oxford university department for continuing education

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University of Oxford - Department For Continuing Education

A Brief History of Physics from Galileo to the 20th Century and Beyond

A history of british and irish poetry from barrett browning to paul muldoon, a history of british poetry from shakespeare to blake, a history of european furniture and interiors, a tale of three cities: london, paris and berlin in the nineteenth century.

Academic Literacy: An Introduction (Online)

Studying at undergraduate level is an exciting and rewarding experience, but if you are new to higher education, or have not studied for some time, you may find it useful to brush up your reading, note-making and essay-writing skills, and to revisit the basic rules of punctuation and grammar. The course will teach you to: improve your time management ...

Advanced Coaching

Advanced creative writing (online).

Advanced Emotional Intelligence Skills for Business (online)

This course equips individuals with key skills to examine their own perspectives, evaluate their own behaviour and that of others, deal more effectively with adverse situations, and become more strategic in achieving goals. Those who have earned this credential have gained; - The ability to evaluate barriers to success - Strategies ...

Advanced Marketing Approaches

Rewley House Continuing Education Library

Opening hours

Monday – Thursday: 9am – 7.30pm Friday: 9am – 5pm Saturday: 9.30am – 5.30pm Sunday: 9.30am – 4.30pm

From Monday 9 December our hours will be:

Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm

Christmas opening hours

Friday 20 December: 9am – 2pm

The Continuing Education Library will be closed from 2pm on Friday 20 December – Wednesday 1 January (inclusive).

Download the full planned opening hours for 2024/ 5

[email protected] +44 (0)1865 270454

About the library

The Rewley House Continuing Education Library supports the teaching, learning and research of the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education .

Rewley House Continuing Education Library Rewley House 1 Wellington Square Oxford OX1 2JA

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Using this library, for disabled readers, services and facilities, collections and resources, guidance for..., contact and support, latest from the blog.

Courses by department and division

Mathematical, physical and life sciences, medical sciences, social sciences.

• Continuing Education

The University of Oxford has four academic divisions, made up of individual departments, faculties or other centres, and a Department for Continuing Education, which offers courses across a range of subject areas.

A-Z of departments offering graduate courses

Departments in all four divisions and the department for continuing education, departments in the selected division(s).

Related subject areas offered by the Department for Continuing Education are shown below this list.

Please select at least one division

• School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography Social Sciences Division
• School of Archaeology Social Sciences Division
• Ruskin School of Art Humanities Division
• Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Humanities Division
• Department of Biochemistry Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Biology MPLS Division
• Saïd Business School Social Sciences Division
• Department of Chemistry MPLS Division
• Faculty of Classics Humanities Division
• Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine Medical Sciences Division
• Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences Medical Sciences Division
• Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Computer Science MPLS Division

Department for Continuing Education

• Centre for Criminology Social Sciences Division
• Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Doctoral Training Centre MPLS Division
• Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Earth Sciences MPLS Division
• Department of Economics Social Sciences Division
• Department of Education Social Sciences Division
• Department of Engineering Science MPLS Division
• Faculty of English Language and Literature Humanities Division
• Department of Experimental Psychology Medical Sciences Division
• School Of Geography and the Environment Social Sciences Division
• School of Global and Area Studies Social Sciences Division
• Blavatnik School of Government Social Sciences Division
• Faculty of History Humanities Division
• Department of History of Art Humanities Division
• Humanities Division Interdisciplinary Courses Humanities Division
• Oxford Department of International Development Social Sciences Division
• Oxford Internet Institute Social Sciences Division
• Faculty of Law incl. Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies Social Sciences Division
• Faculty of Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics Humanities Division
• Department of Materials MPLS Division
• Mathematical Institute MPLS Division
• Radcliffe Department Of Medicine Medical Sciences Division
• Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages Humanities Division
• Faculty of Music Humanities Division
• Oxford Neuroscience Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Oncology Medical Sciences Division
• Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Paediatrics Medical Sciences Division
• Sir William Dunn School of Pathology Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Pharmacology Medical Sciences Division
• Faculty of Philosophy Humanities Division
• Department of Physics MPLS Division
• Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Politics and International Relations Social Sciences Division
• Nuffield Department of Population Health Medical Sciences Division
• Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Psychiatry Medical Sciences Division
• Department of Social Policy and Intervention Social Sciences Division
• Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Social Sciences Division
• Department of Sociology Social Sciences Division
• Department of Statistics MPLS Division
• Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences Medical Sciences Division
• Faculty of Theology and Religion Humanities Division
• Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health Medical Sciences Division

Related subject areas offered by the Department for Continuing Education

Related subject areas will be shown when a division is selected.

