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 - 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 08 Jan 2025 – 21 Mar 2025
Online - flexible • Short courses
From royal pyramids, court artisans and powerful pharaohs, to grandiose temples, mysterious gods and foreign invasions, participants will experience the world of ancient Egypt, its highs and lows, and the rich tapestry of its culture.
- Mon 13 Jan 2025 – 28 Mar 2025
Online - live • Short courses
This course introduces the archaeology of ancient South Asia. From the mighty Himalayas in the north to the waters of the Indian Ocean in the south, we will explore the archaeology and very early history of the region from 3000 to 500 BCE.
- Tue 14 Jan 2025 – 25 Mar 2025
- 10 meetings
- Tue, 10:30-11:30am (UK time)
Online - flexible • Short courses
How can we begin to understand the spiritual lives of prehistoric people? When do religious ideologies first appear on the human evolutionary timescale? Using both anthropology and archaeological evidence these and many other questions are examined.
- Wed 15 Jan 2025 – 28 Mar 2025
In-person weekly • Short courses
Current research on the human body is revealing insight into the mobility and cultural lifeways of ancient people. We focus on Bronze Age Europe and consider the range of archaeological evidence that offers new understandings on the fluidity of people.
- Mon 20 Jan 2025 – Mon 24 Mar 2025
- 10 meetings
- 10:30am – 12:30pm
Award courses and related programmes
Cultural heritage training
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.