Short courses and events
Study with Oxford online or in person
Start or continue your learning journey with Oxford Lifelong Learning at any time of life!
You’ll join a highly diverse learning community: students of all ages, from all backgrounds and from all over the world. Learn more about the different types of open-access short courses we offer below.
- Day and weekend events run in person or online, with some offered in both formats. Explore a topic in depth over one or two days with multiple speakers, hone your skills in small workshops and hands-on practical sessions, or explore the city of Oxford with a walking tour.
- Lecture series are a series of weekly lectures on a given topic, providing a comprehensive introduction to your chosen subject. 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 include courses that meet weekly in Oxford, online courses with live sessions, and flexible online courses.
- Professional development short courses are designed with academic experts from across the University and beyond, allowing professional learners from across the globe the opportunity to benefit from Oxford University's excellence in research and teaching.
- Summer schools: Join us in Oxford for personal enrichment, academic progression or professional development. Many summer schools can be taken for credit; others require no coursework and are non-assessed.
Upcoming courses
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
Explore Stresemann and Hitler's opposition to the Versailles Treaty, consider their ultimate aims and strengthen your knowledge of German foreign policy leading up to and during WWII with this hybrid lecture.
- Fri 31 Oct 2025
- 2:00 – 3:30pm
In-person weekly • Short courses
Discover what makes opera unique by exploring the poetry of the libretto through the artistry of the composer, singers, and the vision of producers. Examine the different elements that fuse into this most complete of all art forms.
- Mon 03 Nov 2025 – Mon 01 Dec 2025
- 5 meetings
- 2:00 – 4:00pm
Short intensive • Short courses • Professional development • Hybrid - in person or online
Develop your knowledge of human and veterinary vaccinology as we explore all aspects of vaccinology, from Edward Jenner to modern-day vaccines, with state-of-the-art teaching from leading experts.
- Mon 03 Nov 2025 – 07 Nov 2025
- See programme details
In-person weekly • Short courses
Do you want to learn more about contemporary art and how to discuss it with confidence? Over five evenings we will explore key themes, media and pioneering artists, and examine concepts like globalism, time, queerness and activism.
- Tue 04 Nov 2025 – Tue 02 Dec 2025
- 5 meetings
- 7:15 – 9:15pm
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
It is ironic that islands should loom so large in the story of one of history’s greatest land generals. How true was Napoleon's own assessment that 'All the misfortunes of my life, I truly believe, can be traced back to islands'?
- Tue 04 Nov 2025 – 16 Dec 2025
- 11:00am – 12:30pm
In-person weekly • Short courses
Explore animal history in this five-week introductory course. Discover how humans have studied and represented animals' stories, and enjoy a rare behind-the-scenes visit to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
- Thu 06 Nov 2025 – Thu 04 Dec 2025
- 5 meetings
- 3:00 – 5:00pm
