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
Short intensive • Short courses • Professional development
Do your exhibitions stink? Scent is becoming a popular feature in museums, but what makes olfactory visitor experiences effective? We will explore the theory, practice, benefits and pitfalls, with useful tips to help harness scent as an interpretive tool.
- Tue 15 Apr 2025 – 16 Apr 2025
- 9:30am – 5:00pm
Short intensive • Short courses • Professional development
Join us in Oxford to master non-destructive techniques for built heritage. Get hands-on experience using a range of equipment for assessing archaeology and standing buildings. Learn good practice for informing management and conservation.
- Wed 16 Apr 2025 – 17 Apr 2025
- 2 meetings
- 9:00am
In-person weekly • Short courses
This course will explore the lived experiences of individuals in the urban Classical World, from the food they ate and the houses they lived in, to their beliefs, identities and well-being.
- Tue 22 Apr 2025 – Tue 24 Jun 2025
- 10 meetings
- 2:00 – 4:00pm
In-person weekly • Short courses
For most of our existence as a species, we have shared the world with other kinds of human, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo naledi. This course explores the diverse range of human species that overlapped, and sometimes even interbred with us.
- Wed 23 Apr 2025 – Wed 25 Jun 2025
- 10 meetings
- 2:00 – 4:00pm
In-person weekly • Short courses
We have much to learn from the antiquarians about ancient sites and archaeological landscapes. John Aubrey, William Stukeley and Stonehenge and Avebury will be our primary case studies. We also consider and compare other antiquarians and ancient sites.
- Thu 24 Apr 2025 – Thu 26 Jun 2025
- 10 meetings
- 2:00 – 4:00pm
Online - live • Short courses
The art of prehistoric Europe is rich with imagery such as cave paintings, carvings, body ornamentation and frescoes. This course considers a range of sites and artefacts in our exploration of the unique and creative ways people visualised their world.
- Thu 24 Apr 2025 – 03 Jul 2025
- 10 meetings
- 6:30 – 7:30pm
Award courses and related programmes
Cultural heritage training
Expert CPD 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.