History including local and social history
Enrich and extend your knowledge
Short courses for adult learners
Explore a new topic or revisit a favourite subject over the course of 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.
- View all short courses in history (including local and social)
- Ways to study: how our short courses work
Many of our short courses, including flexible online courses, weekly classes (both in Oxford and online) and some summer schools, can be studied for credit, which means they can count towards a recognised qualification such as our Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education.
Interested in ancient history? Then take a look at our courses in archaeology, ancient history and anthropology.
Part-time Oxford University qualifications
From undergraduate level study to advanced postgraduate courses.
Upcoming courses
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
Why were the Germans politically powerless for almost two millennia? Why were they seduced by the prospect of becoming a superpower? How have they reacted to the failure of that dream? Six lectures with Chris Danziger. Watch online or join us in Oxford.
- Wed 18 Oct 2023 – 22 Nov 2023
- 11:00am – 12:15pm
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
Examine the most controversial decisions in British foreign policy over the past century, from Chamberlain to Johnson. We will examine six key decisions where the choice was diplomacy or the use of military force. Lecture series with Dr Martin Holmes.
- Fri 20 Oct 2023 – 24 Nov 2023
- 2:00 – 3:15pm
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
Although the British public has tended to view Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement policy in a negative light, historians have often taken a more positive, ‘revisionist’ stance. This lecture examines the evidence – are the revisionists right or wrong?
- Fri 20 Oct 2023
- 2:00 – 3:15pm
Online - live • Short courses • Lecture series • Hybrid - in person or online
Ernest Bevin adopted a hard-line anti-Soviet policy, encouraging Truman to respond to Soviet behaviour in Eastern Europe with both diplomatic and military measures. This talk evaluates Bevin’s influence on the Truman Doctrine and the creation of NATO.
- Fri 27 Oct 2023
- 2:00 – 3:15pm
Online - live • Short courses • Hybrid - in person or online
Hoskins’ 'The Making of the English Landscape' appeared in 1955 and has been in print ever since. This day school is a tribute to one of the greatest historians of the 20th century and is presented by experts with close knowledge of the man and his work.
- Sat 28 Oct 2023
- 9:45am – 5:00pm
Part-time Oxford qualifications
Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in history and local history.
Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education
A flexible, part-time route to an Oxford University qualification. Gain credit from flexible short online courses, weekly classes, and the Oxford University Summer School for Adults. Explore a wide range of subjects in this multidisciplinary programme.Undergraduate Certificate in History
The two-year part-time Undergraduate Certificate in History introduces key historical periods and is equivalent to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree in History at Oxford University.Undergraduate Diploma in English Social and Local History
A part-time modular course lasting two years, which covers English society from the early medieval period to the late twentieth century. Taught mainly through residential weekends, the course makes excellent use of Oxford’s historical resources.Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Local History (Online)
Advance your skills and methodology in researching local, regional and social history with this one-year, part-time online advanced diploma. Taught completely online, the course is taught at third-year undergraduate level.Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies
The Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies offers an exciting opening for graduates of all disciplines to pursue a taught postgraduate qualification in historical studies.MSt in Historical Studies
One-year part-time course combining focused study of key historical themes and concepts in British and Western European history.MSt in Literature and Arts (MLA)
An interdisciplinary programme which encompasses literature, history, art, architectural history, political thought and the history of ideas. Designed around 3 sequential periods of British history, from Early Modern to the early 20th century.MSc in English Local History
The MSc programme draws on knowledge and skills acquired in many years of providing specialist classes in local history.DPhil in English Local History
Drawing on knowledge and skills acquired in many years of providing specialist classes in local history.