Board for Certification of Genealogists ®

Educational Preparation

Do you wonder . . .

How you can better prepare yourself for a successful application?
How you can strengthen your knowledge of records?
Where you can learn the latest methodology?
What educational programs exist beyond the introductory courses in your community?
Whether specific academic degrees are necessary?
What guidebooks you can depend upon for sound advice?
What qualities the successful applicant typically offers?

Success in almost every field of endeavor is built upon four cornerstones: specialized education, practical experience, a desire to be the best one can be, and a determination to do a superior job of every task. The successful applicant for certification exhibits these same traits.

Because you are curious about the rewards of certification, you surely have the desire and the determination. Odds are that you also possess a measurable amount of experience by the time you reach the point of thinking about certification. This page, then, will emphasize the first of the four cornerstones — educational preparation.

No specific program of education is required for a successful application. Yet candidates who pursue one or more of the following suggestions — whether by self-education or through a formal program — typically submit applications that exhibit deeper knowledge and stronger skills.

Many superb programs exist nationwide. Because of space limitations, the following spotlights those programs whose quality instruction has endured for decades. Most offer "certificates of completion," but they also caution that their programs and certificates are not to be confused with actual certification.

Independent Study Courses

American Genealogy: A Home Study Course — National Genealogical Society; 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300; Arlington, VA 22204-4304. In 16 lessons that students can pursue at their own pace, the society offers thorough instruction and hands-on experience with major resources and record analysis.

Brigham Young University; 206 HCEB; Provo, UT 84602. Students can select specialized courses that center upon geographic areas or ethnic groups.

Institutes

National Institute on Genealogical Research [NIGR]; P.O. Box 724; Lanham, MD 20703-0724. Held each July at the National Archives, this intense 5-1/2 day program focuses upon NA holdings. Limited enrollment. Cosponsored by BCG.
Email: NatInsGen@juno.com.

Samford University Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research [IGHR]; 800 Lakeshore Drive; Birmingham, AL 35229. Held each June on the Samford campus, this 5-day program offers seven structured courses, including beginning, intermediate, advanced, professional, and specialized tracks. A British Institute is held each July, based at Samford House — London. Limited enrollment. Cosponsored by BCG.

Seminars

Local and state societies nationwide sponsor dozens of one- and two-day seminars each year, taught by the nation's leading genealogists at a very modest fee. The newsletters of the two national societies (see addresses for FGS and NGS below) carry regular notices of these events.

Major Conferences

Federation of Genealogical Societies [FGS] Annual Conference; P.O. Box 200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940. Held in late summer or early fall at various sites nationwide. Circa 150 hours of widely varied instruction.

National Genealogical Society [NGS] Annual Conference; 3108 Columbia Pike, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22204-4304. Held in late spring at various sites nationwide. Circa 150-200 hours of widely varied instruction.

Self-Instruction

Study major journals
Study major guide books
Join the Association of Professional Genealogists

Access to formal classes of advanced instruction may be restricted by travel or financial limitations, but opportunities for learning are open to everyone who can subscribe to a good periodical or visit an area library. Your application will be stronger if you apply the following:

Study major journals

The serious genealogist learns new methodology and resources by regularly and thoroughly reading journals that offer well-crafted, well-documented case studies of difficult problems that have been resolved. Among the most-often recommended publications are the following:

Study major guide books

Successful applicants are those whose personal library includes a well-rounded stock of major guides to sources, methods, and repositories. Above all, successful applicants have absorbed the contents of these volumes! The knowledge you will glean from works such as those suggested below will be evident in all phases of your well-prepared certification application.

Board for Certification of Genealogists. The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. Orem, Utah: Ancestry, 2000.

Eales, Anne Bruner, and Robert M. Kvasnicka, editors. Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. 3rd edition. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2000.

Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. 3rd edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Mills, Elizabeth Shown, editor. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2001.

For additional self-study recommendations, click here.

Join the Association of Professional Genealogists

Association of Professional Genealogists [APG]; PO Box 40393, Denver, CO 80204-0393. With an open membership and a quarterly periodical, APG is an ideal forum for learning the practical facets of a variety of genealogical endeavors, from client work to librarianship to teaching.