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
Short intensive • Short courses • Professional development
Explore the fascinating intersection of psychology and culinary arts in this online course, focusing on how food affects emotional regulation, mental health, and well-being. Join experts in culinary psychology from Oxford and Harvard University.
- Wed 03 Sep 2025 – 22 Oct 2025
- 2:00pm to 6:00pm (UK time)
Online - flexible • Short courses
A practical course covering all aspects of novel writing from character creation and story development to final edit.
- Mon 08 Sep 2025 – 21 Nov 2025
Online - flexible • Short courses
Every day we meet people with interesting life stories. Our lives are made up of tragic, uplifting and humorous experiences which shape us as individuals. We love, fight, apologise, account for and endure through whatever comes our way.
- Mon 08 Sep 2025 – 21 Nov 2025
Online - flexible • Short courses
The aim of musical analysis is to understand how music exerts such a powerful effect on us. This course introduces some of the main approaches as we attempt to bridge the gap between our intuitions about music and our intellectual knowledge of it.
- Mon 08 Sep 2025 – 21 Nov 2025
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.
- Mon 08 Sep 2025 – 21 Nov 2025
Online - flexible • Short courses
Understanding the impact of Artificial Intelligence, now and in the future, is a key skill in the knowledge economy. This course develops a critical understanding of real-world AI applications by introducing various case studies to a general audience.
- Mon 08 Sep 2025 – 21 Nov 2025