The Biology of Viral Infections



Overview

How does a virus enter the body, and what happens once it does? Questions around viral infections have been keeping scientists busy in recent decades and there have been significant advances. This course answers these questions by providing an introduction to the biological basis of viral infections.

The course provides a basic introduction about human biology and the genetic control of the immune system. We will first introduce how viruses interact with cellular biology and genetics, and considering more deeply the human body’s defences. Finally, we will explore how scientists are developing several approaches in the search for anti-virus therapies.

Throughout the course, real-world examples are used to ground theory in case studies. COVID-19 as a key example in many regards, showing particularly how viruses represent lifelong challenges in healthcare systems.

The course is suitable for students with or without a background in biology, and provides a comprehensive beginners-level background to the biology of viruses. For some students, it will make a good complement to our other Short Online Courses Infectious Disease Modelling: Mathematical Approaches, and Infection Disease Modelling: Applied methods in R.

This course combines online study with a weekly 1-hour live webinar led by your tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

This course begins on the 15 Apr 2026 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 22 Apr 2026, 3.30-4.30pm (UK time).

  1. Human cells
  2. Human biology
  3. The role of cellular processes in diseases
  4. What are viruses?
  5. Viral infections and disease modelling
  6. Human genes and anti-viral defence mechanisms
  7. Viral diseases, COVID-19 example
  8. Virus's infectious abilities
  9. How our immune system and our fights viruses: molecular overview
  10. Viral infection therapeutic approaches

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online course are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £360.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Amr Abdelgany

Amr is a Departmental Lecturer at the Department who has worked on gene therapy since his DPhil at Oxford. He then continued his research at Oxford exploring novel genetic methods for discovery of new therapies. Amr has taught for the Department since 2012.

Course aims

This course aims to
 
  • Explain the basis of how genes and molecules may contribute to disease development
  • Explain how genes contribute to causing the disease
  • Demonstrate how genes studies may be used to develop vaccines and discover therapies

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Any standard web browser can be used to access these materials, but we recommend Google Chrome. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  1. Have established a basic understanding of how viruses infect humans and how the human immune system fights viruses
  2. Have developed aptitude in understanding how scientific evidence is produced and used, acquiring a degree of independent ability to understand relevant new scientific findings
  3. Developed foundational skills in how scientific findings are discussed and analysed, useful for the critical evaluation of scientific literature

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

 

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

IT requirements

Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support