Enrolling on a genealogy course is a great way to gain additional family history skills, and perhaps even take a step towards becoming a professional genealogist. The good news is that many genealogy courses are now available online or by correspondence, which means you can take the first step into family history or build on your skills from the comfort of your own home.

Best online and correspondence genealogy courses available today

Pharos Tutors 

Pharos Tutors specialise in online genealogy courses. They have on-demand courses covering topics such as how to get started with your family tree and how to get kids interested in family history (£19.99 – £45.99) and a two-part ‘Foundations of Family History’ course teaching you how to start your family history research. They also have a full programme of courses covering a variety of different aspects of family history research. Available courses with spaces include ‘Introduction to One-Name Studies’ (starts 8 September, 5 week course, £70) and ‘Old Handwriting for Family Historians’ (starts 8 September, 4 week course, £84).

University of Strathclyde 

The Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies in Glasgow has flexible learning pathways suitable for beginner to advanced to help you build the skills needed to take your family history research to the next level. You can choose from a series of eight week online classes (costing £176.00) starting in January, April and October each year. Or try one of their free online MOOCs, which can be studied at any time and from anywhere in the world.If you already have an existing interest and experience in genealogy, then you can further your research with their flexible online postgraduate degree in Genealogical Studies or even go on to take a PhD in History with Genealogical Studies!

Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies 

The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (IHGS) is an independent charitable trust devoted to the education and research of family history and genealogy. They offer a wide range of correspondence genealogy courses, which you can complete in your own home at your own pace.

Celia Heritage 

Celia Heritage is a professional genealogist, author and regular contributor to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, who offers a range of genealogy courses. From a one-off video tutorial on using wills for £12.99 to her comprehensive 7-module family history e-course for £447.

Best genealogy courses to become a professional genealogist

If you are a keen and experienced family historian, you may have thought about setting up as a professional genealogist. There isn’t a single genealogy course that will make you a professional genealogist. However, if you wish to join a professional body for genealogists in the UK, like the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) or the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA), then a qualification may be one of the requirements for membership.

Full membership applicants for the RQG need to have a postgraduate diploma level qualification, which is currently only available from either:

• The IHGS Higher Certificate & Diploma in Genealogy 

• The University of Strathclyde Postgraduate Diploma in Genealogical, Paleographic and Heraldic Studies

AGRA applicants are exempt from certain parts of the membership assessment process if they have passed one of the following genealogy courses:

• The IHGS Higher Certificate & Diploma in Genealogy 

• The University of Strathclyde Postgraduate Certificate in Genealogical, Paleographic and Heraldic Studies

• Pharos Tutors Family History Skills & Strategies (Advanced) Distance Learning Course (run in association with the SoG)