Online short courses and events
Join a worldwide community of adult learners
Explore a topic in depth over one or two days; extend your knowledge over several weeks with a lecture series or a weekly learning programme.
Explore the different online course types below.
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Short online courses (Flexible): These have no live-time meetings, so you can study when it suits you.
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Short online courses (Live): These have weekly 1-hour online meetings to attend.
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Day and weekend events: Include livestreamed lectures and small online workshops.
Upcoming courses
Online - live • Short courses
This 10-week consolidation course is based on the syllabus of the previous two terms and is primarily tailored to meet the needs of students who completed the weekly class, but new students who are at the appropriate level of proficiency are also welcome.
- Fri 17 Apr 2026 – 03 Jul 2026
- 10 meetings
- 4:30 – 5:30pm
Online - live • Short courses
What made our planet habitable? This course uses physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology, to narrate Earth's story, from the synthesis of chemical elements in the stars to today’s global environmental challenges and human activities in space.
- Fri 17 Apr 2026 – 26 Jun 2026
- 10 meetings
- 4:00 – 5:00pm
Online - live • Short courses
Linear algebra and its matrices appear throughout the sciences and in the mathematical parts of the social sciences. This basic course is a prerequisite to understanding advanced mathematics and myriad closely and distantly related quantitative fields.
- Fri 17 Apr 2026 – 26 Jun 2026
- 10 meetings
- 6:30 – 7:30pm
Online - live •
This course explores one of the most fundamental ingredients in mathematics: proofs. We will learn how to create logical, convincing proofs and will explore many areas of mathematics along the way.
- Tue 21 Apr 2026 – 23 Jun 2026
- 8 meetings
- 10:00 – 10:45pm
Online - flexible • Short courses
Why do animals behave the way they do? In this course we will look at the full range of behaviours found in the animal kingdom, from simple escape behaviours to complex tool use and their evolution.
- Wed 22 Apr 2026 – 03 Jul 2026
Online - flexible • Short courses
Are we just who we think we are, or are we also who others think we are? Are we born prejudiced? Can we talk of 'national characteristics'? How can we best live together on this planet?
- Wed 22 Apr 2026 – 03 Jul 2026
Flexible learning with Oxford
As well as short online courses, we also offer flexible Oxford University qualifications and professional development programmes. Many can be studied fully online, some require short residencies in Oxford.
Short online courses
Our short online courses are taught in two alternative teaching formats - flexible or live. All of these courses are usually 10 weeks long.Distance learning
Study with Oxford from anywhere in the world. From part-time Oxford University qualifications and professional development programmes (CPD), to online short courses.Low-residency programmes
Our low-residency programmes allow students the flexibility of studying primarily from home, with short residential stays in Oxford.Continuing professional development
Professional development with Oxford University. From short courses and training in Oxford and online to flexible graduate programmes and bespoke courses.