History
As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.
Education
- Oxford offers more than 350 different graduate degree programmes.
- Oxford's research activity involves more than 70 departments, the colleges, more than 1,800 academic staff, more than 5,500 research and research support staff, and more than 6,100 graduate research students.
- Undergraduate and postgraduate Oxford qualifications: certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, Master's and Doctoral degrees, offered part-time, in the arts, social sciences, diplomatic studies, human rights law, health care and biomedical sciences.
Research
Research carried out by Oxford’s staff, students and alumni has made an enormous impact on the world over the centuries. You can explore some of the more recent examples in the Oxford Impacts case studies and films. These range from impact on culture, business and policy to environment and health.
The impact of some research is evident immediately, whereas in other cases it can take years, or even decades, before the true value becomes apparent. There are no simple predictors of potential benefit or outcomes, and no single measure of impact.
Short Courses
- Short Course A Tartan Literature - The Rise of Scottish Modernism
- Short Course Adventurous Scots - Late Victorian Writers of Empire
- Certificate Ancient Greek - Beginners
- Certificate Ancient Greek - Lower Intermediate
- Certificate Biblical Hebrew - Beginners
- Short Course Building Assignment Writing Skills
- Short Course Chemistry and Poetry
- Certificate Creative Writing Summer School
- Short Course D-Day and the Liberation of Europe
- Short Course Developing Further Assignment Writing Skills
- Certificate English Language Teachers' Summer Seminar
- Short Course Ernie Bevin and the Cold War
- Short Course Fantasy Literature
- Short Course History of Medicine
- Short Course How to Write Compelling Dialogue
- Short Course Language and Perceptions of Identity
- Certificate Latin - Beginners
- Short Course Learn to Write Flash Fiction
- Short Course Logos - A Theory of Everything
- Short Course MeToo and the Artworld
- Short Course Migration, the Bible and Theological Ethics
- Short Course Oxford Students in the Age of Empire
- Short Course Philosophy and Art
- Short Course Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling
- Short Course Queer Theologies
- Short Course Queering Modernism
- Short Course Reading the Past - Medieval Handwriting
- Short Course Religion in International Politics
- Short Course Self in a Future Society - A Philosophical Enquiry
- Short Course The Ethics of Capitalism
- Short Course The Geological History of Britain
- Short Course The History of Homicide
- Short Course The Wytham Estate - Histories and Communities
- Short Course Victorian Literature and Art
- Short Course William Shakespeare and the First Folio
- Short Course Writing Historical Fiction
- Short Course Anthropology, Gender and Sexuality
- Certificate Arabic - Beginners
- Certificate Chinese (Mandarin) - Beginners
- Certificate Economics for Public Policy
- Short Course Election Forecasting
- Short Course Espionage, Intelligence and National Security
- Certificate Evidence in Public Policy
- Short Course Evolution and the Fossil Record
- Certificate French - Beginners
- Short Course Gender and Diplomacy
- Certificate German - Beginners
- Certificate Italian - Beginners
- Certificate Japanese - Beginners
- Short Course Journeys Towards Gender Equality in Islam
- Certificate Korean - Beginners
- Short Course Language and Perceptions of Identity
- Short Course Neville Chamberlain and Appeasement
- Certificate Portuguese - Beginners
- Certificate Positive Psychology
- Short Course Queer Theologies
- Short Course Queering Art and Design
- Short Course Queering Modernism
- Short Course Religion in International Politics
- Certificate Spanish - Beginners
- Certificate Technical Team Communication
- Short Course The Art of Global Cities
- Short Course The History of Homicide
- Short Course The Psychology of Happiness
- Certificate Advanced Marketing Approaches
- Certificate Agile Project Management
- Certificate Branding and Marketing
- Certificate Branding and Marketing (online)
- Certificate Commercialising Digital Innovations
- Short Course Condition Surveys of Historic Buildings
- Certificate Design Thinking Practitioner
- Certificate Design Thinking Practitioner (online)
- Short Course Digital Diplomacy
- Short Course Digital Literacy and Digital Well-Being
- Certificate Essentials of Project Management
- Certificate Evidence in Public Policy
- Certificate Financial Analysis and Analytics
- Certificate Leadership and Entrepreneurship
- Certificate Lean Six Sigma Leadership Yellow Belt
- Certificate Managing Innovative Technology
- Short Course Managing Innovative Technology (online)
- Certificate Project Management
- Certificate Project Risk Management
- Certificate Starting a Successful Business
- Certificate Starting a Successful Business (online)
- Certificate Strategic Planning and Foresight
- Certificate Technical Team Leadership
- Short Course Decorative Arts and European Empires
- Short Course Emotion and Meaning in Music
- Short Course Flow My Tears - The Music of John Dowland
- Short Course Milestones in Popular Music, 1960-2000
- Short Course Music and Mathematics
- Short Course Musicals and Musical Theatre
