The WWII continuing education track provides a rich sequence of online courses that will allow WWII experts and educators to learn at their own pace, while gaining premier knowledge that can be used in their professional careers. Learners of all backgrounds will be able to increase their knowledge of the war, as well as their critical thinking skills, while achieving quality personal growth and intellectual development through the vanguard coursework. View our upcoming courses below.
Blood and Sand: North Africa and the Middle East During World War II: Part 1
Using the notion of a “Greater Second World War,” this course looks at the many connections between war, empire, and colonialism in North Africa and the Middle East, where Britain, France, Spain, and Italy held significant colonial possessions. Among the topics covered early in the class are the Rif War in Morocco, Fascist Italy’s invasion and occupation of Ethiopia, and the Great Arab Revolt in Palestine. The course then shifts to Mussolini’s entry into World War II in June 1940 and the onset of Italy’s war against Britain in North and East Africa followed by the arrival of German forces under General Erwin Rommel, the pro-Axis uprising in Iraq, the spread of Nazi propaganda in the Middle East, and the pendulum swing in military fortunes between Axis and Allied forces in 1941-42. Part 1 of the course concludes with the Allies’ decisive victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein in the fall of 1942.
Course dates: November 23, 2026 – February 1, 2027
Registration: October 12, 2026 – December 7, 2026
Enroll by November 9, 2026, to get 10% off the total cost of the course!
Meet Our Instructors
Taught by the scholars of The National WWII Museum’s Institute for the Study of War and Democracy; Museum historians, curators, and educators; as well as leading faculty from Arizona State University, the WWII continuing education program provides lifelong learners in-depth insights into the war and its legacies. Get to know some of the course instructors:
The Student Experience
The continuing education program aims at the student who is less concerned with grading and accumulation of academic credit hours, and more interested in the satisfaction and intellectual stimulation of lifelong learning. Continuing education courses will be briefer and more concise, while still drawing upon the combined resources and personnel of The National WWII Museum and Arizona State University.
Continuing education courses will also take participants “behind the lines” at the Museum, allowing them to see artifacts and documents that are not displayed as part of the regular exhibits. Without assignments, papers, or exams, the continuing education experience amounts to education for the purest reason of all: the challenge of learning.
Explore Further
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Online Master's in World War II Studies
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Service on Celluloid
Service on Celluloid is a captivating podcast that takes a deep look at depictions of World War II on film over the last 70-plus years.