• Department for Continuing Education: Humanities
• Department for Continuing Education: Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences
• Department for Continuing Education: Medical and Health Sciences
• Department for Continuing Education: Social Sciences

Oxford is at the forefront of international research in the humanities, with five subject areas judged to have the highest volume of world-leading 4*-rated research in the UK in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

The Humanities Division comprises around a third of the University's community of staff and students, offering taught graduate and research degrees in a very wide range of subjects. Humanities departments and faculties  attract outstanding students, academics and researchers from across the globe. As a result, graduate students have the opportunity to undertake their studies and research in a stimulating, challenging and highly rewarding intellectual environment.

Some of these subjects are relatively new, and cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Others are areas of academic research that have long been recognised as of central importance, and they include some that few other universities are still able to support. In each case, the objective is to sustain and to teach the highest standards of scholarship. The dynamism of intellectual activity is in evidence in the wide variety of open lectures and seminars, in addition to those for specific courses.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

You will have access to an immense range of research material, including digital resources. These resources are provided through Oxford’s impressive library system, based on the central Bodleian libraries, through the work produced by the University's research projects, and through the rich and diverse holdings of its museums.

In addition to materials and support focused on conveying subject-specific knowledge, there are a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills and developing new skills, and preparing them for careers after they have completed their studies.

The Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division is home to some of the most creative and innovative scientific thinkers and leaders working in academe. Senior researchers in MPLS at Oxford have been awarded some of the most significant scientific honours and the division has a strong tradition of attracting and nurturing the very best early career researchers who regularly secure prestigious fellowships.

The division’s nine departments and interdisciplinary doctoral training centre  span the full spectrum of the mathematical, computational, physical, engineering and life sciences, and undertake both fundamental research and cutting-edge applied work. The division's four year doctoral training programmes are preparing a new generation of scientists to undertake quantitative and predictive research at the interface between the mathematical and physical, and the biological and medical sciences. They were established with funding from the following UK Research Councils:

• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); and
• Medical Research Council (MRC)

The disciplines within the MPLS Division regularly appear at the highest levels in world rankings and have been evaluated as conducting world-leading and internationally excellent research in UK research assessments. We have extensive links with other leading universities, research institutes, public sector bodies, business and industry, in the UK and abroad.

Teaching is a major part of the division’s activities and a number of highly rated taught master’s courses are offered. For research students, a range of courses are available and the division is developing further cross-disciplinary provision for key research skills. Research at the interface between disciplines is strongly encouraged, both within the mathematical, life and physical sciences, and within the medical and environmental sciences. MPLS graduates are much in demand from academia, business and industry, government and the professions.

The Medical Sciences Division houses some of the strongest biomedical research in the world; Oxford is repeatedly placed first in clinical, pre-clinical and health in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The Medical Sciences Division’s departments and institutes in Oxford and overseas are home to some of the strongest biomedical research in the world, regularly appearing at the highest levels in world rankings and rated world-leading and internationally excellent.

The Medical Sciences Division’s 2,000 researchers cover a wide range of research, from atomic-resolution molecular structural biology to epidemiology as applied to very large populations. This enables students to work on virtually any biomedical problem. The division provides a stimulating and challenging environment for more than 2,000 talented graduate students with excellent new facilities and close personal supervision by world-class researchers. To complement research supervision and course teaching there is a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills and developing new skills.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

The course titles and department names do not fully reflect the wide range of research projects available. You can also use the Medical Sciences Graduate School  website to identify opportunities and courses based on your area of interest. You are also encouraged to look at webpages hosted by the different departments and institutes of the division for a further sense of the opportunities on offer.

