A wide-ranging introduction to the archaeology of cultures across the world that will give you a new understanding of past societies and the issues that affect them today. In the company of expert tutors and fellow enthusiasts, you’ll explore the key concepts, methodologies, case studies and topical issues that are being debated in the field right now.
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Key Features
Course highlights
During this part-time online certificate course, you will:
- learn about archaeological cultures in 3 different continents
- learn about key concepts archaeologists are grappling with today
- develop key study and writing skills.
Explore the richness of human diversity across three continents – Europe, America and Africa. Each geographic region has a fascinating archaeological record - some of it may be familiar to you and much of it may be new. Your expert tutors will guide you across the familiar and the unknown, giving you fresh perspectives on the world. You’ll explore the key concepts, methodologies, case studies and topical issues that are being debated in the field right now.
As part of our learning community, you will:
- become familiar with the diverse range of evidence used by archaeologists
- consider how to identify and question cultural assumptions in a variety of contexts
- explore the ethical issues surrounding archaeology’s legacies, uses and abuses
- find out how to interpret and analyse a variety of cultures through their material culture
- learn about a range of methodologies for analysing and interpreting primary data.
Course breakdown
The course will run from Friday 10th October 2025 to Wednesday 10th June 2026.
Each term's live teaching usually takes place on Thursday evenings, with occasional social sessions taking place on Saturdays. Exact teaching dates and times will be confirmed in the course guide upon enrolment.
Michaelmas term: European Archaeology: The Viking Age
Who were the Vikings? What triggered the ‘Viking Age’? This course will delve into the origins of the ‘Viking Age’ and explore the archaeological evidence for its spread across Europe and beyond. We will examine key sites and archaeological evidence contextualized by linguistic, textual, and iconographic sources to reveal the burial traditions, religion, trade, urbanism, architecture, conquests and settlements of the Viking World. Students will critically engage with questions around how new techniques such as metal detecting, isotope analysis, and DNA studies are impacting understandings of the era. Finally, the unit will probe how Viking Age archaeology has been mobilized for national, European, and far-right agendas.
- Course (unit 1) start date: Friday 10 October 2025
- Unit 1 end date: Wednesday 7 January 2026
Lent term: Themes in the archaeology of the Americas
When Europeans first made landfall in the Americas, they discovered a vast continent teaming with life and thousands of years of social and cultural development. Critically, all these various societies in the Americas developed wholly independently of the rest of the world and often of each other. For instance, the polities, states and empires that so defined Mesoamerica (Olmec, Maya, Aztec) and the Andes (Chavin, Nazca, Inca) rose and fell in relative isolation from each, even North America with its Pueblo and Woodland-Mississippi cultures only had sporadic contact with one another. Here we delve into what made these societies tick and how they varied from each other covering themes such as the peopling of the continent, the rise of complexity, food systems, ecological sustainability and the impact of imperialism, especially European colonisation.
- Unit start date: Thursday 8 January 2026
- Unit 2 end date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Easter term: Themes in African Archaeology
This unit takes you across the African continent, exploring its complexities and intricacies. The history of the continent is ancient. The find of the fossilised Australopithecus Africanus skull in Taung, South Africa, in 1924, is interesting in terms of archaeology and gendered colonial exploitation. This course tells the story of our past, asking who gets centred in narratives, while also placing this diverse continent centre stage. We will explore hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, urban societies and empires, and also look at very complex and diverse ways of life that manifest in unique ways across the continent. We will explore current trends and challenges and the ways in which local communities are now preserving and protecting their heritage and creating new knowledge. This is a unique opportunity to access knowledge that is not readily available elsewhere.
- Unit start date: Thursday 2 April 2026
- Unit 3 end date: Wednesday 10 June 2026
After the course
Why not consider studying one of our other certificates and diplomas in archaeology, such as:
- Certificate in Archaeology of the Ancient World
- Certificate in Archaeology of Ancient Britain
- Diploma in Archaeology: Death and the Ancient World
- Diploma in Archaeology: Conflict Archaeology and Heritage
Students who successfully complete two out of three of the Certificates in Archaeology will be eligible for the award of the Certificate of Higher Education in Archaeology, a nationally recognised qualification which is equivalent to 120 credits at level 4.
Entry requirements
There are no formal academic entry requirements for this course, which is open to all students with an interest in the subject area.
English language requirements
If you are applying to study an Undergraduate Certificate, Diploma or Advanced Diploma and your first language is not English, you will need to meet the requirements of one of the language proficiency tests below:
IELTS (Academic), IELTS for UKVI Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake
Overall score of 7.0, with not less than 7.0 in Speaking, Listening and Writing, and 6.5 in Reading.
