What should I expect from the academic programme?
Students can choose from these five dynamic courses:
Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning and Deep Learning
This course will cover two crucial methods to contemporary use of artificial intelligence. Machine learning is a field of scientific study concerned with algorithmic techniques that enable machines to learn performance on a given task via the discovery of patterns or regularities in exemplary data. Consequently, its methods commonly draw upon a statistical basis in conjunction with the computational capabilities of modern computing hardware. This first week aims to acquaint the student with the main branches of machine learning and provide a thorough introduction to the most widely used approaches and methods in this field.
The second week will focus on Deep Learning. Neural networks and deep learning approaches have revolutionized the fields of data science and artificial intelligence in recent years, and applications built on these techniques have reached or
surpassed human performance in many specialized applications. After a short review of the origins of neural networks and deep learning, this course will cover the most common neural network architectures and discuss in detail how neural networks are trained using dedicated data samples, avoiding common pitfalls such as overtraining. The course includes a detailed overview of alternative methods to train neural networks and further network architectures which are relevant in a wide range of specialized application scenarios.
Business Management / Strategic Management and Leadership
This two week course will cover the two essential features of modern business management, using actual case studies throughout to make the most practical course possible.
Various methods of strategic market analysis are presented in the first week so as to allow students to evaluate risks and opportunities in global markets, highlighting intercultural aspects, by looking at organizations operating in different countries. Students learn to analyse and understand strengths and weaknesses of organizations from various disciplines (products, services, NGOs etc.) that face specific market situations. Supported by new developments in the field of market research, the process for identifying and analysing core competencies and competitive advantages in national and international environments is discussed at length. Students are supported to plan strategic alternatives and to implement and control these by taking on fictitious roles within various different organizations. Exercises and international case
studies help students to identify with the role of management and participate in the strategic planning process as well as in operational management. This helps students understand the problems companies regularly face and comprehend how methods of modern management can be used in order to solve these.
With this background, the students can turn to business leadership. In today’s knowledge-based society, employees are a firm’s most valuable resource. A key responsibility of leadership is to develop the knowledge, expertise, and skills of employees. Good leadership is crucial for the continued success of a firm in the face of increasingly competitive markets. This course presents the necessary competencies of the leader in a modern, knowledge- based organization. Central questions raised by modern leadership theory are presented and discussed. In doing so, the course focuses on requirements and instruments of professional leadership, aspects of situational leadership, and leadership communication and interactions, both in the context of strategic management and change processes. The methodological and conceptual foundations of leadership are presented to students, along with empirical examples and best-practice principles, with the intent for students to master the challenges of enhancing the firm’s most valuable asset—its employees—via professional and contemporary leadership practices.
Economics / Development and Behavioural Economics and Central Banking and the Economic Impact of Brexit
The first week of this course will provide an overview of both Development and Behavioural Economics. In their first few days, students will learn to appreciate the range of influences that bear upon development economics, both at the individual and group level. International agencies, governments and the private sector all have a role to play in this field, which is one where economic theory and economic practice can often seem most at odds. This course will use real life case studies to show the strengths and weaknesses of economic strategies for the developing world.
In the second half of the week, students will study Behavioural Economics, which enriches standard economics with insights from psychology to build a more realistic understanding of how and why people behave the way they do in the real world. The objective of this course is to introduce students to principles, methods, and recent advances in behavioural economics. It will be structured around how people systematically deviate from neoclassical models in terms of (1) preferences (e.g., self-control problems, reference dependence), (2) beliefs (e.g., overconfidence), and (3) decision-making (e.g., limited attention), with an emphasis on real-world applications to topics such as household finance, job search/workplace behaviour, and climate change.
The second week of the course will focus on Central Banking and the Economic Impact of Brexit - exact topics TBC.
English Literature / The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare and Victorian Writers
This two week course will offer an in-depth view of some of the greatest periods of English literature.
Though translated, imitated and reworked in innumerable other languages, the original works of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare stand as the benchmark for English Literature. The first week of this course will focus on his key works, their context, his characterisation and the many interpretations of them, so that students will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of his oeuvre.
During the second week, the focus will shift to the period of great change in England at the dawn of the modern era, which saw some of the most innovative and daring writers of the English language. This course will highlight the giants of female English literature such as the Bronte sisters, Mary Shelley and George Eliot, whilst also features the social commentaries of Thomas Hardy and William Butler Yeats.
Law / Business Law and Criminal Law
Who is teaching my course?
All tutors who are teaching on Oxford Certificate Programmes offered by Worcester College (University of Oxford) are taught by tutors from Oxford or Cambridge.
What do I receive for completing the course?
Upon satisfactory completion of the programme, participants receive a Certificate of Attendance and Achievement issued by Worcester College.
What is the teaching environment and where will I stay?
➤ Small study groups of 15–35 students
➤ Single room or Twin Room with standard facilities in student accommodation at Worcester College
➤ Breakfast in the historic college dining hall
➤ Welcome Reception and Farewell Dinner
What is Worcester College (University of Oxford)?
Worcester College is one of the historic colleges of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1714, but there has been an institution of learning on the site since the late 13th century. Although it is very close to the centre of Oxford, Worcester is the only college to have its sports grounds onsite. The college buildings are set in beautifully landscaped gardens.
Application deadline: 15th May 2026
Programme Fee: £4,330 GBP for single room lodging, also including the core academic modules, enrichment programme and breakfast.
If you would like to do multiple courses, please email enquiries.cpc@worc.ox.ac.uk for bespoke pricing.