All candidates who apply by the December or January deadline shown on the course page are automatically considered for full funding awards, irrespective of their nationality. The majority of students accepted by the Medical Sciences Division secure full funding, covering both fees and living expenses.

The Social Sciences Division comprises the largest grouping of social sciences in the UK, home to fourteen outstanding departments , tackling some of the major challenges facing humanity in the 21st century.

Oxford's Social Sciences departments are committed to research that develops a greater understanding of all aspects of our complex society, including cybercrime, economic and political turmoil, environmental change, inequality, legal systems, movement of people and social development.

This research is disseminated through a wide range of innovative graduate courses, many of which are recognised by the UK Research Councils and provide preparation for doctoral work, as well as being discrete programmes of advanced study in their own right; others provide a professional qualification. 

The purpose-built Centre for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, adjacent to the Faculty of Law houses the Department of Economics, the Department of Politics and International Relations and the Bodleian Social Science Library, providing exceptional facilities for master's and research students. All are rooted in research of international standing and students have access to a well-resourced, active research environment. The division also includes the Saïd Business School and the Blavatnik School of Government.

As one of the major providers of social science research in the UK, the University, in collaboration with Brunel University and the Open University, hosts the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership , one of fifteen Doctoral Training Partnerships accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of a Doctoral Training Network. ESRC DTP studentships are available in a wide variety of training pathways in the social sciences, for both DPhil and master's-to-DPhil programmes.

The need for new learning opportunities throughout life is now recognised throughout society. An intensive, initial period of higher education is not always enough in times of rapid social, economic and technological change. The Department for Continuing Education is known worldwide as a leading provider of extended learning for professional and personal development.

The department provides high-quality, flexible, part-time graduate education, tailored for adults. Students can undertake graduate-level certificates, diplomas and taught master’s degrees in a wide range of subjects. Increasing numbers of courses are delivered in mixed mode, combining intensive periods of residence in Oxford with tutored online study.

The department recruits adult students of all ages on a regional, national and international level. Many courses are offered jointly with other academic departments around the University. Courses are offered in the following areas:

• Mathematical, physical and life sciences
• Medical and health sciences
• Social sciences .

All postgraduate students on the department's courses are members of its Graduate School. The Graduate School aims to provide a stimulating and enriching environment for learning and research. It also fosters intellectual and social interaction between students coming from different disciplines and professions. Interdisciplinary research seminars, training opportunities and other events are offered by the Graduate School in support of this goal.

All masters' and DPhil applicants are considered for Clarendon Scholarships . The department is committed to seeking scholarship support for other students wherever possible.

• Ways to study at Oxford
• Part-time and online study
• Dates of term
• Residence requirements

Important notice

Please note that websites external to the University of Oxford may hold information on our courses.  Those websites may contain incomplete and inaccurate information. Please refer to this website which provides the definitive and up-to-date source of information on any graduate courses offered by the University.

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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 join a weekly learning programme.

Browse all online short courses or explore the different online course types below.

Flexible short online courses : these have no live-time meetings so you can study when it suits you.

Live-time weekly classes : these have scheduled, live-time online meetings to attend.

Day schools and weekend events : include livestreamed lectures and small online workshops.

Upcoming courses

The witch: a history.

• Sat 02 Nov 2024
• 9:45am – 5:00pm

Critical Thinking for Business (online)

• Mon 04 Nov 2024 – 13 Nov 2024
• 09:30 - 11:00 Mon & Wed

Increasing Diversity and Inclusion: Women in Leadership (online)

• Mon 04 Nov 2024 – 08 Nov 2024
• 11:00 - 12:30 (UK time)

Architecture and Conquest in 11th-Century England

• Tue 05 Nov 2024 – 10 Dec 2024
• 11:00am – 12:15pm

Systems Thinking Essentials for Sustainability and Social Impact

• Fri 08 Nov 2024 – 09 Nov 2024
• 10:00am – 1:00pm

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.

Distance learning

Low-residency programmes, continuing professional development, undergraduate certificate of higher education.