TOELF iBT or TOEFL Home Edition
https://www.ets.org/toefl.html
Overall score of 100, with no element below 25.
Cambridge English C2 Proficiency
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/proficiency/
Overall score of 200, with no element lower than 185.
IT requirements
The course content will be delivered, and the learning outcomes met, through video-based teaching platforms and a dedicated course Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
You will therefore need to have access to:
- the internet via a computer, laptop, tablet or other smart device
- speakers or headphones in order to hear any pre-recorded material
- a webcam and microphone for any interactive sessions which may be available
Identity Check
As part of your application you are required to provide a copy of your ID. At the beginning of the course, you will be required to attend a live zoom session, so that we can verify your identity. Please note we will not be able to issue the award if an identity check has not been completed.
As part of our open and inclusive learning environment, you can enjoy the world-class resources and expertise of the University of Cambridge wherever you are on your academic journey.
Our video-based teaching platforms offer a flexible way to access lectures, while our Virtual Learning Environment makes it easy to study and learn online and interact with your tutor and fellow students.
Our teaching methods include lectures, presentations by guest speakers and facilitators, and interactive and experiential learning activities. We will also give you reading and assignments to complete outside of classroom sessions.
You will normally be asked to submit two assignments totalling 3,000-4,000 words for each unit to demonstrate your learning. There are more details about how this course is assessed in the course guide we will send you once you have enrolled.
Qualifications
This course is equivalent to half of the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree. It offers 60 CATS credits, which are recognised by higher education institutions and employers.
Students who successfully complete 2 of our Certificates in Archaeology will be eligible for the award of the Certificate of Higher Education in Archaeology, a nationally recognised qualification which is equivalent to 120 credits at level 4.
How many hours of study are required?
The award of academic credit is a means of quantifying and recognising learning and within the UK, one credit notionally represents 10 hours of learning. This course attracts 60 credits, so students should expect to need to study for approximately 600 hours in total to complete all units successfully. However, it is recognised that students study at different paces and use a variety of approaches, so this is a recommendation, rather than a hard-and-fast calculation.
SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education (2021) here.
The fee for this course is £3,300. You can either pay:
- in full when you enrol,
or - Your account will be set up for you to pay in 3 equal instalments: the first when you enrol, the second by 1 January, and the third and final instalment by 1 April – (standard instalment plan). The exact dates will be confirmed in your booking details.
Important: your place on the course is not secured until we receive your first payment along with any required documents, such as proof of English language proficiency.
If you are offered a place, you will receive instructions as to how to register and pay.
Help with fees
We have many sources of financial support that you can explore.
Refunds
This course will require a minimum number of students to run. In the rare event that the course is cancelled by us, due to minimum numbers not being met, or for any other reason, you will receive a full refund of any fees paid.
Disability Support
The University’s Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre Non-Matriculated Service (ADRC NMS) provides advice, guidance, and resources to University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) award-bearing undergraduate and postgraduate students who have a diagnosed disability or medical condition, including mental health conditions. The support provided can include:
- appointments with a Senior disability adviser or Neurodiversity disability adviser
- reviewing/assessing medical or diagnostic evidence
- production of a Student Support Document (SSD)
- signposting to sources of disability-related funds (Disabled Students’ Allowances [DSA], as well as other internal funds for home and international students)
- coordination of human support, such as specialist mentoring or specialist study skills
- neurodiversity screening service (Autism, Specific Learning Difficulties, ADHD)
- signposting to disability library services
- signposting to assistive technology and software support
If you would like to access support then please indicate this on your course application form and then complete the ADRC NMS online Student Information Form so they can work with you to fully support your studies. Please upload medical evidence (written in English) when prompted to within the Student Information Form. The following links to guidance on medical evidence or diagnostic evidence will help to answer any questions you may have.
If you have any questions concerning disability support then please contact the ADRC NMS team via [email protected] or view their website.
Wellbeing Support
It is important that all our learners feel safe in their learning environment and student wellbeing is our key priority. We have a dedicated Student Support team who can offer a variety of support mechanisms to those who are experiencing challenges maintaining positive mental wellbeing. The PACE Student Support Team are here to support you throughout the duration of your studies with us and can:
- meet with you via teams/zoom (camera can be off) to discuss any concerns surrounding your wellbeing, mental health, academic pressures, or welfare
- advise you on options and signpost you to appropriate sources of guidance which range from self-guided resources to wellbeing conversations
- direct you to specialist support and help concerning welfare, wellbeing, safeguarding and prevent
- in specific circumstances (where there is a clear need unmet elsewhere) provide access to counselling
- provide access to study skills resources
If you have any questions concerning learning support, then please contact us.
