Undergraduate literature courses

Study literature part-time at Oxford University

Immerse yourself in literature and develop your skills in critical analysis with a part-time course in literature.

Certificate in English Literature

Our part-time Certificate in English Literature offers an exciting opportunity to study English Literature at degree level. It covers a range of writing from Shakespeare to the twentieth century and teaches skills in the analysis of literature, including the ability to read closely and to recognise and apply approaches in contemporary literary theory.

The course is taught part time over two years. Choose from two study options: one taught mainly face-to-face in the evenings, and the other taught mainly online. It is equivalent to the first year of a university undergraduate English degree. Many students use this programme as their pathway towards a BA in English.

Find out more about the Certificate.

Short courses

Our weekly classes and flexible online courses in literature are taught at undergraduate level and cover periods from Early and Middle English literature through Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Dickens and the Victorians, to contemporary British fiction. Class sizes are kept small to maximise interaction between you and your classmates and tutor.

Credit earned from some of these is transferable towards our Certificate of Higher Education – a part-time undergraduate course in which you study a main subject discipline, but also undertake study in other academic subjects.

Student spotlights