Discover 5,000 years of archaeology in ancient Britain as part of our flexible online learning community. Supported by expert tutors and fellow enthusiasts, you’ll apply key practical and theoretical skills to a fascinating time period spanning prehistoric and Early Medieval Britain.
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
Course details
Tutors
Course information
Course highlights
During this part-time online certificate course, you will:
- gain a solid introduction to the practice, methods, theories and key sources used by archaeologists
- develop key study and writing skills.
This course explores the archaeology of the British Isles, set within a wider European context. We begin with an introduction to the essential methods and theories of archaeology, moving on to a deep dive into the three main eras of prehistoric Britain. We’ll then explore the Romano-British and Early Medieval society from the Roman occupation to the Norman Conquest.
As part of our learning community, you will:
- understand the development of archaeology and how its principles are applied to field and laboratory methods
- learn ways of interpreting and reconstructing the past
- discover techniques of dating and building chronologies
- explore the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, focusing on daily life and technology; death and burial; and ritual, settlement and landscape
- consider the archaeology of Britain’s early history from a European perspective
Course breakdown
This course will run from 9 October 2026 to 9 June 2027.
Each term's teaching usually takes place on Wednesday evenings, with occasional social sessions taking place on Saturdays. Exact teaching dates and times will be confirmed in the course guide upon enrolment.
Michaelmas term: Exploring the Past: An introduction to archaeology
- Course (unit 1) start date: 9 October 2026
- Unit 1 end date: 6 January 2027
This unit introduces the essential methods and theories of archaeology. It provides a basis for understanding the development of the subject and the application of its principles to field and laboratory methods. You will learn ways of interpreting and reconstructing the past and discover techniques of dating and building chronologies.
Lent term: Prehistoric Britain
- Unit 2 starts: Week commencing 4 January 2027
- Unit 2 end date: 24 March 2027
From megaliths to round houses, this unit provides an overview of later prehistory, and discusses the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Within each time period, you will learn about daily life and technology; death and burial; ritual, settlement and landscape.
Easter term: Historic Britain
- Unit 3 starts: Week commencing 29 March 2027
- Unit 3 end date: 9 June 2027
This unit provides students with key themes and a chronological overview of Romano-British and English society from the Roman Conquest to the Early Medieval settlements, and up to the Norman Conquest. The unit focuses on the British Isles, but is firmly situated within a wider European context.
After the course
Why not consider studying one of our other certificates or diplomas in archaeology, such as the:
- Undergraduate Certificate in Archaeology of the Ancient World
- Undergraduate Certificate in World Archaeology
- Undergraduate Diploma in Archaeology: Death and the Ancient World
- Undergraduate Diploma in Archaeology: Conflict Archaeology and Heritage
Students who successfully complete two out of three of the Certificates in Archaeology will be eligible for the award of the Certificate of Higher Education in Archaeology.
Entry requirements
There are no formal academic entry requirements for this course. It’s open to all learners who are interested in the subject.
English language requirements
Our courses are taught in English and require a good level of fluency. If English is not your first language, you’ll need to meet the requirements of one of the language proficiency tests below. You’ll need to complete your test and submit the results to our admissions team by 22 September 2026.
IELTS (Academic), IELTS for UKVI Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake
Overall score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in any component.
TOELF iBT or TOEFL Home Edition
https://www.ets.org/toefl.html
Overall score of 92, with no element below 20.
Cambridge English C2 Proficiency
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/proficiency/
Overall score of 176, with no element lower than 169.
As part of our open and inclusive learning environment, you can enjoy the world-class resources and expertise of the University of Cambridge wherever you are on your academic journey.
Our video-based teaching platforms offer a flexible way to access lectures, while our Virtual Learning Environment makes it easy to study and learn online and interact with your tutor and fellow students.
Our teaching methods include lectures by our tutors, presentations by guest speakers, and interactive and experiential learning activities. We will also give you reading and assignments to complete outside of classroom sessions.
You will demonstrate your learning using a range of assignments usually submitted during and at the end of each unit. There are more details about how this course is assessed in the course guide we will send you once you have enrolled.
Qualifications
This course is equivalent to half of the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree. It offers 60 CATS credits, which are recognised by higher education institutions and employers.
Hours of study
The award of academic credit is a means of quantifying and recognising learning and within the UK, one credit notionally represents 10 hours of learning. This course attracts 60 credits, so students should expect to need to study for approximately 600 hours in total to complete all units successfully. However, it is recognised that students study at different paces and use a variety of approaches, so this is a recommendation, rather than a hard-and-fast calculation.
SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for Higher Education (2021) here.
Fees
The total fee for this course is shown above in 'Course details'.
To help you manage your finances more comfortably, you can pay the fee in instalments. For more information on payment options, and how to secure your place, see how to pay.
Funding
We're dedicated to reducing and removing financial barriers to learning. Visit financial support before applying to find out what options may be available to help you in your studies. You can explore external funding and stay up to date on our concessions and bursaries.
We're committed to supporting you in your learning journey, and we offer a variety of support opportunities to meet individual needs. Visit student support to find out more about how we can help.
