How our short courses work
Join us online or in Oxford
Explore a new topic or revisit a favourite subject over a few days, a few weeks or a term. Our short courses run in person or online, with some offered in both formats – so you can choose the study option best for you.
- Online (Live) courses combine online course materials you can explore in your own time with a weekly live video webinar led by an expert tutor. You will therefore expect to commit to a 1-hour meeting at the same time every week
- Online (Flexible) courses have no live meetings. You study structured online course materials and do not have to be online at any specific time. You will be led through the course on a week-by-week schedule by your expert tutor, but you access the course according to your own schedule
- In-person events require attendance in Oxford and have no online components. These include weekly classes, day events and weekend schools.
- Hybrid teaching events are livestreamed from Oxford and include lecture series, day events and weekend schools. You can choose to join either in person or online.
Upcoming courses
In-person weekly • Short courses
Einstein’s dream for unification of the fundamental forces is still unfulfilled. The course surveys the evolution of the concept of force and focuses on the current efforts to complete the last step of unification by adding the force of gravity.
- Fri 23 Jan 2026 – Fri 27 Mar 2026
- 10 meetings
- 2:00 – 4:00pm
Short intensive • Short courses • Professional development
This five-day short course from the Experimental and Translational Therapeutics Programme is taught through face-to-face tutorials. It discusses the basic principles of designing and identifying new drug molecules and monitoring their effect.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 – 30 Jan 2026
Online - flexible • Short courses
This course introduces you to Old English literature: from tales of heroism, courage and fellowship, to poignant elegies of love and loss.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 – 10 Apr 2026
Online - flexible • Short courses
This course is the ideal introduction to English garden history. It provides an overview of five centuries of development, from baroque formalism through the naturalistic landscape style, right up to contemporary cutting-edge planting style.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 – 10 Apr 2026
Online - flexible • Short courses
Uncover why the inter-war years gave rise to political extremism and dictatorships across Europe.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 – 10 Apr 2026
Online - flexible • Short courses
Step into the turbulent world of Elizabethan England, a time of plots, power struggles and discovery, and uncover how ordinary people lived through one of the most dramatic eras in English history.
- Mon 26 Jan 2026 – 10 Apr 2026
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.Day and weekend events
Join us in Oxford or online for inspiring educational and cultural experiences led by Oxford academics and guest experts.Lecture series
Weekly lectures from experts in their field. All can be watched online, with many taking place in a hybrid format – so you can choose to attend online or in person.Weekly learning programmes
Study with Oxford on a weekly schedule. Choose from courses that meet in Oxford, online courses with live sessions and flexible online courses.