On-campus Beginner to Intermediate Level Genealogy

On-campus classes resume from October 2023. We also offer online genealogy classes. Visit our Online Genealogy classes web page to learn more.

Do you have a personal interest in genealogy? Perhaps you have been working on your own genealogy project and would like to know how to progress further?

Our multi-week daytime classes run throughout the year, with numerous start dates and topics to help develop your knowledge and understanding in the field of genealogy.

Successful completion of one or more of these classes may be used to demonstrate appropriate study skills and/or genealogical experience for progression onto the Postgraduate Certificate in Genealogical Studies. Further information on postgraduate study entry requirements can be found in the PG Genealogy Advice and FAQ document on the Genealogy 'Learn with Us' webpage.

Studying for Credit - Some of our courses are credit bearing and you can accumulate credits in genealogy classes leading to an Open Studies Certificate in Genealogical Studies. You can also combine your Genealogy classes with other subjects in the programme to gain an Open Studies Certificate. Find out more about studying for credit.

Class topics include:

8-week classes

10 credit points (at Level SCQF 7)

Researching your family roots can be a great emotional and intellectual achievement.

In this class, you will find out where to uncover the sources useful for tracing the story of your own family and discover what information they contain.

These will include indexes and original records, online and published. Case studies of family histories will show how various sources can be used to build the information found into a meaningful genealogical record on paper and on computer.

Class text

You will be provided with a copy of the ‘Family Record: a workbook to record your family research’ by H Craig. The text for this class is ‘Discover your Scottish ancestry: internet and traditional resources’, G Holton and J Winch, 2nd revised ed. 2009, (Edinburgh University Press).

10 credit points (at Level SCQF 7)

Most family historians are comfortable working with the birth, marriage, death and census information readily available for Scotland and England. This class takes you beyond these basic sources and examines a wide range of resources for Scotland, England and Ireland, including testaments, land and property registers, maps, valuation rolls, street and trade directories, newspapers, census substitutes and church records. You will also look at research methods and ways of recording your findings, and introduce palaeography (old handwriting), heraldry and genetic genealogy.

Class text

The required reading for this class is: Bruce Durie, ‘Scottish Genealogy’, 3rd edition (History Press, 2012).

How to Book

You can 'Browse & Book Online' using our online booking system - MyCLL.

To view currently available classes, select 'Genealogy' in the MyCLL Catalogue.