Family History Certificate Program

The BYU Family History (Genealogy) Certificate Program is designed for those who do not desire to complete all of the requirements for a degree in history or are unable to return to campus to do so.

The Certificate Program provides a solid background in fundamental genealogical training in a particular geographical area. The certificate requires 18 semester hours of credit, including:

• 3 Hours in History 400 Family and Law in American History
• 3 Hours in History 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425—Language Handwriting and Documents
• 6 Hours in Family History Research Geographic Sources classes as listed below*
• 6 elective hours to be chosen from the following list after completion of the requirements listed above:
• History 390R Special Topics in Family History Research (available through BYU Independent Study)
• History 480 Seminar on Professional Family History Research
• History 481R Directed Research in Family History
• History 482—Professional Paths and Credentials in Family History (available through Provo Evening Classes only)
• History 496R—Internship in Family History
OR
• A general history course in the geographic area of specialization. For appropriate courses, contact the BYU History Department.

*This requirement is filled by completing at least 6.0 semester hours in the same geographic source.

Geographic sources include:

North American Family History Research

• History 401 U.S. — New England
• History 402 U.S. — Eastern States
• History 403 U.S. — Midwest
• History 404 U.S. — Southern States
• History 405 U.S. — Native American
• History 406R U.S. — Candadian

British Family History Research

• History 412 England and Wales before 1700
• History 413 England and Wales since 1700
• History 414 Scotland
• History 415 Ireland

Scandinavian Family History Research

• History 408R Denmark
• Norway and Iceland
• Sweden and Finland

History 409R—Germanic Family History Research

History 410R—Southern European Family History Research

History 411R—Latin American Family History Research

History 416—Slavic Family History Research

The certificate should not be confused with certification or accreditation. The Certificate Program can help prepare one for certification or accreditation, two separate, private forms of qualifying professional genealogists. Contact the BYU Salt Lake Center Academic Advisement Center at 933–9429 for details.

To apply for enrollmente in the certificate program, use the Clearance to Register form available on the BYU Salt Lake Center Web site.