This course is for anyone with an existing interest and some experience in genealogy and related subjects. It's been developed by academics and genealogy professionals to provide a thorough grounding in the theory and practice of genealogical research, family history, records, archives and heraldry. You may wish to study the field in more detail or use it in your career. It’s of particular interest for:
It's also suitable for those who are interested in:
The course is delivered online and so it'll require computer access from home. You should be familiar with the use of computers in genealogy and the course is standardised on Microsoft Windows. You'll also need to subscribe or pay for certain online databases and services.
You’ll focus on the sources available to genealogists and family historians. You’ll also gain the knowledge, skills and techniques to operate as a professional genealogist in a variety of settings.
The Postgraduate Certificate course deals mainly with Scottish, English/Welsh and Irish records. The Postgraduate Diploma adds American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, British Empire, Jewish, European and other sources. The MSc dissertation gives students the opportunity to choose an individual topic of interest.
We work together with:
When you complete the Certificate and Diploma degrees, you'll have a suitable portfolio to submit to various certification boards and other bodies for professional accreditation.
There are three degree levels within this course.
Most of our students begin with the PG Certificate before moving to the PG Diploma and then onto the MSc.
There's also a full-time MSc option. This combines all three levels into one academic year.
There are a few external equivalents to the PG Certificate which would allow direct entry onto the PG Diploma. If you're interested in learning more about these contact our Course Administrator.
Course timetables and further information are available from the Centre for Lifelong Learning.
You’ll study
You’ll need to commit time each week to cover:
We offer two options with the PG Cert:
One year
If you'd like to study over a year, and can commit 20 hours a week to the course, this is the option for you. It'll run from October until June with assessments throughout the course.
Two year (modular)
If you'd like to study over two years, you can do this by studying the six classes individually over this time period. This option gives you the opportunity to begin studying in October, January or April - whichever suits you best. The classes must be taken in order, and are all compulsory to complete the PG Cert. This option will require roughly 14 hours a week of study.
Once you successfully complete the certificate, you can progress to the Diploma.
The PG Dip allows you to develop a greater understanding of social and historical contexts and provides an in depth study of the professional and academic aspects of genealogical work.
We offer two options with the PG Diploma:
One-year part-time
If you’d like to study over a year and can commit 20 to 25 hours a week to the course, this is the option for you. It'll run from October until mid-July with assessments throughout the course.
Two-year (modular)
Beginning in March 2018, we'll start a modular version of the PG Diploma.
If you'd like to study over two years, you can do this by studying the three classes individually over this time period. This option gives you the opportunity to begin studying in October or March- whichever suits you best. The classes must be taken in order, and are all compulsory to complete the PG Diploma. This option will require roughly 14 hours a week of study.
The Masters is the third year in the part-time course.
The MSc requires the student to plan, implement and evaluate a piece of research and development work, which involves carrying out a research project of genealogical relevance, which will be assessed on a report of 12,000-16,000 words.
The part-time MSc runs from October with the dissertation submitted the following June.
Full-time MSc option
If you have an undergraduate degree along with experience in genealogical research, this could be an option for you.
You'll have to commit around 40 hours a week and there will be compulsory online tutorials for you to attend every week.
This option will begin in the middle of September and will run through to late July.
ASGRA (Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives) will admit PG Certificate graduates as Probationer Members and PG Diploma graduates as Full Members (additional evidence of client work is also required).
The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) recognises the PG Certificate as satisfying the requirement for Associate Members to hold a qualification in genealogy.
RQG (Register of Qualified Genealogists) recognises the PG Diploma or MSc qualifications as acceptable for inclusion on the Register.
