Advanced Certificate in Genealogy

An Advanced Certificate in Genealogy, awarded jointly by Pharos Tutors and the Society of Genealogists, and recognised by professional genealogy organisation, AGRA.

The Family History Skills and Strategies Advanced Certificate is studied over two years, commencing in September each year. It consists of nine online genealogy courses, plus an additional assessment and project. You must pass the assessment and project packages and the courses to be awarded the certificate.

To enrol on the Advanced Certificate in Genealogy programme you must have completed the Intermediate Certificate with an average mark of 70% or more.

Whilst you may take any of the Advanced Courses separately outside of the programme, only those enroled on the certificate programme, to include the component courses and the end of year assessment / project will be eligible for the Advanced Certificate.

The Advanced Certificate programme structure is illustrated by the schematic below (course order subject to change).

The individual courses, with typical start timings, are:

Year One

If you have taken one or more of the Advanced Certificate courses within the three years prior to enroling on the Advanced Certificate programme, those marks will be counted towards the programme*. It is expected that you will work through the course materials again in your own time during the relevant year.

* Resits will only be accepted in line with our resit policy.

The End of Year One Assessment module consists of transcription, document analysis and research planning using documents taken from the 17th and 18th centuries. 

The Year Two Project is a twenty hour research project carried out using a variety of original documents. Research proposals are submitted in November and students are then free to work on their project, throughout the year, with guidance provided by the Advanced Certificate Mentors. 

Pharos Tutors and the Society of Genealogists have worked closely with AGRA on the assessment process for the Advanced Certificate. This has resulted in our Advanced Certificate in Genealogy being recognised by AGRA as part of their Member application process. You can read more about this here: Join AGRA.

Entrance Criteria

Students must be graduates of the Intermediate Certificate in Genealogy and have previously achieved a good standard with an average mark of 70% or more. It is useful if students are able to make personal visits to England and Wales archives for their project work but options are also available for overseas students. We are currently unable to take credits from other organisations.

How Do I Register / Pay? 

Enrolment for the September 2026 start is open now! 

Please read the following Information about the Advanced Programme before enroling. 

Important enrolment information

To be considered enroled on year one of the programme you need to sign up (pay) for ALL components of year one (listed below) before 7th September 2026, unless you have passed them in the last three years:

Old Handwriting for Family Historians (417)
Manorial Records for Family and Local Historians (401)
Digging Deeper: Mastering Online Genealogy Research (480)
Church & Community; Selected Records 1540-1800 (485)
Advanced Methods & Reports (482)
Year One Assessment Module (421)

If you have already taken one or more of these courses and been assessed, those marks will carry forward.

Why do we ask for payment in advance?

All of our certificate courses are open to all, i.e. you can take any of the Advanced courses without being enroled on the full Advanced Certificate programme. If we do not get your places booked (paid for) before the start of the academic year in September there is a risk you will not be able to complete the year.

If you have any further questions click here to contact Karen Cummings.

How Much Does it Cost?

Students must register for and sign up for each year in advance. Year one assessment must be passed before proceeding to year two. Current prices (for enrolment September 2025) are:

Year One:
Registration and Assessment module: £168
Courses: £512
Total for Year One: £680

Year Two:
Registration and Assessment / Project module: £480
Courses: £425
Total for Year Two: £905

If you have taken any of the Advanced Certificate programme courses (with assessment) in the three years prior to beginning the Advanced Certificate programme do not pay for and take those again, as your marks will be carried forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Does the certificate carry any standing in the professional community, for example with AGRA? Will it be useful in seeking professional accreditation or certification?

A. YES! The Advanced Certificate is recognised by AGRA as part of their membership application processes. You can read more about this here: Join AGRA.

Q. Can I complete the courses on my own time schedule?

A. To some extent. The Advanced programme has a set structure with assessment at the end of each year. However, you can take any of the individual courses before beginning the certificate programme and have those marks count towards your final mark.

Q. Will we progress from one course to the next, in some defined order, or can they be started and/or taken at different times and in a random order?

A. A set group of courses must be taken in advance of the end of year one assessment and year two project, to ensure students are ready for these assessments. However, you can take any of the individual courses before enroling on the  the certificate programme and have those marks count towards your final mark.

Q. I have taken some courses in advance, can I fast track to the certificate?

A. The assessment for each year takes place at the end of each academic year. It is therefore not possible to pass the year more quickly, even if you have already taken some of the courses. If you have already taken a particular course, we recommend that, when this course is running (and you are not taking part) you spend that time refreshing yourself with the course notes and the feedback you received on your assignment.

Q. Can I reserve a place on all the courses in advance?

A. You sign up for a year at a time, so yes you reserve places on all course for that year before the year starts.

Q. Do I have to buy any books?

A. There is a set text for each course within the Advanced programme that you will need access to, whether you purchase these or borrow them from your local library in time for the relevant course start date. You will be provided with a book list with your preliminary information about the Advanced programme. 

Q. What form will the assignments for assessment be in?

A. Each Advanced course is assessed with one end of course assignment of around 2,000 words. This differs from the Intermediate Certificate, where there was also assessment of forum exercises and participation in chat sessions. You should allow time at the end of each course to work on assignments, deadlines are typically two weeks after the course ends.

Q. Do I need to be able to visit archives in England and Wales throughout the programme?

A. Many of the individual courses in the programme will encourage you to build upon your research by visiting archives to access original records. However, this is not a requirement, the courses and associated assignment can all be completed remotely. The year two project does involve research in original records and it expected that you will visit archives as part of your research. Overseas students may define a project that includes records available at an LDS FamilySearch Center in lieu of being able to access England and Wales archives in person. Please contact us for advice on this.

Q. If things get in the way of course work in our personal lives, will we have additional time to finish the required assignments?

A. We do recognise that life gets in the way of study from time to time and additional time to complete an assignment is worked through on a case by case basis with the course tutor. Please tell your tutor in advance if you suffer from a medical condition that affects your ability to study.

Q. Will there be restrictions on class size?

A. Yes. Class sizes are unlikely to be above 25 per class.

Q. Is it possible to use any other accreditation such as the credits I currently have with a university?

A. Sorry, no.

Still have questions? Please contact us