There are five different class types: CAS Seminar Lecture, Weekend Course/Workshop, Weekend Field/Laboratory Workshop, Multi-day Course, and PAAC Field Experience. All class types are taken as pass/fail. 

In an effort to reach a broader audience and to increase flexibility in progressing through the certification program, many classes will be offered in a hybrid and/or online format. Online courses will be able to be completed at the participant's own pace. Hybrid courses may be attended in person or synchronously attended virtually. A limited number of classes will be offered as in-person only. 

Some classes may require a field activity or project to be completed on a participant's own time. Individuals may volunteer for ongoing professionally-supervised projects or, if given permission by the PAAC State Coordinator, may work independently. Documentation of these field activities must be given to the PAAC State Coordinator to register credit towards certification. A letter or verification from the supervising archaeologist and/or copies of timesheets signed by the supervising archaeologist will be considered acceptable documentation. A participant wishing to have previous field experience evaluated for credit should submit that experience to be evaluated by the PAAC Board on a case by case basis. 

Some classes may require a fee due at time of registration. Please note, these fees will not be refunded in the event of a class Fail. Class fees will only be returned in a class is canceled by the instructor. 

Class Types

CAS Seminar Lecture (0.5 credit hours): To receive credit for attending a CAS seminar lecture, the participant must submit the CAS Seminar Lecture form online within two weeks of the date of the lecture. The PAAC State Coordinator will review the form and grant credit to the participant. 

Weekend Course/Workshop (2 credit hours): These classes are designed to be completed in one or two days, but vary in duration. They may run between 2 and 8 hours per day. They may be offered in-person only, hybrid, or online only. 

Weekend Field/Laboratory Workshop (4 credit hours): These classes are designed to be completed in one or two days and will typically be offered as in-person only, requiring hands-on participation. They may run between 2 and 8 hours per day. Some workshop classes may be offered in a hybrid or online format. 

Multi-day Courses (6 credit hours): These classes will be offered as hybrid or online courses. Multi-day courses will vary in length from class to class. 

PAAC Field Experience (8 credit hours): These classes include OSAC-led archaeological projects and are subject to change. Duration varies between projects. To receive credit, participants typically must take part in a minimum of 2 days (16 total hours) in the field, through this requirement may vary from project to project. Field experience classes are offered as in-person only. 

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