Archaeology
Explore your curiosity
Archaeology, ancient history and anthropology encompass the study of humanity from our origins to the present. The Department has a strong offering of part-time learning opportunities in these subjects, offering students the chance for progression from a short course through to a part-time graduate degree programme.
Short courses for adult learners
Explore a new topic or revisit a favourite subject over the course of a few days, a few weeks or a term. Our short courses run in person or online, with some offered in both formats – so you can choose the study option best for you.
Many of our short courses, including flexible online courses, weekly classes (both in Oxford and online) and some summer schools, can be studied for credit, which means they can count towards a recognised qualification such as our Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education.
Oxford qualifications and professional development
Upcoming courses
Online - live • Short courses • Hybrid - in person or online
Hoskins’ 'The Making of the English Landscape' appeared in 1955 and has been in print ever since. This day school is a tribute to one of the greatest historians of the 20th century and is presented by experts with close knowledge of the man and his work.
- Sat 28 Oct 2023
- 9:45am – 5:00pm
Short intensive • Short courses • Short courses
Short course introducing potential witnesses and advocates to the techniques and procedures of public inquiries dealing with the historic environment, including preparing proofs of evidence. A mock inquiry will be staged.
- Tue 28 Nov 2023 – 30 Nov 2023
- 3 meetings
Online - live • Short courses • Hybrid - in person or online
Building on Mick Aston’s work on early medieval landscapes in Somerset, Professor Stephen Rippon explores the fragmentation of early folk territories into manors and parishes and the abandonment of a newly excavated settlement at Ipplepen, in Devon.
- Fri 01 Dec 2023
- 4:45 – 6:15pm
Online - flexible • Short courses
What are Greek myths? Who told them and why? How can we interpret them? Why are they still so powerful? How much history do they contain? This course will explore these fascinating tales from the past and attempt to make sense of them.
- Wed 10 Jan 2024 – 22 Mar 2024
Online - flexible • Short courses
What do we really know about the Celtic world? These ancient communities left us captivating artefacts and imposing earthworks, but also with more subtle clues from which we can tease out the origins of the peoples who have come to be known as the Celts.
- Wed 10 Jan 2024 – 22 Mar 2024
Award courses and related programmes
Courses and workshops in the historic environment (cultural heritage)
Expert tuition for those with a keen interest, professional or personal, in archaeology, historic buildings and cultural heritage.Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education
A flexible, part-time route to an Oxford University qualification. Gain credit from flexible short online courses, weekly classes, and the Oxford University Summer School for Adults. Explore a wide range of subjects in this multidisciplinary programme.Undergraduate Certificate in Archaeology
An introductory part-time undergraduate course for adults with little or no previous experience of academic archaeology. Taught at first-year undergraduate level, this two-year course introduces ideas, approaches, sites and methods.Undergraduate Diploma in British Archaeology
Gain a grounding in British archaeology with this two-year part-time undergraduate course, taught at second-year university level. Modules available: Early Prehistoric; Later Prehistoric and Roman; and Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Medieval.Advanced Diploma in British Archaeology
This one-year part-time advanced diploma consists of a taught module on one of three periods of British archaeology and includes a 10,000-word dissertation. The course is taught at third-year undergraduate level.MSc in Applied Landscape Archaeology
The MSc in Applied Landscape Archaeology is a part-time modular course over two years.DPhil in Archaeology
The part-time DPhil programme was first offered in Archaeology in 2003 with several successful DPhil completions now having taken place.