Undergraduate award: Certificate in World Archaeology

Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo.

Explore past cultures across continents

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.

Ready to delve into world archaeology? We look forward to welcoming you.

Why choose this course with us?

Learn at Cambridge, whatever your experience: this is an open-entry course
Access Cambridge teaching in a flexible format: part-time and online
Gain a credited, Cambridge award: boost your learning and career opportunities
Join our peer-learning and Cambridge alumni communities: connection and support, for life

Course Dates

Our learners

Catherine, Diploma in Archaeology: Death and the Ancient World

“My studies at Professional and Continuing Education have helped me achieve a greater sense of academic belonging (regardless of age) and opened the door to a lifelong dream.”

Women smiling with black hair and blue jacket

Miranda, Certificate in Archaeology of Ancient Britain

“I appreciate that the academic team are some of the very same who teach in the University of Cambridge’s colleges, so I feel that I'm getting a real, high-quality education.”

Course highlights

During this part-time online certificate course, you will:

learn about archaeological cultures in different continents
learn about key concepts archaeologists are grappling with today
develop key study and writing skills

Explore the richness of human diversity across multiple continents, such as Europe, the Americas, India 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 6 October 2026 to 9 June 2027.

Each term's live teaching usually takes place on Tuesday evenings, with occasional sessions taking place on Saturdays. Exact teaching dates and times will be confirmed in the course guide upon enrolment.

Michaelmas term: Introduction to Themes in World Archaeology

Course (unit 1) start date: 6 October 2026
Unit 1 end date: 6 January 2027

This course will introduce students to themes in world archaeology, taking case studies from a wide range of regions and time periods and examining them within a comparative perspective. The course focuses on cross-cultural topics and themes rather than a single geographical area, for example, the development of agriculture and social complexity, and anchors these in different case-studies. By focusing on topics of global significance, it adopts a multidisciplinary approach that helps students understand the patterns and processes that have shaped human cultures across the world. Students will learn about the emergence and development of societies from different regions and time periods, thus gaining a solid understanding of the diversity of human behaviour.

Lent term: The Archaeology of the Indian Subcontinent

Unit 2 starts: week commencing 4 January 2027
Unit 2 end date: 24 March 2027

This unit will explore the archaeology of the Indian subcontinent, one of the world’s earliest centres of civilisation and home to one-third of the global population today. Covering the modern regions of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and parts of Afghanistan, this unit will introduce you to the major cultural and societal developments that shaped the subcontinent from the Neolithic period to the early medieval period. Main themes include the development and spread of agriculture, the rise of early urban societies, the appearance of some of the world’s major religions, India’s central role in ancient trade and exchange throughout the Indian Ocean and the development of early kingdoms and states. The unit will also situate the subcontinent’s archaeology within its colonial and postcolonial contexts, engage with contemporary debates around heritage, identity and interpretation, and provide a globally informed understanding of one of the most diverse and influential regions of the ancient world.

Easter term: Themes in African Archaeology

Unit 3 starts: week commencing 29 March 2027
Unit 3 end date: 9 June 2027

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.

After the course

Why not consider studying one of our other certificates and diplomas in archaeology, such as:

Students who successfully complete 2 out of 3 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.