- Short Course Ninian Comper - Reimagining the Modern Gothic Church
- Short Course Philosophy and Art
- Short Course Queering Art and Design
- Short Course Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto
- Short Course The Art of Global Cities
- Short Course The Setting of Heritage Assets
- Short Course Victorian Literature and Art
- Short Course William Shakespeare and Mid-Century Art and Design
- Short Course William Shakespeare and the First Folio
- Certificate Artificial Intelligence Demystified
- Certificate Artificial Intelligence for Cyber Security
- Short Course Introduction to Networks and Cyber Security
- Certificate Low-Code Data Scientist
- Short Course Python Pandas for Data Manipulation
- Certificate Quantum Computing
- Short Course Security in the Digital Age
- Short Course Step into Maths - Games and Graphs
- Certificate Systems Thinking Approach to Change Management
- Certificate Digital Signal Processing
- Certificate Making Successful Power Distribution Designs
- Certificate Mastering High-Speed Serial I-O Technology
- Certificate Mechanical Design for EMC
- Certificate Practical Antenna Design
- Certificate Practical RF - Microwave Design
- Certificate Resetting Your Signal Integrity Knowledge
- Certificate Satellite Communications and Navigation
- Certificate Satellite Optical Communications
- Short Course Chemistry and Poetry
- Certificate Introduction to Bionanotechnology
- Short Course Music and Mathematics
- Short Course New Perspectives on Botanical Gardens
- Short Course Quantum Gravity - The Theory of Everything
- Short Course R for Statistical Significance Tests
- Short Course Step into Maths - Games and Graphs
- Short Course The Wider Context of Nanotechnology
- Short Course Thinking About Science
- Short Course Women in Astronomy
- Short Course Harm in the Historic Environment
- Short Course Heritage Values and the Assessment of Significance
- Short Course Sustainable Health Care
- Short Course History of Medicine
- Certificate Human and Veterinary Vaccinology
- Short Course Sustainable Health Care
- Short Course Animals - Rights and Wrongs
- Short Course Insects of Oxfordshire
- Short Course The Darker Side of Animal Behaviour
- Short Course Building Assignment Writing Skills
- Short Course Contemporary Developments in Coaching
- Certificate English Language Teachers' Summer Seminar
- Short Course Introduction to Study Skills
- Short Course Heritage Values and the Assessment of Significance
- Short Course The Setting of Heritage Assets
- Short Course Public Inquiry Workshop
University Ranking
Student services
Our professional services are also known collectively as the University Administration and Services (UAS).
Their purpose is to
- support the University’s core academic purposes of teaching, learning and research
- ensure the University can meet the requirements of government, funding bodies and other external agencies
- facilitate the attainment of the objectives set out in the University’s Strategic Plan
Housing services
The Alumni Office has partnered with travel booking specialist to offer alumni a discount on bed and breakfast accommodation in selected Colleges.
Availability is limited and tends to be better during the summer holidays. If you cannot find availability for your chosen dates, you can still book accommodation in other Oxford colleges, although a discount will not be applied.
Library services
Oxford meets the needs of its students, academics and the international research community with a wide range of library services provided by more than 100 libraries, making it the largest library system in the UK.
ICT services
- Membership
- Ex Officio the Senior IT officer
- Ex Officio the Department Administrator
- Ex Officio all members of the Department IT support staff
- 2 members of Department nominated bi-annually by DC
- at least 2 other co-opted members (co-opted annually)
Medical services
Health care is not just concerned with medical care; it also involves the careful management of a complex system and network of organisations.
Drawing on the School's internationally renowned expertise, this group explores how health care organisations work, why they work and, crucially, how to improve them.
Campus life
Wellcome Genome Campus Advanced Courses and Scientific Conferences fund, develop and deliver training and conferences that span basic research, cutting-edge biomedicine and the application of genomics in healthcare.
Sports facilities
The University Club is a sports and social facility for staff, graduates, alumni, retired or ex-staff of Oxford University, and membership is now available to their friends and family. The Club is situated on Mansfield Road, a short walk away from the city centre.
The Club offers great value, menus catering for all tastes and a broad selection of beverages, including local speciality ales. The Club also offers accommodation and plays host to the following sports: aerobics, dance, football, cricket, archery, tennis, squash, karate and fencing. Use of the gym is available for guests staying at the Club.
Student clubs
There are over 400 clubs and societies at the University of Oxford which cover a wide variety of interests that you may wish to join. The University registered non-sports clubs and societies list or the University registered sports activities list is a great place to start looking.