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PalaeontologyDiploma Course

Palaeontology is the scientific study of ancient or prehistoric life forms, using the analysis of preserved remains, known as fossils, to classify ancient organisms and uncover how they have either disappeared or adapted to the changing conditions of the Earth. The Palaeontology Diploma Course is your introduction to the subject.

Course overview:

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Accredited

10 Modules

Study Group Access

Earn reward points

What Will You Learn?

Discover Palaeontology’s main objectives, subfields, interrelationship with other disciplines, and the main roles of palaeontologists. We’ll look at the first scientific figures that contributed to the systematic study of fossils and how the documentation and analysis of fossils became accepted as scientific evidence.

You’ll learn how scientists used geologic processes to create the Geologic Time Scale and how this system of chronological dating works. We’ll explore the development of life on Earth and the influence of palaeontology in the scientific area of evolution.

In the Palaeontology Diploma Course, we’ll consider the science of taphonomy and the processes of fossilisation. You’ll learn about a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, plant fossils, and microfossils, and what they can tell us about how they and our world has changed.

The course concludes with a look at the methods and tools used to collect, curate, and study fossils and describes the impact of palaeontology in other areas such as environmental sciences, petroleum geology, and global change.

By studying this course, you will:

Become familiar with the objectives and history of palaeontology
Understand the Geologic Time Scale
Explore the development of life on Earth
Gain in-depth knowledge on invertebrate and vertebrate organism fossils, plant fossils, and microfossils
Understand the methods and tools used to collect, curate, and study fossils

Who Would Benefit from This Course?

Whether you are interested in animals and other organisms, plants or climate change, the Palaeontology Diploma Course will guide you through the history of life.

You’ll gain a comprehension of evolutionary timescales and the origins of key features that enable organisms to thrive in present environments. In addition, the course covers the Earth’s past environmental conditions – enabling us to comprehend how the climate has changed over millions of years and continues to change today.

Modules

Module 1: The Science of Palaeontology8 Parts

Introduction
Part 1: What is Palaeontology?
Part 2: Subfields of Palaeontology
Part 3: What Does a Palaeontologist Do?
Part 4: Challenges and Opportunities
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 1 Assessment

Module 2: The History of Palaeontology6 Parts

Part 1: The Beginnings of Palaeontology
Part 2: The First Fossil Evidence
Part 3: The Modern Study of Palaeontology
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 2 Assessment

Module 3: The Geologic Time Scale8 Parts

Part 1: The Creation of the Geologic Time Scale
Part 2: Eons
Part 3: Eras
Part 4: Periods
Part 5: Epochs
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 3 Assessment

Module 4: Evolution and Extinction in the Fossil Record5 Parts

Part 1: Evolution
Part 2: Extinction
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 4 Assessment

Module 5: The Fossilisation Process7 Parts

Part 1: Fossils
Part 2: The Formation of Fossils
Part 3: Bias in the Fossil Record
Part 4: What Do Fossils Tell Us?
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 5 Assessment

Module 6: Fossil Invertebrates7 Parts

Part 1: Characteristics of Invertebrates
Part 2: Classification of Invertebrates
Part 3: Invertebrates in the Fossil Record
Part 4: Invertebrate Palaeontology
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 6 Assessment

Module 7: Fossil Vertebrates6 Parts

Part 1: Classification and Characteristics of Vertebrates
Part 2: Vertebrates in the Fossil Record
Part 3: Vertebrate Palaeontology
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 7 Assessment

Module 8: Fossil Plants7 Parts

Part 1: Characteristics of Plants
Part 2: Classification of Plants
Part 3: Plants in the Fossil Record
Part 4: Palaeobotany
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 8 Assessment

Module 9: Microfossils6 Parts

Part 1: Classification and Characteristics of Microfossils
Part 2: Microfossils in the Fossil Record
Part 3: Micropalaeontology
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 9 Assessment

Module 10: Applications and Significance of Palaeontology9 Parts

Part 1: Palaeontological Techniques
Part 2: Method for Small Fossils
Part 3: Method for Medium-to-Large Fossils
Part 4: Storage and Preservation of Specimens
Part 5: Applications of Palaeontology
Part 6: Trends and Future Directions
Test Your Knowledge
Key Learning Points Exercise
Module 10 Assessment

Accreditations

The Palaeontology Diploma Course will take you up to 150 hours to complete, working from home. There is no time limit for completing this course, it can be studied in your own time at your own pace.

This is a Level 3 course and will give you 150 CPD (Continued Professional Development) points.

Upon completion of your course assessments, you receive 2 certificates. A certificate from the Centre of Excellence and a CPD certificate displaying the number of CPD points earned from the course.

This course is endorsed by the Quality Licence Scheme. Therefore, upon successful completion of this course, learners can also receive a certificate of achievement from Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary, which lists the details of all the units the learner has completed as part of the course. (This certificate is optional and costs an additional £25).

The Quality Licence Scheme is part of the Skills and Education Group, a charitable organisation that unites education and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives. With more than 100 years of collective experience, the Skills and Education Group’s strategic partnerships create opportunities to inform, influence and represent the wider education and skills sector.

The Skills and Education Group also includes two nationally recognised awarding organisations; Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access. Through their awarding organisations they have developed a reputation for providing high-quality qualifications and assessments for the education and skills sector. They are committed to helping employers, organisations and learners cultivate the relevant skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.

Their knowledge and experience of working within the awarding sector enables them to work with training providers, through the Quality Licence Scheme, to help them develop high-quality courses and/or training programmes for the non-regulated market.

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FAQs

How much time do I have to complete my course?

There is no time limit for completing your course it can be studied in your own time at your own pace.

How long will the course take me to complete?

All of our courses vary in length but most of our courses will take you between 50 - 250 hours to complete. The length of this course can be found in the Accreditations section above.

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