Online short courses in history

8 results

Explore history flexibly with our online history courses.

We’ve designed our history courses to be flexible, so you can develop your skills and earn qualifications without taking time away from your career.

  • Earn credits towards postgraduate qualifications, including Masters degrees.
  • Study anywhere in the world, with expert academics and researchers.
  • Learn flexibly, part-time, with study hours to suit you.

Outstanding archive access

As an online student you’ll have online access to our nationally significant University Collections, and award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.

Here you can explore ancient Scottish records, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and literary collections of leading Scottish writers and poets.

Our treasures include a large Jacobite collection, works of the Scottish Enlightenment, and one of the best collections of Sir Walter Scott’s work.

Towards a Masters degree

Many of our online history courses are credit-bearing, so you’ll earn academic credits towards further qualifications when you complete these.

You can use some of these short courses to earn credits towards our:

Masters in Scottish Heritage

Explore the rich history, art and philosophy of Scotland and its people. Access rare archive treasures and award-winning online teaching, with this flexible online Masters.

View MLitt Scottish Heritage
1st in Scotland for Overall Satisfaction in History (National Student Survey 2024)

The History Department at University of Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen was founded in 1495 and is the fifth-oldest university in the English-speaking world.

The University’s first Historian was also its first Principal, Hector Boece of King’s College (d.1536). Building on this rich legacy, Aberdeen’s History Department was established in 1898.

The people who teach our short courses in History

Get an insight into some of the experts who teach our online history short courses.

Professor Marjory Harper

Professor Marjory Harper

Marjory is a Professor of History. She’s travelled the world researching Scottish emigration. Her extraordinary work in this field has led to appearances on BBC Radio 4 and Radio Scotland and a Saltire Scottish History Book of the Year award. Marjory also holds an Excellence in Teaching award for her inspirational and supportive online teaching.

View Marjory’s profile
Professor Thomas Weber

Professor Thomas Weber

Thomas is Chair in History and International Affairs, as well as the founding Director of the Centre of Global Security and Governance, at the University of Aberdeen.

View Thomas’ profile

Professor William G. Naphy

William is Emeritus Professor in History at the University of Aberdeen and is your course coordinator.

He has made frequent appearances in the media (BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Channel 4, Grampian TV) as a specialist on the history of plague, witchcraft, and sexuality.

William is a leading authority on the history of crime and punishment in the early modern period, as well as Calvin’s Geneva during the sixteenth century.

His works on pandemics, witchcraft, crime, and sexuality have been translated into numerous languages. William is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a member of the Sixteenth Century Studies Society.

History courses in the news

Tom Weber leads a group of alumni students on a trip across Europe.

One of our lecturers recently took a group of alumni across Europe on the history trip of a lifetime.