Literature, creative writing and film studies
Develop your own creativity and examine that of others
Join us for a short course – in Oxford or online
Start (or finish) your own novel, poem or play; produce critical analyses of classic and contemporary literature; or explore the cinematic works of a country, genre or director.
- View all short courses in literature, creative writing and film
- Ways to study: how our short courses work
Gain credit from short courses
Many of our short courses, including weekly learning programmes (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.
Part-time Oxford University qualifications
From undergraduate level study to advanced postgraduate courses.
- Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education – gain credit from short courses and great your own bespoke Oxford University qualification
- Undergraduate Certificate in English Literature – choose from two study options including one mostly online
- Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing – choose from two study options including one mostly online)
- MSt in Creative Writing – formed of short residencies and a research placement
- MSt in Literature and Arts – formed of online modules and short residencies
- DPhil in Literature and Arts
Upcoming courses
Online - live • Short courses • Hybrid - in person or online
Trees speak to all of us. Across the world and throughout history, trees have been central to our lives: sources of shelter and food and wonder. This day school explores how Western artists through the ages have celebrated their mysterious power.
- Sat 07 Jun 2025
- 10:15am – 5:30pm
Summer schools • Short courses
You will look at a selection of cantos from Dante’s Divine Comedy’s ‘Inferno,’ in a parallel Italian-English edition, and uncover the text’s rich cultural background while learning how to interpret such masterpiece of Italian medieval literature.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
Explore the origins of Lewis Carroll’s 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass'. Discover the hidden histories, controversies, and kaleidoscopic afterlife.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
Utopia – a perfect place that exists nowhere – has long been dreamed of by people. Explore real and imagined ideas of utopia past, present and future from religious communities such as the Amish to technological utopias of the future.
- Sun 06 Jul 2025 – 12 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
Study the development of British detective fiction from Arthur Conan Doyle to Colin Dexter, taking in the golden age whodunit of Agatha Christie and the postwar crime writing of Margery Allingham.
- Sun 13 Jul 2025 – 19 Jul 2025
Summer schools • Short courses
A creative writing course for writers of all levels of experience who have a desire to get their stories down onto the page and out into the world.
- Sun 13 Jul 2025 – 19 Jul 2025
Part-time qualifications
Part-time undergraduate and postgradute programmes.
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 English Literature
A two-year part-time course, equivalent to the first year of a full-time undergraduate English degree. Two study options are available, including a mostly online option.Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing
For aspiring writers, the Diploma offers involvement in a wide range of literary projects over two years of focused part-time study. Two study options are available including an online option with a summer school in Oxford.MSt in Creative Writing
A two-year, part-time master's offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialization, and critical and creative breadth.MSt in Literature and Arts
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.