavation, to dissemination and archiving. Emphasis will be placed on the legal, ethical, and professional standards that guide archaeological practice in the UK.

Through a series of seminars, the students will research and develop their own archaeological project proposal for a site of their choosing, culminating in the production of written scheme of investigation (WSI). An individual written report based on real archaeological records will provide practical post-excavation experience in managing data and producing project documentation.

This module aims to provide students with their own ‘toolkit’ of skills, that will allow them to more effectively set up and run their own archaeological projects, whether that is within employment in professional archaeology (commercial archaeology or academia), as a part of a local studies group or as their own personal research project.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate and summarise sector guidance, legal frameworks, and planning policy to design archaeological project strategies, demonstrating an advanced understanding of how legislative, commercial, and research-driven priorities interact in professional practice.
2. Analyse and appraise methodological options for project design, fieldwork execution, and post-excavation programmes, justifying decision-making through informed engagement with archaeological theory, budgeting, resource management, and the requirements of professional standards such as MoRPHE.
3. Develop and present a fully costed, methodologically robust archaeological project design, clearly articulating research aims, logistical requirements, stakeholder considerations, and the implications of alternative strategic approaches.
4. Independently evaluate complex archaeological datasets and archives, integrating stratigraphic analysis, interpretation, and data organisation to produce outputs suitable for dissemination to professional, academic, and public audiences.

Module content

You will have 2 hours of lectures each week on different aspects of the archaeological project lifecycle, complemented by fortnightly seminars, where students will discuss and develop their own project design. Additionally, there will be workshops that will cover more practically focused elements of the module.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught primarily through lectures, discussion seminars and workshops. The module will also include practical sessions. The module fieldtrip is to the offices of a professional archaeology unit.

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module. 

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

You will be asked to prepare specific materials/resources for the group seminars, relating to the project design, for which you will receive feedback. This will help inform and develop skills that will be used in completing the Summative Assignments.

Reassessment

Additional costs